Ke Huy Quan Shares Sweet Story Behind Viral Indiana Jones Reunion with Harrison Ford

The co-stars of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” had not seen one another in nearly 40 years, with Quan a child then. Quan enjoyed back-to-back star power as a kid with “Doom” in 1984 when he was just 12 years old followed by “The Goonies” the following year.

While he was able to continue working as a teen, he never quite reached those same levels of success. When he became an adult, he found it difficult to find work as an actor, and so he shifted to stunt choreography and film production.

It wasn’t until 2018 that Quan felt inspired to give acting another go, with the first role he landed his breakout (again) performance in “Everything Everywhere All at Once” alongside Michelle Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu.

With that complex role achieving high acclaim, Quan has suddenly found himself in high demand again, landing roles in the Disney+ adaptation of “American Born Chinese” and he’s even joining the MCU for Season 2 of “Loki.”

It is through these latter two projects, and the rabid fandom of the MCU in particular, that Quan found himself at D23 in September 2022. Ford was there to talk about the fifth “Indiana Jones” movie.

Also joining the MCU now, ironically enough, is Ford himself. He is set to take over the role of Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross from the late William Hurt in the fourth “Captain America” film.

And so it was, through kismet and fate, that 38 years after they shared the screen together, Quan found himself not only back in the industry he’d loved as a child, but suddenly reunited with the man who helped make his character a household name.

When the picture of the two of them was released, it instantly went viral. After all, “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” was one of the biggest movies of all time, with Quan’s Short Round a beloved character for an entire generation. It was also one of the most joyful reunion pictures ever captured.

As it turns out, the story behind that iconic moment is even sweeter than the resultant picture. Journalist Kyle Buchanan recently interviewed Quan for an upcoming article, but Buchanan said he couldn’t resist sharing the sweet story behind the sweet reunion, dropping it in a tweet on Wednesday night.

Quan said that while he was in a green room filled with other Hollywood heavies, the person assigned to assist him through the process told him that Ford was just outside that room.

“Of course! I haven’t seen him in 38 years!” Quan recalled saying. He said they stepped out to find Ford speaking with Phoebe Waller-Bridge to discuss the fifth movie in the “Indiana Jones” franchise, which they were there to promote.

As the moment came, though, Quan admitted to getting nervous. “As I walk close, my heart is pounding,” he said. “I’m thinking, ‘Is he gonna recognize me? The last time he saw me, I was a little kid.'”

He said that when Ford realized Quan was coming up on him, he turned and pointed his finger at him with “that classic famous, grumpy Harrison Ford look.”

Quan’s initial panic was to think, “Oh my gosh, he probably thinks I’m a fan and he’s gonna tell me to not come near him.” But that’s not what happened at all.

“He looks and points at me and says, ‘Are you Short Round?'” Quan shared. “Immediately, I was transported back to 1984, when I was a little kid, and I said, ‘Yes, Indy.’ And he said, ‘Come here,’ and gave me a big hug.”

He said that hug was filled with “all those wonderful memories” from being on the set together. For Quan the moment was “so comfortable” and “amazing,” with him calling Ford “one of the most generous men on the planet.”

For fans, it is one of the most precious reunion moments ever captured. Now Knowing the story behind it makes it just that much more special.