Ke Huy Quan is opening up about a tense moment from one of the biggest nights of his career. The actor says a respected star reacted harshly when Quan asked for a selfie. The encounter happened shortly before Quan took home a major award. He recently shared the story in his new memoir.
Ke Huy Quan recalls a ‘well-known actor’ insulting him during an awkward encounter at the 2023 SAG Awards
Quan describes the moment in Never Say Die, which was released on Sept. 15. During the 2023 SAG Awards, he approached a “well-known actor” he had respected for years and asked for a photo. Quan had taken selfies with many stars during his awards run, and he made one of his usual silly faces for the picture.
According to Quan’s account, the actor questioned the expression and asked, “Why did you make that stupid face?”
Quan remembered laughing because he was surprised and didn’t know what to say. The actor then told him, “You’re not going to win tonight with that stupid face.” The two went their separate ways, and Quan later saw the actor sitting “a few tables away.”
Quan said he tried to move past the moment before his category came up.
“When my category came up, I wasn’t thinking about anything in particular,” he wrote. “Then my name was called. For a second, I didn’t move,” Quan continued.
He then walked to the stage and accepted the award, with his disbelief returning. He later returned to his seat and reflected on the win.
Quan wrote that he did not want the remark to take away from such an important night. He reflected, “I’d won with that stupid face,” while smiling to himself after the victory. He added, “I wasn’t going to let someone else’s comment touch that night. It was too big for me.”
Quan won Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role for Everything Everywhere All at Once. The win made him the first actor of Asian descent to receive the SAG Award in that category. He also became emotional during his acceptance speech as he spoke about what the moment meant.
