Ke Huy Quan, who starred as Short Round in Steven Spielberg's 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, has shared anecdotes from his time on set as a 12-year-old actor. In his memoir, Never Say Die, published September 15, Quan recounts how Spielberg would enlist him to lift Harrison Ford's spirits during long shooting days.
"I found out that whenever [Ford] was in a bad mood, Steven would tell someone, 'Send Ke over,'" Quan wrote, as reported by People. "I had no idea any of that was happening. I just knew that whenever I walked up, Harrison softened a little or said, 'Hey, kid,' in that warm way he had."
Quan, now 55, described Ford, then 40, as appearing "unshakable" during filming, but in retrospect, he realized the demanding schedules could have taken a toll. "I didn’t think of it as cheering him up," he reflected. "I just liked being near him, and he made me feel like he liked having me around too."
He also recalled a significant financial moment from his teenage years: receiving his first residuals check. His parents, surprised and disbelieving, presented him with an envelope from Lucasfilm containing nearly $100,000. Unfamiliar with the concept of residual payments, Quan expressed his bewilderment at how more money could appear after his initial compensation.
"They were both smiling, the kind of smile that comes from surprise and disbelief mixed together," Quan wrote. "It was a check from Lucasfilm. It was for almost $100,000, an amount that didn’t make any sense to me."
He described the residuals clause in his contract as "a quiet gesture" from Spielberg and producer George Lucas. Beyond their professional interactions, Quan shared that Ford was also a supportive presence off-camera, even teaching him to swim in their hotel pool.
"Harrison didn’t push or hurry me. He just kept talking me through it, letting me try a little more each time," he shared. "I focused on his voice, on the way he didn’t seem worried at all. If he wasn’t scared, maybe I didn’t have to be either."
Quan's experiences with Ford on the Indiana Jones set were akin to "tagging along with an older brother." He noted Ford's professionalism, stating, "[Ford] made all of it look simple, like being Indiana Jones wasn’t something he had to act. It was just who he was."
In other recent news regarding the Indiana Jones franchise, Harrison Ford made a surprise virtual appearance at the D23 convention in August, announcing his involvement in a new Indiana Jones ride at Disney World's Animal Kingdom. He revealed that he is the model for the animatronic character in the attraction, titled Indiana Jones and the Myth of the Jade Serpent.