Ke Huy Quan, now 55, recalled the “life-changing” gesture in an excerpt from his memoir Never Say Die, as published in Entertainment Weekly. Quan played Short Round in the iconic 1984 adventure movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, directed by Spielberg. After the film’s massive success, Spielberg and producer George Lucas ensured Quan shared in the profits, a rare move for a child actor at the time.
An Unexpected Payment
One afternoon, I walked into the kitchen and found my parents standing together at the table,
Quan wrote. Mom was holding an envelope with my name printed across it. Dad had the papers that had been inside.
Quan’s parents were smiling, a mix of surprise and disbelief on their faces, as they handed him a check from Lucasfilm for almost $100,000, an amount that seemed incomprehensible to him at the time.
Quan had already been paid his fee for the project, but the additional check came as a complete surprise. The film made more than $300M worldwide, and Spielberg and Lucas wanted to show their appreciation for Quan’s involvement. Back then, almost no actors got a piece of a movie's profits,
Quan explained. Even today, only the biggest stars do. That a kid like me, making his first film, would be included in something like that was unheard of.
A Generous Gesture
Quan emphasized that the gesture was especially generous given the film’s massive success. And Temple of Doom wasn't some small movie no one was expected to see,
he said. That made Spielberg and Lucas’s decision to include him in the profits even more remarkable.
That small share was life-changing for my family,
Quan concluded. The actor’s experience working on the film and the subsequent payment had a lasting impact on his life.
Context and Impact
The incident highlights the rare practice of profit-sharing with child actors, especially in the 1980s.
This makes Spielberg and Lucas’s decision to include Quan in the profits of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom a noteworthy example of industry generosity.
A Lasting Legacy
Quan’s story, as shared in his memoir, offers a glimpse into the making of a cinematic classic and the impact of Spielberg and Lucas’s generosity.