From Refugee to Star: The Twists of Ke Hugh Kwan, the First Vietnamese Actor to Win an Oscar

The actor’s biography is quite worthy of a film adaptation!

Ke Huy Kwan was born on August 20, 1971 in Saigon, South Vietnam. However, when he was still a child, his family (and the actor has eight brothers and sisters) was forced to leave the country after the defeat of the army of the Republic of Vietnam in 1975. In 1978, they were able to leave – he, his father and five siblings arrived in a refugee camp in Hong Kong, while his mother and three other siblings fled to Malaysia. Thanks to this, they all managed to obtain political asylum in the United States in 1979.

Kwan started acting as a child and even at the age of 12 got a role in the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, on the set of which he also learned taekwondo. But as he became an adult, it became increasingly difficult for him to find acting work – Asian actors were not particularly in demand at the time.

He eventually gave up acting and enrolled in the film program at the University of Southern California. After graduation, he was invited to help direct the action scenes in X-Men (2000). Over the next decade, he worked as a stunt coordinator and assistant on various films in Asia and the United States. He also worked as an assistant director on Wong Kar-Wai’s 2046 (2004).

Also read: The triumph of “Everything is everywhere at once”, the “battle” of Rihanna and Lady Gaga and the return of Cara Delevingne: the main moments of “Oscar-2023”

The success of Crazy Rich Asians in 2018 inspired Kwan to return to acting. In the same year, casting began for his film “Everything Everywhere, At Once”, which will be released in 2022 and will bring Kwan not only success, but also many awards, including an Oscar.

Curiously, the acting assistant found Kwan on Twitter (Twitter is blocked in Russia). He was approved for the role in 2020, but after the release, critics competed for praise for the actor. The attention of the press and the public was not in vain – Kwan received a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and an Oscar for his role. In the film, Kwan’s character travels between realities to convince his wife to save the world.

Also read: See Colin Farrell’s son and Salma Hayek’s daughter: a rare appearance of stars with children at the Oscars 2023

Kwan’s acting career was not easy, and he awaited success as an adult. No wonder he was overcome with emotion when he was awarded the coveted Best Supporting Actor statuette. Kwan even burst into tears on stage and gave a moving speech.

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

Kwan also addressed his 84-year-old mum, who watched the ceremony at home, and thanked his wife, Echo, who has been telling him for years that “one day his time will come”.

“All of you, please don’t let your dreams die,” Kwan concluded his speech.

Kwan became the second Asian actor and the first Vietnamese actor to win in his category. Haing Ngor, a Chinese refugee from Cambodia, received a similar award for his role in the 1984 drama The Killing Fields.

Kwan beat Brendan Gleeson, Barry Keoghan, Brian Tyree Henry and Judd Hirsh in his nomination.

Also read: Love lives here: the most beautiful and passionate star couples at the Oscar-2023 ceremony