Ke Huy Quan gets ‘emotional’ returning to The Goonies set for the first time in 36 years

Virgin Radio

17 Oct 2022, 08:57

Ke Huy Quan has revisited the set of The Goonies for the first time since the classic kids movie was filmed over three-and-half decades ago.

The actor played Richard "Data" Wang in the much-loved 1985 adventure comedy, directed by Richard Donner, which sees a bunch of kids attempting to save their homes when they are threatened by a development project. In doing so, they chance upon a treasure map that takes them on an adventure to find the long-lost fortune of a legendary 17th-century pirate called One-Eyed Willy. As the adventure unfolds, the friends are chased by criminals who want the treasure for themselves.

Ke Huy Quan, now 51, took to Instagram to share photos of himself at the Warner Bros. soundstage, where one of the movie’s iconic scenes was filmed. 

“First time back to Warner Brothers' stage 16 in 36 years,” the actor wrote. “This stage is where we filmed the pirate ship scene in The Goonies." 

He added: “I got a bit emotional as all my wonderful memories of my Goonies Gang came flooding back. Fun trivia fact: The floor of this stage opens up and goes down 40 ft deep.”

The star played Short Round in the second Indiana Jones film, The Temple of Doom, in 1984, which led to him landing a role in The Goonies. He explained to Yahoo how Indiana Jones director Steven Spielberg said to him: “Ke, I got you your next movie. It’s called The Goonies and it’s about seven kids who go on an adventure. You will play Data, who is kind of like James Bond with all these amazing gadgets, but they never work unless your life depends on it.” 

The actor added: “Sure enough, a few months later, I was on a set with six other kids seeing a full-sized pirate ship in front of us.”

He quit acting in 1997, but was back this year with a brilliant performance in critically-acclaimed film Everything Everywhere All At Once. The actor is in contention for a best supporting role Oscar for playing Waymond Wang in the mind-bending action comedy-drama, which also stars Michelle Yeoh.

He is also set to feature in the second season of Marvel Cinematic Universe series, Loki. He will appear as a Time Variance Authority archivist.