This 80s film duo got a lot of hearts pumping: Indiana Jones and little "Shorty" with the baseball cap. They don't see each other for decades, then the actors Ke Huy Quan and Harrison Ford happen to be at an event. "Will he recognize me?" Quan wonders. Ford responds with a gesture.
Last September, a snapshot made the rounds that made all "Indiana Jones" fans' hearts leapt: Indy actor Harrison Ford, now 80 years old, who is being embraced by ex-child star Ke Huy Quan and with his " Temple of Doom" co-star competing grins. And Quan, who we know from the film as a boy, is now 51 years old. In an as yet unpublished interview with The New York Times, Quan revealed how the touching meeting at the Disney Group's D23 Expo in Anaheim, California, came about.
Accordingly, Ford apparently had no idea that his former sidekick was also present at the event. It is thanks to an assistant to the world star that the two met. Backstage, he said to Quan: "Harrison Ford is right outside the door. Would you like to say hello to him?" The Shorty actor didn't take long to ask, after all he "hasn't seen Ford for 38 years. So I go out and see him a few meters away talking to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who together are promoting 'Indy 5' make."
On the short way, however, he is overcome by doubts. "My heart starts racing. I'm like, 'Will he recognize me? The last time he saw me I was a little kid.'" But Quan's concerns were immediately proven unfounded, as he continues: "As I approach, he turns and points his finger at me with that classic, famous, curmudgeonly Harrison Ford look." The star immediately asked if he was Shorty, to which he dutifully replied "Yes, Indy".
Before he knew it, Ford was giving him a big hug, triggering highly emotional memories in him: "When I wrapped my arms around him, all those beautiful moments I had on set flooded back. It felt so comfortable. It was incredible and he's an incredible man - one of the most generous men in the world."
In addition to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Quan also starred in the 1985 classic The Goonies. Unlike many other former child stars, he's back in business these days - but he's also worked in other jobs for decades. He was most recently seen in the acclaimed sci-fi film Everything Everywhere All at Once. And he will also be involved in the second season of the Marvel series "Loki".
(This article was first published on Friday, October 21, 2022.)
