Ke Huy Quan’s Emotional Golden Globes Speech Left the Room in Tears

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house during Ke Huy Quan’s acceptance speech at the 80th Golden Globe Awards on Tuesday. Quan took home the award for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a motion picture for his role as Waymond Wang in Everything Everywhere All At Once.

“I was raised to never forget where I came from and to always remember who gave me my first opportunity. I am so happy to see Steven Spielberg here tonight. Steven, thank you,” Quan said, acknowledging the role that gave him his start as a child actor in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, directed by Spielberg.

“As I grew older, I started to wonder if that was it, if that was just luck,” he added. “For so many years, I was afraid I had nothing more to offer. No matter what I did, I would never surpass what I achieved as a kid.” Clearly, that didn’t turn out to be true, and Quan went onto thank Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, the directors of the A24 hit, for casting him as Waymond. “More than 30 years later, two guys thought of me. They remembered that kid and they gave me an opportunity to try again,” he said, holding back tears. “Everything that has happened since has been unbelievable.”

Finally, Quan thanked “the most important person in [his] life,” his wife.

Everything Everywhere All at Once received a total of six Golden Globes nominations, including for Quan’s co-star, Michelle Yeoh, who also won. Yeoh spoke to her storied career in Hollywood and the barriers she had to break down, and how at 60-years-old, she also had wondered if she had reached her peak.

On Twitter, the love for Quan and Yeoh poured out.