Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan dines at city restaurant

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This article was published 17/03/2024 (944 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Cho Venevongsa couldn’t help but feel starstruck when an Oscar winner and star of a beloved movie from his childhood walked through the door of his Winnipeg restaurant Saturday night.

Ke Huy Quan — who recently won the Academy Award for best supporting actor for his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once — was a surprise guest at Venevongsa’s Wasabi sushi restaurant on Taylor Avenue.

“Our staff was just on fire, but I was like, ‘Guys, keep your cool. Lets be professional,” Venevongsa said, laughing as he recounted the moment a waitress recognized the Asian American actor.

“He’s an Oscar winner, right, come on, I mean, how could you not be excited?”

Staff at the restaurant seated Quan, who is also known for playing Indiana Jones’ kid sidekick “Short Round” in the 1984 blockbuster hit Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, at a private table reserved for special guests.

The actor and a friend dined on an assortment of sushi rolls, sashima and chef’s special dishes, Venevongsa said.

“He finished everything and he was very polite,” he said. “He told our server he would be back… That made us feel very good.”

Venevongsa intercepted Quan as he was preparing to leave, introducing himself and asking to snap a quick photo. It was a thrilling moment for the restauranteur, who said he remembers watching Indiana Jones as a teenager.

“We all loved that movie. It’s classic, just classic. Myself, my staff, we all wanted to stay professional, but we wanted him to know that we did recognize him as well,” Venevongsa said.

“It was pretty cool to have him in our establishment and in our city. I don’t know what he is doing (in Winnipeg), but as Winnipegers, we should be really proud to attract this type of talent in our city.”

It is possible Quan’s presence in Manitoba is related to his role in With Love, an upcoming action movie in which he stars as a realtor whose secret past comes back to haunt him with the reappearance of an old lover.

The shoot is scheduled to take place in Winnipeg, begining in April and continuing through mid-May. The film is slated for release in February 2025.

Born in Vietnam, Quan, 52, immigrated to California in the late 1970s with his family.

After starring in Indiana Jones and The Goonies (1985), he largely disappeared from Hollywood for more than two decades until winning the Oscar in 2023.

He acknowledged his difficult road to stardom during his acceptance speech at the award ceremony.

“My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp and somehow I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage,” he said. “They say stories like this only happen in the movies. I can’t believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream.”

He now joins the ranks of other celebrities — including Richard Gere, Woody Harrelson and Jennifer Lopez — who have enjoyed a meal at one of Venevongsa’s restaurants.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca