Ke Huy Quan Says Corey Feldman and More ‘Goonies’ Co-Stars Reached Out Before Oscars Win: ‘Goonies Never Say Die’
Goonies never say die, even 38 years later.
It’s been almost four decades since Richard Donner’s “Goonies” premiered, and the bond between the band of pre-teen outsiders, who happen upon a pirate ship off the coast of their little town in Oregon, remains strong.
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Moments after his crowd-delighting win at the Academy Awards, an elated Ke Huy Quan entered the press room to yet another standing ovation. When asked how his younger self would embrace the recent news of his Oscar win, the actor turned nostalgic.
“My younger self would not know all the struggles that I went through to be here,” Quan said. “Because he was just having the time of his life being a kid, being on the set, on a pirate ship, going down a waterslide. Right before this night started, Corey Feldman, one of my ‘Goonies’ brothers called. I was talking to Kerri Green and of course tonight Jeff Cohen, who is my entertainment lawyer, is here tonight with me. Sean [Astin] reached back, Josh [Brolin], Martha [Plimpton]. We are always bonded. We’re family forever. Goonies never say die!”
Quan also connected with his former “Indiana Jones” co-star Harrison Ford, who was on stage to hand the actor his Oscar for best actor, as well as the director Steven Spielberg.
“During one of the commercial breaks I ran up to Steven Spielberg and he gave me a big hug,” Quan continued. “He put his arms around me and said, ‘Ke you are now an Oscar-winning actor.’ Hearing him say that meant the world to me.” The director was nominated for his work on “The Fabelmans.”
But the biggest moment from backstage at the Academy Awards was when Quan explained what it meant to win this prestigious award with his birth name on it, not the former name he used when he was struggling.
“When I started as a kid [I used] my birth name Ke Huy Quan. I remember when it got really tough my manager told me that maybe it would be easier if you had an American-sounding name. And I was so desperate for a job that I would do anything… When I decided to get back into acting, the very first thing that I wanted to do was to go back to my birth name. Tonight to see Ariana open that envelope and say ‘Ke Huy Quan’ that was a really, really special moment for me. The first image that I had in my mind was my mom.”
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