Live Talks Los Angeles event:
Ke Huy Quan
in conversation with Octavia Spencer
discussing his memoir,
Never Say Die
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Bezdek Center for the Performing Arts
at Cross Roads School
1736 22nd Street,
Santa Monica, CA 90404
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PURCHASE IN-PERSON EVENT TICKETS
Tuesday, September 22, 8pm
$50 General Admission ticket + signed book
$60 Reserved Section Ticket + signed book
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PURCHASE VIRTUAL EVENT TICKETS (US Orders Only)
Tuesday, September 29, 6pm PT/9pm ET
$48 Virtual Admission + signed book (includes shipping to US addresses only). Includes access to watch the event on September 29 at 6pm PT/9pm ET and on video-on-demand for five days.
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The Oscar-winning star of Everything Everywhere All at Once, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and The Goonies tells the story of his journey from Vietnamese refugee to 80s child star to the most inspiring comeback in Hollywood history.
Ke Huy Quan is an Oscar-winning actor who immigrated to the United States as a child and grew up in Los Angeles. Discovered at an open casting call with no acting experience, he was cast at age 12 as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, followed by his role as Data in the beloved adventure classic, Goonies. As opportunities became limited, he stepped away from acting to study at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, graduating in 1999, and later worked behind the scenes as an action choreographer and assistant director. After more than two decades away from acting, he returned to the screen in Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Academy Award–winning Everything Everywhere All At Once, earning widespread acclaim along with the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has since appeared in Season 2 of the Disney+ series Loki, starred in Universal’s Love Hurts, and voiced Gary De’ Snake in Disney’s animated film Zootopia 2.
Since winning the Academy Award for her role as Minny in The Help, actress Octavia Spencer has been nominated for an Oscar twice more. The film Green Book, on which she served as executive producer, was awarded both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for best picture. The second season of her Lost Women franchise recently premiered on Investigation Discovery and HBO Max. Among her many other credits, she has is co-author of an interactive mystery series for children called Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective.
“A monumental work of self-discovery and the power and grace of communal survival. Quan’s voice is crystalline and luminous, and his Odyssean journey to the screen is, in itself, a triumph of storytelling.” –Ocean Vuong
Ke Huy Quan’s Hollywood adventure began when he was twelve years old, a mere five years after his family escaped Communist Northern Vietnam and settled down to a relatively peaceful life in L.A.’s Chinatown. After attending an open call audition on a whim, he was unexpectedly swept up in the wild world of filmmaking: learning to swim from Harrison Ford on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, receiving trucks full of toys from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas for his birthday, meeting Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, and making lifelong friends on the set of The Goonies.
A star of two of the most beloved movies of the ‘80s, there appeared to be no limit to Ke’s rise. But just a few years later, the roles had dried up and it seemed like Hollywood no longer had a place for him. He eventually left acting to work odd jobs behind the scenes for directors like Wong Kar Wai. His confidence was badly shaken, but his love of performing never abated. It wasn’t until decades later, when he was 49 years old, that he stepped back in front of the camera to star in a strange little indie film called Everything Everywhere All at Once, which surprised everyone with its incredible box-office and awards season success. To call Ke’s Oscar-winning performance a triumphant return would be an understatement.
In this moving, inspirational memoir, Ke paints a vivid self-portrait, telling both heart-wrenching and funny stories of his early rise, slow fall from the spotlight, the resilience that kept him going through his darkest times, and his eventual resurrection on one of the biggest stages in Hollywood. Never Say Die is the story of Ke’s extraordinary life, a love letter to the movies and people that shaped him, and a powerful testament to never giving up on your dreams.