A lot of time has passed since Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ruled the box office--38 years, to be exact. And for then-child star Ke Huy Quan, who was only 13 at the time, those years have rendered him a whole different person.
So when Quan was slated to reunite with Jones star Harrison Ford at this year's D23 Expo, he wasn't sure if Ford would recognize him all grown up.
But it turns out he needn't have worried.
As he recently told New York Times reporter Kyle Buchanan, Ford instantly recognized Quan as his kid sidekick Short Round, and their reunion was the sort of thing that tugs right on your heartstrings.
\u201cKe Huy Quan told me the wonderful story behind that TEMPLE OF DOOM reunion with Harrison Ford. (This is from an article I\u2019ve got coming later this week but I just couldn\u2019t wait to share.)\u201d— Kyle Buchanan (@Kyle Buchanan) 1666218302
Quan said he was quite daunted by the prospect of approaching Ford backstage before their big D23 reunion.
As he told Buchanan:
“My heart is pounding. I’m thinking, ‘Is he gonna recognize me? The last time he saw me, I was a little kid.’"
"As I get closer, he turns and points his finger at me, and he has that classic, famous, grumpy Harrison Ford look.”
Quan initially took Ford's famously cantankerous demeanor to mean he thought Quan was just another fan.
But instead the exact opposite happened.
Ford recognized him right away, and the two were instantly taken back in time together.
“I go, ‘Oh my gosh, he probably thinks I’m a fan and he’s gonna tell me to not come near him.'"
"But he looks and points at me and says, ‘Are you Short Round?’"
Okay there's something in our eyes...
"Immediately, I was transported back to 1984, when I was a little kid, and I said, ‘Yes, Indy.’”
“And he said, ‘Come here,’ and gave me a big hug.”
Quan went on to say how much the moment meant for him.
“When I wrapped my arms around him, all those wonderful memories I had on the set came flooding back."
"It felt so comfortable. It was amazing, and he’s an amazing man — one of the most generous men on the planet.”
Of course, the two had to snap some photos of their reunion for the 'gram, which fans loved.
And on Twitter, fans were deeply moved by the story of Quan's and Ford's reunion.
\u201c@CultureCrave I'm crying\u201d— Culture Crave \ud83c\udf7f (@Culture Crave \ud83c\udf7f) 1666220458
\u201c@kylebuchanan @MatthewACherry KYLE this is adorable! Thank you!\u201d— Kyle Buchanan (@Kyle Buchanan) 1666218302
\u201c@CultureCrave\u201d— Culture Crave \ud83c\udf7f (@Culture Crave \ud83c\udf7f) 1666220458
\u201c@DiscussingFilm @kylebuchanan\u201d— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) 1666220053
\u201c@DiscussingFilm @kylebuchanan Never seen Harrison Ford so happy \ud83e\udd72\u201d— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) 1666220053
\u201cThis is the best\u201d— Jax \u2620\ufe0f | RogueFilm.Eth (@Jax \u2620\ufe0f | RogueFilm.Eth) 1666279455
\u201cWholesome content.\u201d— Amanda Scheid (@Amanda Scheid) 1666292072
\u201cI love everything about this, from Quan being so nervous, to Harrison recognizing him immediately, to Quan calling him Indy. Just a good for the soul story. \n\nhttps://t.co/wMT2A6WGwv\u201d— Ryan Parker (@Ryan Parker) 1666289207
\u201cSo good.\n\n"As I get closer, he turns and .. points at me and says, \u2018Are you Short Round?\u2019 .. I said, \u2018Yes, Indy.\u2019 And he said, \u2018Come here,\u2019 and gave me a big hug.\u201d \n\n- Ke Huy Quan\n\n@Variety \nhttps://t.co/iLUtFbCfKD\u201d— Carl Quintanilla (@Carl Quintanilla) 1666276839
\u201cOhh, MY heart!\n\nhttps://t.co/dblGulDXB4\u201d— Kevin Skinner (@Kevin Skinner) 1666287268
After Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Quan went on to star in Goonies, but the dearth of roles for Asian Americans meant his career as an actor soon took a backseat to choreographing and assistant directing.
Until this year, that is.
After starring in the hit film Everything Everywhere All at Once which has tons of Oscar buzz, Quan will be lending his talent to the Marvel Cinematic Universe joining the cast of the studio's Loki series on Disney+.
