For
80s kids like me, the movies of the era stay with you, even define you. One
of the best is The Goonies. No film better encapsulates the courage and
camaraderie of a bunch of boys taking on a challenge and winning. One of my
favorite characters is Data, played by Chinese-American actor Ke Huy Quan. I enjoyed
his quirkiness, resourcefulness, and humor, which captured the character of the
movie.
I like Ke Huy Quan the actor, as well. This former child
star had disappeared from Hollywood for years. Then in 2023, he made an
incredible comeback in the multi-Academy Award-winning movie Everything
Everywhere All at Once. He hit it so big that he won multiple awards during
the 2023 season. More than a dream come true or a fantasy only in script
houses, Quan’s comeback is the perfect Hollywood story.
Sadly, many child actors’ careers die in a graveyard of missed
or misspent potential. They struggle in adulthood, having lost their money to
unscrupulous guardians, or they suffer abuse in the industry. Many of them never
renew their careers because Father Time has chased away their childhood charm. Ke
Huy Quan broke away from that sad pattern, bent the rules, resisted the
typecasting—and won big time. His unprecedented renaissance should inspire hope
in all of us, and we can relive the amazing ups and downs in his memoir Never
Say Die. This book is a must-read with a literary character that should
remain on readers’ minds and library shelves for years to come.
His book begins with a hazy memory: his family’s flight from
Vietnam during an increased crackdown on the Chinese community. This traumatic
escape sets up a major theme in his story: that from a young age, he felt like
an outsider trying to fit in. When he got into movies, he felt a sense of
belonging, and he stood out among his peers and his family.
We learn about the trials he faced sitting in a jail cell when
trying to flee Vietnam, and he endured this incarceration as a child! He walks
us through the pain, the turmoil, and the confusion he faced entering Hong Kong
as a refugee, then arriving in America. We celebrate his happier times as a
famous child actor, but we also respect his perseverance when acting roles
dried up, and he started working behind the camera to stay in Hollywood.
Quan’s parents feature prominently in the memoir, and
deservedly so. He praises their endurance, their work ethic, and their
commitment to giving their children the best life possible.
The subtle literary quality of Never Say Die stands
out as Ke develops other key themes (no pun intended) throughout the book. In
the first part of his memoir, he writes like a child, communicating with us
from a childlike point of view. As the story progresses, the author’s style
reflects his growth and awareness not just in what he shares, but in how he
retells his history to us.
During his first unpleasant stay in a Vietnamese jail, Ke
asks his father when they can go home. His father answers, “Soon.” As an actor
in the United States getting back into the craft, Ke wonders if he can make it.
His faithful, comforting, supportive wife of twenty years (whom Ke praises
throughout the book) comforts him: “Soon.” Reading the author’s success building
upon success, we connect how all of Quan’s challenges, frustrations, and
disappointments have prepared him for the latest incredible, joyful period in
his life.
Ke not only reveals his heart, mind, and soul, but he brings
us into the emotionally riveting life of someone in relative obscurity suddenly
vaulted into fame and fortune. You feel like you’re living this life with him!
Two of his encounters as a child actor stand out.
First, he became friends with world-renowned music superstar
Michael Jackson during his unexpected visit to The Goonies film lot. The
same world-famous Michael Jackson would call Ke at home and invite him to a private
screening of one of Quan’s movies. Ke writes that the invitation didn’t go to
his head, revealing his humble spirit even as an up-and-coming child star.
Ke also met Princess Di and Prince Charles during his press
tour for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I loved how he described
her in the book: “She felt normal. Kind, polite, genuine. I could see why
people loved her.”
Those words describe Ke Huy Quan as well.
Those two encounters stand out specifically because they
display how fame affects people in drastic ways. Jackson succumbed to physical
problems and drug addiction because of constant public pressure. At one point,
he lamented: “I am the loneliest person in the world.” Princess Di died from
the excess of fame she endured, as she crashed in a Paris tunnel attempting to
flee harassing paparazzi. Thankfully, through rise and fall and rising again to
fame, Ke Huy Quan didn't suffer such a terrible fate as Di or MJ. That’s good
news and a great story in itself. He didn’t suffer like other child actors after
losing their stardom. Part of this success was due to his strong, supportive family.
In fact, his mother stayed with him (and, incidentally, protected him) during
his childhood film career. Too often, child actors lose themselves or even get
harmed on film sets. (Watch
An Open Secret for more information).
In the second part of his memoir, Ke describes the new life
he would build for himself behind the camera, then chases his dream to return
to acting. He writes with a warm, budding invitational tone, showing us how all
the hard moments in his life fit together, putting him in the right place at
the right time—all at once! After a small role in 2021, he auditioned for EEAAO
at the producers’ request. Throughout the process, he exhibits a
characteristic humility and gratitude, but also a newly found calm acceptance
if he doesn’t get the role (which he is convinced is perfect for him, by the
way!)
Ke Huy Quan’s humility is the most engaging aspect, a man
you want to meet, whose stories you want to hear. He leads us intimately
through what it’s like to be famous, to endure a career slump, then to be
famous again, and to remember where you’ve come from.
Quan’s memoir ends with him speaking to the UNHRC Global
Refugee Forum in Geneva, Switzerland. There, he revisits his experience as a
refugee. Quan’s status as a refugee was both a distant memory and a source of
shame for him, an identity he had been trying to flee or suppress. At this
stage of his life, with a renewed career, all the pieces of his life, every
step of the journey, come together, the same way that seemingly disparate elements
in a timeless classic coalesce. After the event, he gets to connect with
something very personal, so profound that I don’t want to spoil it for you—you
need to read the book!
In his memoir Never Say Die, Ke Huy Quan, wunderkind
turned wonderful adult, relishes everything, everywhere, all at once, and we
enjoy the ride with him!
His
big speech at the Academy Awards captures it all perfectly:
“My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee
camp. And somehow, I ended up here, on Hollywood’s biggest stage. This is the
American dream!”
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