Ke Huy Quan may have won a golden statuette at the Oscars, but could he be the next person to find them in exotic locations, à la Indiana Jones?
Next year, Harrison Ford is set to reprise his role for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, his final, swashbuckling outing as the whip-wielding hero against the backdrop of the Space Race and the emergence of Nazism.
Many fans are excited to see Ford step back into the role, though there’s been a lot of discussion surrounding whether or not the character will continue past Ford, or if the franchise would ever focus on a spin-off series or character.
Well, after his re-rise to fame, including just winning an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, some fans are now calling for Ke Huy Quan to step into the mantle of Indiana Jones.
Twitter calls for Ke Huy Quan, aka Short Round, as Indiana Jones
Ke Huy Quan has had a career filled with highs and lows. He may be rising high now, with an Oscar for his role in Everything Everywhere All At Once, but following his career as a child actor in the 1980s, he struggled to find work due to Hollywood’s lack of Asian representation, and ended up working in stunts instead.
However, one of his most well-known roles includes his time as Short Round in the Indiana Jones series. And now that he’s one of the biggest actors in conversation, and Harrison Ford is stepping back from Indy, now might be the time to make some moves.
One Twitter user suggested this: “Instead of giving the Indiana Jones franchise to a Chris Pratt-type, why not strike while the iron’s hot and hand it over to Ke Huy Quan. We know so little about Short Round. Nothing says street-smart kid can’t become a treasure-hunting archaeologist swashbuckler who hates Nazis.”
While said user had little ideas of what would happen except, “I have nothing to promote other than this idea and the punching of Nazis IRL,” other users joined in with similar excitement.
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“A grown-up Short Round working to protect China’s cultural treasures during China’s reopening to the West in the 70s could be a starting point,” one fellow fan suggested, while another had the idea: “Can they give him a post-credits cameo scene in ‘Indy 5’ to get the ball rolling?”
Some fans were slightly less enthusiastic about the idea. A common retort to ideas like this has been as one user said: “He deserves a real career and not pandering to nerds’ nostalgia.” However, as the original poster argues, Quan has always been open to the idea of returning to Short Round.
On the Happy Sad Confused Podcast, the actor explained: “I love the character of Short Round… he’s funny and courageous and saves Indy’s ass.”
He continued: “If Disney or Lucasfilm ever come to me and say, ‘We want to do a Short Round spinoff,’ I’m there man! I love that character so much and it would just be incredible to revisit so many years later.”
As for what Short Round might be up to 38 years after his appearance in Temple of Doom, Quan said: “I have no idea where he is. Your guess is as good as mine. Just because he looks after Indy so much, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was an archaeologist.”
Quan is also set to star in the second season of Loki, which will likely premiere sometime later this year.
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits cinemas on June 30, 2023. Find out where to stream Everything Everywhere All At Once here.
