Ke Huy Quan Recounts His Long Journey To Oscar Stage: “Dreams Are Something You Have To Believe In; I Almost Gave Up On Mine”

Ke Huy Quan’s win as Best Supporting Actor for Everything, Everywhere All At Once gave the Oscar ceremony an early emotional highlight.

After a standing ovation, Quan fought back tears as he recounted his journey from Vietnam to the Oscar stage. A child actor in movies such as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies, Quan spoke of how he almost gave up on his dream of returning to acting, having founding it difficult to find roles for more than two decades.

“My mom is 84 years old and she is at home watching,” he said in his speech. “Mom, I just won an Oscar!”

He added, “My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp, and somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage. They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I cannot believe it is happening to me. This, this is the American dream.”

RELATED: Oscars: Every Best Supporting Actor Oscar Winner Back To 1937

He said, “Thank you so much to the Academy for this honor of a lifetime. Thank you to my mom for the sacrifices you made to get me here, to my little brother David, who calls me every day to remind me to take care of myself.” He also thanked the Everything Everywhere cast members and A24, as well as his “Goonies brother for life,” Jeff Cohen.

He also said that he “owed everything to the love of my life,” his wife, Echo, “who month after month, year after year for 20 years, told me that one day my time would come. Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive.”

Below is Quan backstage tonight.