Harrison Ford showered his Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom co-star Ke Huy Quan with praise after the All At Once actor was nominated for his first Oscar.
The 80-year-old “1923” star shared his excitement at the 51-year-old’s Best Supporting Actor nomination during an interview with Entertainment Tonight on Friday.
“I’m so happy for him. He’s a great guy,” Ford told the outlet at the premiere of his new Apple TV series Shrinking.
Harrison Ford praised his Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom co-star Ke Huy Quan after the All At Once actor was nominated for his first Oscar. (Getty)
“He’s a wonderful actor. He was when he was a little kid and he still is. I’m happy. I’m very happy for him.”
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Ford and Quan co-starred with Kate Capshaw in the Steven Spielberg-directed 1984 action-adventure film, the second installment in the Indian Jones franchise.
Ford, then 41, portrayed the titular archaeologist and 12-year-old Quan played his sidekick, Short Round.
The Chicago native also opened up about a potential reunion for the two actors in a future installment in the mega-hit franchise.
“That would be great,” Ford told the outlet.
Ford and Quan co-starred with Kate Capshaw in the Steven Spielberg-directed 1984 action-adventure film, the second installment in the Indian Jones franchise. (Paramount/Getty Images)
In Everything Everywhere All at Once, Quan plays three versions of a character named Waymond Wang, a loving husband who travels across multiple universes to help his wife (Michelle Yeoh) save the world.
The Vietnamese native has already been recognized for his performance, winning numerous awards including the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture and the Critic’s Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor.
After his Oscar nomination was announced on Tuesday, Quan expressed his excitement in a post he shared on Instagram.
“I give a HUGE thank you to @theacademy for this incredible honor,” he wrote.
“I’m screaming so loud I’m sure I’ll lose my voice at the end of the day. Thank you to EVERYONE who reached out with congratulations and to EVERYONE who has followed me on this incredible journey.
“I am so grateful to you all. This is for sure one of the happiest days of my life. CONGRATULATIONS to the entire #EEAAO family for our 11 nominations. And finally, CONGRATULATIONS to our matriarch @michelleyeoh_official on her historic nomination. Cheers,” he concluded, adding emoji of a party hat, a champagne bottle and a red rose.
In an April interview with People magazine, Quan recalled how his life had changed after his acting debut in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Quan auditioned for the film a few years after he and his family immigrated to Los Angeles from Vietnam. A casting director overheard the 12-year-old practicing lines with his sibling and asked if he wanted to try out for the role of Short Round.
“In my wildest imagination, I never thought I would be an actor,” he told the outlet.
“But I fell in love with him. This film changed my life and that of my entire family.”
Quan admitted he was initially intimidated to work with Ford and Spielberg. However, the two stars completely reassured the child actor.
“They were so kind and humble and down to earth,” Quan said. “Just loving people, people who have treated each other with nothing but kindness. I have such fond memories of working on it. We spent three weeks in Sri Lanka. We hung out by the pool. Harrison taught me to swim.”
After making his big screen debut, Quan starred in another classic, The Goonies, in 1985. At first, Quan believed, “I would have this amazing career.” But Quan only got a few minor TV and film roles after that. He was offered stereotypical roles aimed at Asians.
Quan admitted he was initially intimidated to work with Ford and Spielberg. However, the two stars completely reassured the child actor. (Paramount/Getty Images)
In the early 2000s, Quan said he made the “very difficult decision” to retire from acting. Instead, he immersed himself in his studies and graduated from film school at USC. He then focused on working behind the scenes as an assistant director and stunt coordinator.
But 20 years later, Quan saw 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians” and was inspired to revisit his first love.
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“I was happy working behind the camera, but I had serious FOMO (fear of missing out),” Quan told the outlet. “I wanted to be up there with my fellow Asian actors.”
In addition to a successful acting comeback, Quan also had a chance to reunite with Ford last year. The “Loki” star shared photos of herself with Ford at Disney’s D23 Expo in September.
Quan later spoke about the experience in an interview with The New York Times.
“We were at the D23 event and I was told Harrison would be there,” he said. “We’re in this Green Room with so many actors, producers and directors, and the person who was assigned to help me said, ‘Harrison Ford is right outside the Green Room.
“I’m like, ‘Of course! I haven’t seen him in 38 years,'” Quan added. “So I walk out and I see him about 15 feet away talking to Phoebe Waller-Bridge. They are there to promote ‘Indy 5’. And as I get closer, my heart is pounding. I think, “Will he recognize me? The last time he saw me, I was a little kid.”
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“As I get closer, he turns and points his finger at me, and he’s got this classic, famous, grumpy Harrison Ford look.
“I’m like, ‘Oh my god, he probably thinks I’m a fan and he’s going to tell me not to get too close to him.’ But he looks at me and points at me and says, ‘Are you short round?’ It immediately took me back to 1984 when I was a little kid and I said, ‘Yes, Indy.’ And he said, ‘Come here’ and hugged me tight.”
The 95th Academy Awards will air March 12 at 5 p.m. ET on ABC.
Fox News Digital’s Stephanie Nolasco contributed to this report.
Ashley Hume is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @ashleyhume