New Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan likes to say he never forgets where he comes from. On Sunday night, when the 51-year-old actor accepted the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his thoughtful and touching performance in “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” he mentioned his family, co-workers, and also “my brother Goonies for life, Jeff Cohen.”
Cohen, who played Lawrence aka Chunk in the 1985 adventure classic, is now an entertainment lawyer. Three years ago, he helped negotiate the contract for Quan’s return role in “EEAAO.” Cohen was at the Academy Awards when Quan won.
Backstage after his Oscar win, a high-spirited Quan revealed in the media room (see video above) that he’s been in touch with several of his “Goonies” castmates, as you can see in the video.
“Just before this night started, Corey Feldman, one of my ‘Goonies’ brothers, called,” Quan said. “I was talking to Kerri Green, and of course tonight Jeff Cohen, who is my entertainment attorney, is here with me. He was in the audience. And that’s why I wanted to thank him, because I love them all so much, and each one of them is so happy. Sean (Astin) reached out, Josh (Brolin), Martha (Plimpton) and, you know, we’re still bonding. We’re family together.
Quan then paused and shouted to cheers from the press, “Goonies never say die!” It’s a famous line from the Richard Donner film, based on a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg.
Spielberg, nominated this year for “The Fabelmans,” directed Quan in his feature debut, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Spielberg, of course, sat with his wife, Kate Capshaw, Quan’s co-star in that film. And Indiana Jones himself, Harrison Ford, reunited with Quan when the legendary actor presented best picture.
“During one of the commercial breaks, I ran up to Steven Spielberg and he gave him a big hug,” Quan said. “He put his arms around me and he said, ‘Ke, you’re an Oscar-winning actor now.’ And hearing him say that meant the world to me, and I still can’t believe it. Yeah, I mean, wow, wow.
Quan, who has only a handful of film credits, still has the rare Oscar distinction of sharing the screen with every artist who won an Oscar on Sunday night: Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis were his co-stars in “EEAAO,” and he also appeared alongside the Best Actor winner Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) in “Encino Man” in 1992.
Quan’s IMDb page will surely fill up with projects soon. He’s already wrapped filming a six-episode role in the second season of “Loki” (which premieres later this year), and the actor told the media he plans to call his agent Monday morning. With gold hardware in tow.
“I remember when I was in trouble,” he said. “I’ll call my agent. I try not to bother him too much. But I would call him once every three months, once every six months, and I’d be like, ‘Hey, is there anything for me?’ And the answer would always be the same: ‘Oh, I’m so sorry. There’s nothing there, but I’ll keep looking.
Quan smiled as he held his Oscar statuette. “So hopefully when I call my agent tomorrow he gives me a different answer!”