Academy Award-winning actor Ke Huy Quan received a life-changing residual check of almost $100,000 for his role as Short Round in the 1984 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, according to his memoir Never Say Die, released by Grand Central Publishing.
Quan was just 12 years old when he starred in the adventure sequel directed by Steven Spielberg. Because the film was his first major acting job after accompanying his younger brother to an open casting call in Los Angeles, he initially did not understand that actors could receive ongoing payments long after production wrapped.
The Kitchen Table Discovery in Los Angeles
According to Never Say Die, the residual check arrived roughly two years after Quan first signed onto the movie. He recalled walking into his family’s kitchen to find his parents standing together at the table, staring at an envelope from Lucasfilm.
“Mom was holding an envelope with my name printed across it. Dad had the papers that had been inside,” Quan wrote, as excerpted by Entertainment Weekly. His parents handed him a check worth almost $100,000, sharing a look of surprise and disbelief that left the young actor bewildered by the enormous sum.
At the time, backend profit participation was exceptionally rare for Hollywood actors, typically reserved only for the biggest stars. Quan credited Steven Spielberg and George Lucas with ensuring his contract included the profit-sharing provision, calling the decision a generous gesture that fundamentally altered his family’s financial reality after fleeing Vietnam as refugees.
Behind the Scenes with Harrison Ford
Quan’s memories of the grueling Temple of Doom production extend far beyond financial milestones. He formed a close bond with co-star Harrison Ford, whom he viewed almost like an older brother. Ford taught the young actor how to swim in a hotel pool after learning he was frightened of water.
Years later, Quan discovered that director Steven Spielberg occasionally used the child actor to boost Ford’s mood on difficult shooting days. Whenever Ford was having a difficult day, Spielberg would quietly send Quan over, noting that the young actor’s presence reliably softened the leading man’s demeanor.
Following his breakout 1980s success—which also included playing Data in Richard Donner’s 1985 film The Goonies—Quan stepped away from acting for decades before staging a triumphant return. In 2023, he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
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