The whirlwind awards circuit often appears from the outside as an endless parade of mutual praise and glossy glamour. In his new autobiography, Never Say Die, Ke Huy Quan reveals that his triumphant 2023 campaign had moments of quiet friction behind the ballroom tables.
During the historic run that earned him an Academy Award for Everything Everywhere All at Once, Quan became famous for his exuberance. He snapped selfies with nearly every luminary he encountered across Hollywood ballrooms.
At the 2023 Screen Actors Guild Awards—an event since rebranded as the Actor Awards—one high-profile peer reacted with open irritation.
A Chilly Encounter Behind the Tables
Quan spotted an established screen veteran he had long admired and approached him to request a casual photograph.
“I spotted a well-known actor I’d respected for years standing right behind me,” Quan writes. “Without thinking too much about it, I asked if we could take a picture together. I held the phone out between us, angled it back toward our faces, and leaned in.”
When Quan flashed his familiar wide-mouthed grin, the interaction went sideways.
“He looked at me for a beat, then said sharply, ‘Why did you make that stupid face?’ I laughed, a little surprised and not quite sure what to make of it,” Quan recalls. “He shook his head and added, ‘You’re not going to win tonight with that stupid face.’”
The exchange unfolded quietly without drawing the attention of other guests in the room. The two parted ways, and Quan returned to his seat a few tables away, attempting to push the criticism out of his mind.
Taking the Statuette Anyway
The unnamed actor’s prediction proved completely incorrect. Later that evening, presenters announced Quan as the recipient of the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role award, marking the first time an Asian performer won the category.
“When my category came up, I wasn’t thinking about anything in particular. Then my name was called. For a second, I didn’t move,” Quan writes. “Then I stood, that familiar disbelief rushing back in. I walked to the stage and accepted the award, feeling the weight of it settle into my hands.”
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Returning to his table with the heavy bronze statuette, Quan looked back toward the colleague who had dismissed his expression.
“I went back to my seat, holding the statue, and smiled to myself. I’d won with that stupid face. I wasn’t going to let someone else’s comment touch that night. It was too big for me.”
A Message for Those Waiting in the Dark
Quan used his televised acceptance speech to acknowledge how much the cultural landscape had shifted since his beginnings as a child actor in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies. He dedicated his victory to fellow nominees and to performers who had spent decades waiting for meaningful opportunities.
“When I heard this, I quickly realized that this moment no longer belongs to me, it also belongs to everyone who has asked for change,” he said from the stage. “Lastly, to all those at home who are watching, who are struggling and waiting to be seen, please keep on going because the spotlight will one day find you.”
Quan’s memoir, Never Say Die, is published by Grand Central Publishing and is available in bookshops now.
