Holy Crap, The Story Behind Harrison Ford And Ke Huy Quan Reuniting After 38 Years Is Something Else: ‘Are You Short Round?’

It’s been a big year for Ke Huy Quan. In the ‘80s, the Vietnamese-American performer was one of the era’s biggest kid stars, most famously for playing Short Round, the precocious child sidekick in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Recently he reappeared, playing Michelle Yeoh’s devoted, sadsack husband in Everything Everywhere All at Once. More recently, he reunited with his Doom star Harrison Ford. Images of the two hugging, big smiles on their faces, at September D23 Expo turned into one of the convention’s biggest moments. But it turns out the story behind it is even more moving.

“We were at the D23 event and I was told Harrison was gonna be there,” Quan told The New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan. “We’re in this green room with so many actors, producers, and directors, and the person who was assigned to assist me said, ‘Harrison Ford is right outside the green room. Would you want to go say hi?’”

He went on:

“I’m thinking, ‘Of course! I haven’t seen him in 38 years,'” Quan continued. “So I walk out and I see him about 15 feet away talking to Phoebe Waller-Bridge, they’re there to promote Indy 5. And as I walk close, my heart is pounding. I’m thinking, ‘Is he gonna recognize me? The last time he saw me, I was a little kid.'”

As the photos evidence, Quan needn’t have worried. “As I get closer, he turns and points his finger at me, and he has that classic, famous, grumpy Harrison Ford look,” the actor elaborated. “I go, ‘Oh my gosh, he probably thinks I’m a fan and he’s gonna tell me to not come near him.’ But he looks and points at me and says, ‘Are you Short Round?’ Immediately, I was transported back to 1984, when I was a little kid, and I said, ‘Yes, Indy.’ And he said, ‘Come here,’ and gave me a big hug.”

And that’s why that photo was so amazing. They look incredibly stoked to see each other, especially the famously grouchy Ford. Anyway, dry your eyes, just as you did when you saw that recent reunion video of Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd.

(Via Entertainment Weekly)