Steven Spielberg and Ke Huy Quan had an adorable Indiana Jones reunion at the American Film Institute’s luncheon red carpet on Friday, January 13, 2023.
Spielberg, 76, and Quan, 51, took a moment to reconnect, posing for photos together.
At one point, Quan tenderly gave Spielberg a childish kiss on the cheek as the two gently kissed and flashed big smiles at the camera.
Steven Spielberg gave Ke Huy Quan his first film role at age 13 when he was cast as Short Round opposite Harrison Ford in 1984. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, that was nearly 40 years ago, The variety.
The film launched the career of the former child actor, who went on to star in the 80s classic The Goonies. His career in front of the camera took a break until he starred in Everything everywhere all at oncewhich won him his first Golden Globes earlier this week (Tuesday, January 10, 2023), via People’s Magazine.
During his speech, Quan paid tribute to the famous director. “I was raised to never forget where I came from, to always remember who gave me my first opportunity,” Quan said at the time. “I’m so happy to see Steven Spielberg here tonight. Steven, thank you. When I started my career as a child actor in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, I felt so lucky to have been chosen. As I got older, I started to wonder if that was it, if it was just luck.
In an interview with The variety, in November 2022, Quan shared that Spielberg hadn’t forgotten about him all those years; like 38 years later, Spielberg still sends Quan a Christmas present every holiday season.
“He gave me my first job, and so many years later he hasn’t forgotten me,” Quan said. “Whenever I’ve needed help, he’s always there.”