KE HUY QUAN Walked the Grand Canyon's Horseshoe Bridge

Summary

Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers

Episode: KE HUY QUAN Walked the Grand Canyon's Horseshoe Bridge
Date: November 4, 2025
Hosts: Seth Meyers and Josh Meyers | Guest: Ke Huy Quan

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Family Trips with the Meyers Brothers features Oscar-winning actor Ke Huy Quan, known for "The Goonies," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," and "Everything Everywhere All at Once." The conversation explores Ke’s remarkable life journey—from escaping postwar Vietnam as a child refugee, through the immense challenges his family faced, to the joys and complexities of his large family both in America and abroad. The episode is filled with warmth, humor, and moving reflections on perseverance, gratitude, and the meaning of family across generations.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introduction and Mutual Admiration

• [09:16] Ke Huy Quan expresses excitement at being on the show and shares a memory of meeting Seth at the NY Film Critics Circle Awards, a night full of industry luminaries.
• Seth and Josh discuss the lasting impact of "The Goonies" and Ke’s second-act career resurgence.

2. Navigating Fame and Career Ups & Downs

• Ke Huy Quan:

  “For many, many years, when [Josh Brolin] goes out, all people want to talk to him about was the Goonies. And that was what it was like for me for 40 years.” ([11:29])

• Discussion on how actors hope for new opportunities so their legacy isn’t defined by just one project.

3. Family’s Harrowing Escape from Vietnam

• Ke shares the multi-stage escape story from postwar Vietnam, marked by:

  • First attempt: At age 7, he and his father are caught and jailed for three weeks ([15:11–16:21]).
  • Second attempt: Ke, his father, and several siblings jailed for three months after another failed escape ([19:24]).
  • Mother’s parallel escape with other siblings, who succeed and reach Malaysia ([18:27]).
  • Third attempt: The whole family eventually escapes on a crowded cargo boat (3,300 people) to Hong Kong ([26:04]).

• Notable quote:

  “I remember feeling like, what are we doing here? Because as a kid, all you want to do is just run around ... but that's not something you're able to do when you're behind bars.” – Ke Huy Quan ([18:54])

4. Reunion, Assimilation, and Early Life in America

• The family is ultimately reunited in Los Angeles after nearly two years apart ([28:21–29:13]):

  “I remember that first night ... My mom cooked for 11 of us. And as always, you know, there was a lot of food… our family loves to eat.” – Ke ([29:13])

• Settling in LA Chinatown, the Quan kids’ lives are contained to a one-mile radius, focused on family and community ([29:13–30:21]).
• Ke’s parents work hard, with his mom in sales and his dad—once a factory owner—working for others ([31:26]).

5. The Role of Older Siblings, Family Culture, and Community

• Older siblings help parent the younger ones while the parents work ([32:02]).
• Ke describes the surrounding Chinese-Vietnamese immigrant community as tight-knit and familiar ([32:57]).
• On cultural discipline:

  “My dad was very stern, but also very lovable ... But when we were bad, I mean, we got spanked and we got hit.” ([33:32])

6. Reflecting on Return Visits and Family Spread

• Ke has returned to Vietnam for work and family reunions ([34:46]) and shares that many cousins and relatives remained or returned.
• Most of his immediate family now lives in Houston, Texas, following his second sister’s lead ([41:55]).
• Ke tried (and failed!) to run a family restaurant in Houston, ultimately returning to LA and acting ([44:22]).

7. From Refugee to Kid Star and Its Impact

• Landing "Indiana Jones" changed everything:

  “When that movie came out and that first check came in, it made a big difference in our family. I was able to buy a new house. So that was when we finally moved out of Chinatown and then I bought our family a car and that's when we actually got to go out to other places.” – Ke ([41:08–41:45])

• Despite early success, there were long gaps between acting work, which brought its own challenges ([11:41]).

8. Building and Celebrating a Huge, Close-Knit Family

• Ke’s family gatherings in Houston now number 50–60 people;

  “...every year I go... we would just try to get together in someone's house ... Someone would get in an argument with someone else, right?” ([49:53])

• Memorable line:

  “The best part about having a big family, if you're an actor, is that you can be sure your movie will at least gross a certain amount of money.” ([51:04])

• Challenges of getting dozens of family members into premieres and special events ([51:14–52:24]).

9. Love Story: Meeting His Wife in Shanghai

• While working for Wong Kar Wai, Ke met his wife—her first time abroad ([52:27–53:09]).
• Her biggest culture shock upon moving to America was the size of his family ([53:25]).

10. Unique Experiences in Hollywood

• Touring the world with his mom for "Temple of Doom"—including a classic “mom vomits in first class” story ([38:13–39:40]).
• The transformative power of both cinematic imagination and actual travel.

11. On Voice Acting for Zootopia 2

• Ke expected voice work to be easy—found out otherwise ([56:31–58:33]):

  “To get my voice a certain way... I have to, like, clench every muscle in my body... I'm, like, sweating...” ([57:51])

• Encouragement from Patton Oswalt confirmed he was doing it right ([58:13]).

12. Travel, Vacations, and Family Philosophy

• For Ke, the ideal vacation is relaxing, but educational is a close second ([62:32]).

• He prefers minimal itineraries:

  “We keep our schedule really very chill ... it's a vacation and we just decide what we want to do the day of.” ([64:11])

• On favorite places in China: Beijing, Shanghai, and especially Hong Kong for its food and vibrancy ([64:41]).

• His favorite means of transportation: car ([65:16]).

• If he could vacation with any family: Walt Disney—to see the world through his imaginative eyes ([65:29]).

• Who to be stranded with: His wife.

  “We spent so much time together, and we still have a lot of things to say.” ([66:49])

13. The Grand Canyon Horseshoe Skywalk Experience

• Ke visited the Skywalk in his 30s soon after it opened ([68:06]):

  “I thought I was brave enough ... I didn’t even make it past five steps. I looked down, I go, holy shit, this is scary as hell. And I walk right back.” ([68:18])

• Anxiety at people teetering on the edge with no railings ([69:42]).

---

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the refugee journey:

  “We were on a boat with over 3,000 people ... crammed into this cargo boat headed for Hong Kong. And when we got there, they freaked out ...” – Ke ([26:04])

• On the emotional UNHCR archives visit:

  “I found my family's name in those archives. And I remember just staring at it for a long time, just ... went back and visit some of those memories. Very emotional for me.” ([27:40])

• On family parties:

  “If you’re an actor, you can be sure your movie will at least gross a certain amount of money.” – Ke ([51:04])

• On meeting his wife:

  “She’s married into family where there was, like, 60 people ... she handled it with a lot of grace. I love her so much.” ([53:47])

• On the Grand Canyon Skywalk:

  “My knees started getting super weak, and I go back. But also, I love the Grand Canyon. It’s so beautiful. But ... why do people stand right at the very edge?” ([69:42])

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Escape attempts from Vietnam & childhood trauma: [15:06–21:36]
• Family reunification in LA: [28:21–30:21]
• Impact of acting success on family’s life: [41:08–41:45]
• Big family in Houston, gatherings & premiere ticket woes: [49:43–52:24]
• Meeting and marrying his wife: [52:27–53:47]
• Voice acting for Zootopia 2: [56:31–58:33]
• Grand Canyon Skywalk story: [68:01–70:55]

---

Tone and Dynamic

This episode is characterized by humility, resilience, warmth, and humor. Ke Huy Quan is earnest, thoughtful, and grateful for both his struggles and his triumphs, and keeps the conversation lively with anecdotes that dance between moving and lighthearted. Seth and Josh bring their signature brotherly banter, genuine curiosity, and gentle wit, creating a warm, inviting dynamic where even difficult subjects are explored with kindness and empathy.

---

Summary

A must-listen episode for anyone who enjoys family stories, tales of overcoming adversity, and honest, joyous reflections on the immigrant experience. Ke Huy Quan’s remarkable journey is both unique and universal—rooted in love, memory, and the enduring bonds of family.

---

End of Summary

(Ad reads, intros, outros, and non-content sections have been omitted.)

Transcript

[Seth]

Support comes from Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Hey, Bashi.

[Josh]

Yes, Sufi?

[Seth]

You know what? At Tropical Smoothie Cafe they believe enjoying the fun and taste of the tropics is a little getaway you need every day. And that's great because nobody has time every day to go to the tropics.

[Josh]

No, that'd be way too much.

[Seth]

Tropical Smoothie Cafe brings the goodness with made to order smoothies and food and more good vibes with add ins pashi. As I say, the add ins say if you like them or not. Almonds.

[Josh]

Yes.

[Seth]

Spinach. Love kale.

[Josh]

Oh yeah.

[Seth]

Chia seeds.

[Josh]

Oh, what do you think?

[Seth]

Ginger.

[Josh]

You know me.

[Seth]

Or supplements like fat burner or energizer bowls. And made to order wraps. All made with better for you ingredients and full of atropic vibes. Every sip and bite feels like a wellness retreat for your taste buds. For your taste. Wait, I think I said taste buds. Taste buds.

[Josh]

Oh yeah, that's better.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

And big news for smoothie lovers out there. Tropic fan fest is back from November 3 to November 9 at Tropical Smoothie Cafe. That means free smoothie with a bowl or food purchase for Tropic Rewards members every day all week long.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah.

[Seth]

So to redeem, just simply order an app online or in Cafe during November 3rd through the 9th. Pair your favorite smoothie with a bowl or food item and boom, free smoothie from the fan favorite Bahama Mama smoothie to the Acai bowl with Nutella topped with fresh fruit and even the crave worthy Caribbean jerk chicken wrap packed with bold flavors. Tropical Smoothie Cafe has something for everyone. Do you say Caribbean or Caribbean?

[Josh]

It depends.

[Seth]

Oh really? On what?

[Josh]

Yeah, if I'm singing a Billy Ocean song, I say Caribbean. Otherwise I probably say Caribbean.

[Seth]

And do you say taste buds or taste buds?

[Josh]

I'm usually a buds guy.

[Seth]

Well, guess what? Tropical Smoothie Cafe is good for your taste buds and your taste buds. And have one with your taste buds. Those are your friends that also like things that taste good. Just download the app, sign up for Tropic Rewards and start sipping. Visit tropicalsmoothicafe.com to find a cafe near you. Terms and conditions as they always do apply. Here we go. Hey, Bashi.

[Josh]

Hey Sufi.

[Seth]

How are you?

[Josh]

I'm very good.

[Seth]

I'm glad to hear it. I was on the road this weekend.

[Josh]

Oh yeah?

[Seth]

I went to. I did a show in Miami of Ohio and I did a show in Columbus. And the nice thing about it's rare for me to do shows on a weekend where it's kind of easy to drive. So I rented a car and drove around Ohio.

[Josh]

You didn't drive from New York?

[Seth]

No, no, no, sorry. I flew to Columbus and then I drove two hours, did a show in Miami of Ohio. Then after that I drove to Cincinnati so I could have a breakfast in Cincinnati with an old college friend.

[Josh]

Oh, nice.

[Seth]

Then I drove from Cincinnati to Columbus. And then after the show in Columbus, I had dinner with our friends Doug and Claire and a couple other kids. Yeah, it was really fun weekend.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

And then I flew home early because I'm a good dad. Flew home super early on Sunday morning. And Alexi was on a trip with her sister. She went to Paris. So the boys and Addie had been with my in laws and my brother in law. And I landed and Tom, my father in law, texted me and said, what time do you get home? And I said, I'm gonna be home at 11am and he said, oh, I was gonna take the boys to Coney island, but you probably want to see him now. I love my boys Pashi, but I was like, get them out of the house. And it was a dream come true. Now I came home and I spent the whole day with Addie. So it wasn't like I was. But the boys went to Coney island with their. With their grandpa and just had a killer time.

[Josh]

Yeah, I've. I've only seen Coney island once. I rode my bike out there back in the days I was living in New York, working on something. And it looks great. I mean, it looks like it's so much fun. And it looks very much like we used to always go to. We had an uncle, an uncle who still lives in Salem, Massachusetts. And there's like a little local sort of carnival y kind of vibe with, you know, an arcade and some taffy called the Salem Willows. And Coney island looks like the Salem Willows just times, I don't know, 100.

[Seth]

Yeah. I mean actual, you know, roller coasters. Rides. Yeah. Axel did not get on a ride because he was too short.

[Josh]

Oh.

[Seth]

And then again, we've talked about how they're not reliable narrators. But then according to him and Ash, he then went and found some hay and he put hay in his shoes and then was tall enough to go on the ride. I asked if they rode the Cyclone and it turned out they hadn't because on the hour long subway ride out to Coney island, their grandpa told them that seven people had died on the Cyclone over the years. And exactly how each one had died. He's like one of them Stood up too soon, and his head came off.

[Josh]

Oh, my gosh.

[Seth]

So they didn't do that. Oh, damn. But they had Nathan's hot dogs, and unfortunately, Axel lost a hat he loved.

[Josh]

Was it that Mario Brothers hat?

[Seth]

No, not that one. Oh, sadly. Sadly, that's still on the premises. The other thing, which I know I shared a picture with you. I did this event for Topps Basketball Cards.

[Josh]

Oh, yeah.

[Seth]

And this was last Thursday, and it was at the NBA store in New York. And I went and I brought the boys and Carl Anthony Townes, OG Anunoby, and Josh Hart. Three of the New York Knicks were there, and they signed Axel's Knicks hat, and he immediately lost it at Coney Island. Now I'm. I'm gonna work overtime to get another one.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

But I will say, you know, you and I grew up Celtics fans. I'm still a Celtics fan now. I have a real flexibility. If the boys want to be Knicks fans, I kind of celebrate that you've mentioned this.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

And it is. They are just. I mean, all it took was them. I mean, they were. All three of those guys were so nice. But, man, Carl Anthony Townes, just a prince when it comes to, like, being nice to kids and stuff, so. Oh, that's awesome. Pretty awesome.

[Josh]

Little announcement here. I was on a trip. I went out to the desert a couple weeks ago because I was shooting a video podcast.

[Seth]

Oh, right.

[Josh]

I've taken over hosting duties for California now, which is a podcast put on by Visit California, which is the board of tourism for California. So I'm becoming the voice of California tourism. And we started rolling the episodes out. We only have, like, one every three weeks, but our first one has dropped. It's about California myths, legends, and lore. And we talk about. Talk to a guy in Northern California about Mount Shasta, how there's potentially an ancient race of people that live inside the mountain. Talk to him about Bigfoot, which is sort of more Bigfoot sightings up in Northern California. Then talk to this guy out in the Mojave Desert who had some stories about alien encounters and Yucca man, who is sort of the desert's answer to Bigfoot. And it's been really fun to do. And we've got this episode that we just shot on Route 66, which is turning 100 next year. So to celebrate the centennial, we went out and looked at some classic, quirky, quintessential Route 66 destinations. And, yeah, it's been really fun.

[Seth]

That's fantastic. And is that available wherever you get your podcasts?

[Josh]

That's available wherever you get your podcasts. And we're doing three of them actually on the road. And those will be worth watching on YouTube. But if you're interested, if you're coming to California, if you're thinking about coming to California, if you live in California and you're looking to sort of uncover some places that you haven't been to yet, that's your spot.

[Seth]

If you meet Bigfoot, will you get him to do this podcast?

[Josh]

Absolutely. I mean, I hope he's got a family and I hope he's taking trips. Yeah, that's.

[Seth]

You know, he seems like a guy who would like the Grand Canyon.

[Josh]

Yeah, yeah, I think he'd really like it. I think he appreciates nature.

[Seth]

Very excited about today's guest. KE Huy Quan. This is someone who has had just a fantastic sort of two. Two at this point, like two major act career and is just a fantastic person I've been lucky enough to.

[Josh]

Seems like a nice person.

[Seth]

Seems like a nice person. Yeah. A nice person who appreciates how crazy this business can be and how to appreciate it when it's going your way. So hope you enjoy the conversation and we will let you listen to it now.

[Narrator]

Family chips with the M Brothers.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Family chips with the man.

[Seth]

Here go Keith.

[Narrator]

Yo, what's going on, bro?

[Josh]

How are you?

[Seth]

So exciting.

[Ke Huy Quan]

So exciting. I'm a big fan. Seth, as you know, we met one time. I don't know if you remember.

[Seth]

I do remember. We were at the New York Festival Films Critic, Film Circle Awards.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Very good. Yes, very good. That's right. Hi, Josh. Hi.

[Josh]

How are you?

[Seth]

Good. Josh and I have been friends with Jordan Peele forever. And I remember you made a joke that night about the fact that he had worked with Keegan Michael Key and Keke Palmer, and you were very upset that he had yet to work with you.

[Ke Huy Quan]

I love him so much. It wasn't actually. It wasn't my joke. He came over to our table and we just started chatting and he said something and then it just made me thought of that. And then when I went up on the stage, I just wanted to laugh because you guys are so good at what you do. And yeah, that was a memorable night for me. I remember meeting you, Colbert, Jordan Peele, and a lot of wonderful people. Cate Blanchett and I met her there.

[Seth]

It was a great night. It was a special year, obviously. And I think all of us were so genuinely happy to be reintroduced to you on screen and to have it be that film and then to watch everybody. Obviously there was no shortage of awards for your incredible work on that film.

[Ke Huy Quan]

By the way, I gotta say, I listened to the episode with Josh Brolin. Yeah, it's so good. I love listening to him. I can listen to him all day. But he has this beautiful man voice for podcasts, you know, And I have the exact opposite.

[Josh]

Well, he did intimidate me. And in our end of those, we do a sort of speed round of questions at the end. And I said he could only say one thing, and he said two. And I just gave it to him without even batting an eyelash because, oh.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah, he's very tough. He's very smooth. He's very smooth.

[Seth]

Yeah, Smooth.

[Josh]

And also, you always feel like he could just sort of punch you in the face.

[Seth]

Yep. And you guys, of course. And I will say, I believe I said it to him as well, which is, you know, obviously you guys work together in Goonies, which is a movie that holds up so well, and it was so thrilling to show it to my kids.

[Ke Huy Quan]

You know, he said something that was very relatable to me. He said, you know, for many, many years, when he goes out, all people want to talk to him about was the Goonies.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And that was what it was like for me for 40 years. And, yeah, we're very blessed, very grateful to be part of that movie. But then, you know, as get older, you keep thinking, wait, is that it? Is that the only thing that I do that people are going to be going to care about?

[Seth]

I just had Jason Bateman on my show, and I was busting him because he has a beard in that new show he does with Jude Law. And so I showed a picture of Teen Wolf 2, which he was in, and he said very much. He goes, you know, the nice thing about that is I can laugh about it because it wasn't the last movie I was in. You know what he's like, I like talking about Teen Wolf, too. He goes, because, of course, there was a period of time where same thing. And you just go, oh. I mean, obviously I love the experience, but is this gonna be what people talk to me about? And, you know, by the way, I would feel that way if, you know, when people are always like, oh, I loved you on snl. What are you up to now? I'm like, oh, no, they don't know that I have a show.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah, no, it's one of those. I guess as an actor, you just have to be really patient and stick to it, and one day, hopefully, an opportunity will come along and it will change everything for you again. And that's what the Daniels, Dan Kwan and Daniel Shiner did for me. With Everything Everywhere all at once.

[Josh]

I was sort of late to the game, seeing Everything Everywhere all at once in theaters. But I knew I wanted to see it in theaters. And I saw it. Forget even what it's called now, but they want it Laurel Canyon and Sunset. But I saw it there in a small theater, and God, I loved it so much. And then my wife hadn't seen it and her mother hadn't seen it, and her mom was coming to visit, and I was like, this is a perfect movie for them. It has so much like, mother, daughter connection stuff in it. I was like, this is great that neither one of them has seen it. I know how good it is. It was before it sort of won all the awards. And we put it on at home, and my mother in law is looking at her phone, and about 40 minutes in, she puts her phone down and says, all right, what's going on in this movie? And I was like, how dare you? And then, like, I'm not kidding, the credits were rolling and the two of them got in a fight about something. And I was like, this is absolutely not what I wanted to happen.

[Seth]

No, that's really speaks to going to a movie theater.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

So, you know, I love Jamie Lee Curtis. And the whole time we were filming it, I mean, we were having such a good time, and she knew what she was doing. Like, she's a pro. And it wasn't until when we screened the movie at south by Southwest, and we were all standing in the backstage waiting to be introduced out to the audience after the credits rolled, and she came up to the Daniels and she said, oh, now I know what we made. Now I know what the movie is about.

[Seth]

It makes sense. I mean, it's so. I mean, obviously it's an incredible script, but it's so visual. It would be hard to absolutely understand what it was gonna look like until you saw it.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah, it was an incredible journey.

[Seth]

So this is. Speaking of incredible journeys, like you have one of those family trips that is out of necessity more than out of sort of leisure or relaxation. So you, your entire family, you were born in Vietnam?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yes.

[Seth]

And you're how old when you're. This is after the war, you're four years old when your family leaves?

[Ke Huy Quan]

No, I was seven. We made multiple attempts to leave. The first attempt, I was 7 years old. I didn't know what was going on. My parents didn't tell me that we would be leaving and not come back. And that first Attempt. We got caught, and I ended up spending time in jail with my father.

[Seth]

Just the two of you or other siblings as well?

[Ke Huy Quan]

No, they put you separately, the first attempt, because I have such a big family, so you couldn't. There's 11 of us. My parents had nine kids. I have nine kids. So we couldn't all try to escape at the same time. That would be just way too much. People draw too much attention. So we split up. So the first attempt was just my dad, my older brother and I, and we didn't even. We barely made it to the boat when we got caught. And then they threw us in jail. And I was there for three weeks the first time.

[Seth]

Oh, my gosh.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And then.

[Seth]

Where are you on the nine siblings? Where do you land?

[Ke Huy Quan]

I'm seventh.

[Seth]

Okay, gotcha.

[Ke Huy Quan]

So my parents have six daughters and three sons. I guess they kept chasing for the. You know, this is Chinese culture for you. The first two kids they have, it was, you know, was my two sisters, so daughters. They had a son on their third child, and then they feel that, you know, let's have another son. So they try again. And then the fourth, fifth, and sixth was also daughters. And then by the time I came rolling out, you know, seven, then they go, well, you know, now it's like two to five. Let's have another son. And then finally, after the ninth child, which is my little brother David, who I love him to death, that's when they stopped.

[Josh]

Gotcha. Yeah.

[Seth]

And so your parents, though, both Chinese, is that correct as well?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yes, Chinese.

[Seth]

Okay, gotcha. So you leave me. And if I can just ask on the detail here. So you said you got caught before you went to the boat. Like, what would the destination of the boat had been then?

[Ke Huy Quan]

It was. I mean, I don't know all the little details, but it was, you know, it was one of those times where you escape in the middle of the night, right. Trying not to let your neighbors know, not try not to draw too much of attention. And then there would be a car that takes you to the. To the beach, to where the boat is. And it's just, you know, a tiny little boat that you're hoping to just get out. That was just. The goal was just to get out and not really quite sure where you're going to end up. And. Yeah, so the first attempt we got caught, I came home with half of my family missing because at the same time, my mom took my little brother, my little sister, and one of my older sister, and they make their own attempt to escape, and they Succeeded and ended up going to Malaysia.

[Seth]

Wow. So by that time. So first of all, you spent three weeks in jail as a seven year old.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah. As a seven year old.

[Seth]

Yeah. Do you have vivid memories of what that was like? When I think about my son, who's currently seven, I can't even comprehend the idea.

[Ke Huy Quan]

I have images.

[Josh]

Yeah. Were you with your father physically or was he in a different sort of.

[Ke Huy Quan]

I was with my father physically in one cell. My brother was in a different cell.

[Seth]

Okay.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And yeah, I have images of him. I remember feeling like, what are we doing here? Because as a kid, all you want to do is just run around, just roam free, just have the freedom to go anywhere you want. But that's not something you're able to do when you're behind bars. So. Yeah. So we were there for three weeks. I came home, half of my family is missing. And then my dad tried again, this time with the rest of the family.

[Seth]

Wow.

[Ke Huy Quan]

My dad and six of us. So the seven of us, we tried again and we got caught again. And this time we ended up staying in the cell way longer for three months.

[Seth]

Unbelievable.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And by then it was just horrendous. I think a lot of time, I think that experience was so traumatic, I think I blocked most of out.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And you know, and honestly, like, we. Between our families, we rarely talk about that because I think everybody went through their own trauma. But once in a while, you know, we'll. We'll, you know, sit down and share just some of those stories. There's very, very little bit snippets of it.

[Josh]

So.

[Seth]

But that was. So that time there were also. Was there anyone younger than you in the three months that was with you or were.

[Ke Huy Quan]

No, no, I was the youngest.

[Seth]

Cause everyone younger was with.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yes.

[Seth]

Got it.

[Josh]

Wow. And did you know that your mother had made it to Malaysia specifically? Were there letters or was it. I mean, were there phone calls or.

[Ke Huy Quan]

By the second time, by the second attempt, we did, you know, we received news that she was safe in Malaysia and just waiting to. To be immigrated to, you know, to another country.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

So that was the news that we got. Yeah. But, you know, I think because of that news, it gave my father even more courage to go, wow, now we really need to succeed in getting out. I mean, honestly, back then, it was such a different, different time. Of course, now Vietnam is a wonderful place. You know, people visit there all the time. But this was just right after the war and there was a lot of the Chinese population who were living in Saigon at that time. It's now it's called Ho Chi Minh City. But a lot of the Chinese community were being targeted, and that was the reason why my parents decided to leave and were thinking they want a better future for their children.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

Hey, we're going to take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors. Support for family trips comes from Airbnb. Hey, Apaji.

[Josh]

Hey, suv.

[Seth]

Pashi and I were about to go to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania for a football game. We're bringing my boys and it was so great to be able to find a property that had enough rooms for all of us.

[Josh]

I love staying in a house or an apartment. I like going somewhere I don't live and feeling like I am at home when I get back to where I'm going to sleep that night or spend an afternoon. You know, I like having a living room, I like a couch, I like a television. Those are things that you can't always get at other places with the other options.

[Seth]

And, and also, you know, staying at a property you book on Airbnb is wonderful, but hosting your home on Airbnb also wonderful because you are giving people a place to stay while also making a little bit of extra income that you can put towards your upcoming trip. Your home can be worth more than you think. Find out how [e-mail] Host support comes from Huel. Hey, Bashi.

[Josh]

Hey, Sufi.

[Seth]

Look, you and I, we're busy guys. We've got a podcast and sometimes we'll skip a meal.

[Josh]

Yeah, it's not. I don't ever feel good for skipping a meal, though.

[Seth]

Well, the nice thing is Huel, which has just launched into Target stores nationwide this month, has a lot of stuff that is going to help you fill that time between meals.

[Josh]

Yeah, I mean, well, they basically, they got a meal in a bottle because they've launched their black edition Ready to Drink and their Daily Greens Ready to Drink. This is a good way to get all you need to sort of give you the energy to get through the day and maybe be able to, you know, skip a meal, but get everything you were going to get from that meal on the go.

[Seth]

Here's some of the things you're going to get. Posh. 35 grams of protein, 27 essential vitamins and minerals, no artificial sweeteners, gluten free, ready to go and under $5 per meal.

[Josh]

And then they've got these Daily Greens Ready to Drink cans which are delicious. They've got a blueberry, an apple, a peach.

[Seth]

I'm very excited about that because sometimes when you hear A daily green. You're like, well then is the flavor green? Not with these.

[Josh]

Yeah, no, it's not. But you get everything in these delicious cans and yeah, little, little sparkle to your day, both in the can and in the taste.

[Seth]

Also, these have been developed by weird guy in the back of his van. Wait, I read that wrong. Developed by registered nutritionists and dietitians. Oh my God, that's way better. 42 vitamins, minerals and superfoods. Only 25 calories, 4 grams of fiber, only 1 gram of sugar.

[Josh]

If you're on the go, if you don't have time, Huel is gonna be there for you.

[Seth]

Huel makes healthy eating simple. They also just launched into Target stores nationwide. Try both products today with 15% off your purchase for new customers with our exclusive code [e-mail] trips. Use our code and fill out the post check out survey to help support the show.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Hi, I'm Jenny Slate and believe it or not, someone is allowing us to have a podcast.

[Seth]

I'm Gabe Liedman. I'm Max Silvestri and we've been friends for 20 years and we like to reach out to kind of get advice on how to live our lives. It's called I need you guys. Should I give my baby fresh vegetables?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Can I drink the water at the hospital?

[Josh]

My landlord plays the trombone and I.

[Seth]

Can'T ask him to stop.

[Ke Huy Quan]

You should make sure that you subscribe so that you never miss an episode.

[Seth]

I need to go. The holidays mean more travel, more shopping, more time online and more personal info in more places that could explore, expose you more to identity theft. But LifeLock monitors millions of data points per second. If your identity is stolen, our US based restoration specialists will fix it, guaranteed your money back. Don't face drained accounts, fraudulent loans or financial losses alone. Get more holiday fun and less holiday worry with LifeLock. Save up to 40% your first year. Visit LifeLock.com podcast terms apply. Here we go. When you eventually, when your father and the six of you got out, was that also a successful escape or was it a little bit more official when you finally made it?

[Ke Huy Quan]

By the third time it was, by the third time it was in, you know, we weren't hiding anymore.

[Seth]

Got it.

[Ke Huy Quan]

It was in the wide open. You know, we paid and, you know, we were on a boat with over 3,000 people crammed into this, crammed into this cargo boat headed for Hong Kong. And when we got there, they freaked out. They didn't. I mean, they've accepted refugees before, but it was like maybe 1 or 2 or 5 or 10. But here we are, I think a total. It was like 3,300 people on a boat called the Huy Fong. And they said, please go, please go to somewhere else. We have, we have no space for you. And what was really incredible is at that time, UNHCR really got involved with the Hong Kong government and try to work out a plan for them to accept us and then also to get us out of there. I think this was two years ago. I went to UNXCR in Geneva's headquarter, and I was invited to look at some of the archives.

[Seth]

Wow.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And we're just browsing through the archives and just reading some of the faxes that were going back and forth between the Hong Kong government and UNHCR was really emotional. And I saw, I found my family's name in those archives.

[Josh]

What's the organization that the Hong Kong government was communicating with? Who, the. Something criminal?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah. U n u n H C R okay. And, yeah, I found our family's name in those archives. And I, and I remember just staring at it for a long time, just like those, those memories, like, just let it sinking in and, and, and kind of, kind of went back and, and, you know, visit some of those memories. It was really, it was incredible. It was, it was very emotional for me, too, was.

[Seth]

So when did the whole family reunite and where.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Los Angeles in 1979, after a year in a. In a refugee camp.

[Seth]

So how many years had it been, how long had it been since you'd seen your mother and your. And the siblings she was with?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Almost two years. Almost two years. Separated. Two years. And, you know, and my, and my little brother was my best friend.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And I hadn't seen him this entire time, and my mom, too. So when, when we finally got all the paperwork and were given, you know, this permission to come to this country, we were ecstatic. And so we, we got to Hong Kong on a boat, and then all of us got on a plane for the first time and we came here.

[Josh]

Where was the, where was the reunion with your mother and your other siblings?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Reunion was. I mean, you know, we, you know, they picked us up at the airport, and it was just surreal to see, you know, to see the whole family again. And then we all went back home. My mom cooked for 11 of us. And as always, you know, there was a lot of food, you know, because there was a lot of adolescents, a lot of teenagers, you know, and we, you know, our family loves to eat. We love food. And I remember that first Night. Well, and what was really interesting is that we didn't have a car back then. We just lived in Chinatown. And we didn't, we didn't need to go anywhere else. Our life existed only in that 1 mile radius. Everywhere we needed was. You know, my school was just right down the hill. The supermarket, the restaurants, the doctor office, all of that was just within one mile radius. And I never had a reason to leave there. And what is really so interesting was it was only just four years later. It was the movies that took me out of Chinatown.

[Seth]

Right. That's unbelievable. So you. And that first night, like, was it. How long did it take to sort of fall back in with the siblings and your mom? Like, was it immediate that it felt normal? Or especially your brother, who was your best friend. Did you guys immediately reconnect or did it take a little bit of time?

[Ke Huy Quan]

I don't remember taking a very long time, but I'm sure that first night was a little awkward because we haven't been together in a long time. And then also, I mean, this was at a time where all of us has went through this, you know, this incredible experience. And not only us, you know, the people, our neighbors, they were all very same. They all had similar journeys. But we as a family were very, very close. When I was young, I never had friends. I didn't need to have friends because my family was my friends. So we were a very, very tight and close family.

[Seth]

What did your parents do when they first got to the States?

[Ke Huy Quan]

They went to work right away. My mom was working for a jewelry store as a salesperson. And my dad, when he was in Vietnam, he was the owner of a plastic bags factory he owned. He manufactures plastic bags. So when he got here, of course we didn't have any money, so he couldn't have his own store. So he started working for other people.

[Seth]

Gotcha.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah.

[Seth]

What an incredible thing. That's just the level of parenting required to just take care of nine children through something like that. It is really cool.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah. But also because there's a big age gap between my oldest sister and my youngest brother. And as they were growing up, they were at that age where they could take care of us too.

[Seth]

Right.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah. So they were kind of, they were kind of, you know, stepping in for my mom when my mom left, you know, when we, when I was in Vietnam without my brother, without my mom. So kind of my older siblings kind of acted as the, as the, as the matriarch for me.

[Josh]

I also imagine that the community was probably so tight knit that there was always people sort of looking out for you in Chinatown, or maybe that's not the case. Do people sort of stay in their own. Their own family units, or is it like everyone here has gone?

[Ke Huy Quan]

No, it was. It was a really friendly, you know, neighborhood.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

There were only a few places that. That, you know, at that time, that group of people who escaped Vietnam, there were only a few places that they immigrated to. You know, some went to Paris, some went to London. A lot of them came to Los Angeles and ended up in Orange County, California. So in our neighborhood, there were a lot of people who my parents actually knew back in Vietnam. Wow.

[Seth]

Did you. Were you guys, would you say, as kids, you were well behaved and, like, respected your parents?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Oh, yeah. Oh, yes. My parents were very strict. Very strict. I mean, there was. My dad was very stern, but also very lovable, like. But he. But he's not the kind of person that will give you a hug and tell you I love you. You know, he'll show that by taking you out for. For a meal or just sharing a fruit with you that he was eating. That was his way of showing affection. We never got, you know, we never got the. Oh, I love you, you know, I'm so proud. None of that. None of that. But it was mostly, you know, but when we were bad, I mean, we got spanked and we got hit.

[Seth]

Yeah. Well, I would imagine after everything they went through, if you guys were bad. I know I shouldn't say this. Josh, I think you deserved it. Did you ever. You mentioned going to Geneva. Did your family ever, as a group, go back to either China or Vietnam? Were those trips you ever took?

[Ke Huy Quan]

I went back. My mom went back, some of my siblings did. I went back in 1995 to do a movie there.

[Seth]

In Vietnam?

[Ke Huy Quan]

In Vietnam, in Ho Chi Minh City. And it was quite surreal because I was just. Our crew were Vietnamese, were local people, and I couldn't stop but think, wow, had we not, you know, successfully, you know, made it out, I had no idea what I would be doing. I might be the boom guy. I might be there. Who knows? I might. I don't even know if I would even be in this business. But it was. It was. It was an interesting. But it also. It looked very different. And at the same time, there is some familiarity. At that time, the food, the culture, the people was very similar, except there were a lot of newer buildings and transportation got. There were a lot more cars. And back then, it was just all scooters.

[Josh]

Yeah. Did you have any family that had Stayed behind. I know that sort of your immediate family, but were there any grandparents or uncles or anyone that had stayed?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yes, uncles, uncles, aunts, my cousins. A lot of them were still there. So I got to say hi. I got to meet them. I didn't remember them. It's been so long, but it was nice to have that reunion. Yeah, exactly.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Seth]

And did your parents still have family in China or had everybody relocated to Vietnam?

[Ke Huy Quan]

My mom's family is in Hong Kong.

[Seth]

Okay, gotcha. All her.

[Ke Huy Quan]

She's from. She was born in Hong Kong, so a lot of her siblings, some of them are still alive today. My mom is 88 years old. Wow. So that's why I feel that, you know, I'm really happy every time I get to spend another, you know, holiday season with her, you know, which is right around the corner. I. I really love that because as I get older, I feel, you know, I feel like, you know, that's what a gift that is to be able to spend more time with her.

[Seth]

And she's still out in California.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Oh, yeah. Very vibrant. She's still laughing, still so full of lives. She loves slot machines.

[Seth]

How. I mean, it must have been very special for her to have been around and still with you for everything, everywhere, all at once moment.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah. You know, it was really. It was such a great feeling because I know when Temple of Doom first came out.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And when it was just playing all over the world and that, of course, that was a huge movie. She would get calls from her friends, from her family, and says, wow, we're so proud of your son. And then nothing happened for 40 years. And then when I. And then when I won the Oscar and thanked her up on the stage that very next day, she got all those calls from the same people again from her family in Hong Kong. So it just, you know, and she was so happy. She called me, says, hey, so, and so, just call me. They saw you on the stage, they heard your speech. So that was really. That was really great.

[Seth]

That's great. People were calling, were like, we can't believe this is still your number. Do you ever, as an adult, have you ever traveled with her?

[Ke Huy Quan]

I did. Well, the first big travel was when we did when we were promoting Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

[Seth]

Okay.

[Ke Huy Quan]

So the studio took us everywhere. We went to France, Germany, Australia, all over Asia, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, everywhere. And I remember we were flying first class, and it was at a time where, you know, we rarely get to fly in a plane, so my mom would get seasick, and it was Like, I was so embarrassed at the time. It was like the perfect comedy moment. It's like the minute the plane took off, she was really, like, not feeling well, but she tried to, you know, hold it in. And then when it was time for them to serve the first meal.

[Seth]

And.

[Ke Huy Quan]

The other passengers were so happy, they wanted to dig in. And it was right when she reached for the vomit bag in the seat in front of her and started doing very similar to Chunk in the Goonies. Oh, no.

[Josh]

Oh, no.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And everybody just stared. It was just like. It was horrible. I was so embarrassed. But of course, you know, I mean, we travel so so many places. She got. She got used to it.

[Josh]

Would she sort of. Was she your chaperone on all those trips or was it just you and your mom for those?

[Ke Huy Quan]

It was my. It was my mom and I and a studio teacher who, you know, she was there to help us and also to help me keep up with my schoolwork.

[Josh]

Right.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Yeah. And did you. I know that you said you pretty much, you know, stayed within a 1 mile radius of Chinatown in LA, but would you ever venture out as a family? Would you ever go to the beach or would you ever go to Disney or just anywhere, sort of?

[Ke Huy Quan]

No, we didn't have the means to. We didn't have a car.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

There was no reason to get on a bus and go, you know, go. Because that was not on our. That was not our priority.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

You know, when you first get here, we were so broke because it did cost a lot of money to get us out. So by the time we did finally get here, my parents were heavily in debt, so they were working their ass off to pay off those debt, and so did my older siblings, so. And then at the same time, they were trying to learn English and try to assimilate into this new life. You know, it was easier for me and my two younger siblings because we got to be kids. We didn't have to worry about anything else but just go to school and learn English. But my older siblings, they were working and, and going to school and in.

[Seth]

A new language, I mean.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah, yeah. And it was not until. It was not until. And again, that's why, you know, every time you hear me talk about Indiana Jones, you know, there's always a smile. And I'm. I'm always so eager to talk about it because it really did change my life. When that movie came out and that first check came in, it made a big difference in our family. I was able to buy a new house. So that was when we finally moved out of Chinatown and then I bought our family a car and that's when we actually got to go out to other places.

[Seth]

That's fantastic. Did your older siblings all sort of stay and even your younger, are they all still sort of California based? Are you guys all close?

[Ke Huy Quan]

No, the majority of my family is in Houston, Texas now. They all have their own business and they're doing very well.

[Seth]

How did, who was the first person who went to Houston? Because obviously I would assume one went and they all followed.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah. Yes, exactly. That's exactly what happened. My second sister got it. Her fiance was living in Houston at that time, so. And she was madly in love and. And yeah, went and. And be with him. Started her own business and became really successful and then started recruiting one of us, you know, one at a time in was. I was recruited many, many, many times. Yeah, when I, when I was, when I was a struggling actor and you know, my family loves me and they're very supportive of me. They were also very worried about me for a long time, of course. So. So, so, yeah, so they, they made multiple offers and, and you know, I even, I even took up one of the offers at one time. I think it was in my early 20s, I think it was 20 or 21. My sister wanted to open a restaurant and asked if I'd be interested to manage it. And I had absolutely nothing to do. All I did was just like, you know, stare at the phone. I said, come on, when is it going to ring? You know, pick it up again. Is it broken? Okay, it's not broken. I can hear the dial tone. But then, you know, but that offer was like, ah, you know, was this one of those moment in your life, you go, what the hell am I doing? And I did. And I went up to Houston for about a year. I worked in a restaurant, asked a manager, I had no idea what, you know, nothing about the restaurant business, but they knew who I was. Right. You know, they came and they were just really happy. That short run was serving them dishes, you know, and I guess, and you know, it started out really well, but then the businesses kind of went downhill from there. And I guess in retrospect, that was a blessing because that was when I moved back to la. And the whole time when I was there, I just kept thinking, what am I doing? Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life? There was that. That your conscience telling you?

[Seth]

And it's very loving for a family to offer you a way out. I mean, I think we're all lucky that you were so bad at running a restaurant that went out of business.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Thank you for putting it like that, Seth. Well, you keep.

[Seth]

You're like, yeah, something happened. It used to be a really good restaurant. Then I showed up and it just went downhill and nobody knows what happened.

[Ke Huy Quan]

I thought I was doing, I mean, there was like, you know, I did an interview for local newspaper and people coming in and they say, hey, we love you in the movie. And I was really happy. And I said, yeah, if you love me, come more. Come on. I'll be here every day.

[Josh]

Hey, we're gonna take a quick break and hear from some of our sponsors.

[Seth]

This podcast is sponsored by Tovala. Hey Baji. Hey Sufi, what level of intelligence do you want from your meal delivery service?

[Josh]

I mean, I'd prefer that it's smarter than your average meal delivery service.

[Seth]

Well, Tavala is the one for you. Posh. It's fresh meals and a smart oven that does the cooking for you.

[Josh]

I got an oven and it's dumb as a bag of rocks.

[Seth]

Yeah, I remember because you, I remember when you did who Wants to Be a Millionaire? You made your oven, your phone, a.

[Josh]

Friend and it was a disaster.

[Seth]

Yeah, Tavala makes it so easy. You just scan the meal's QR code, pop it in the oven and it cooks everything perfectly. Steams, bakes, broils automatically. No guesswork needed. You can save up to $300 on the Tavala smart oven when you order meals six plus times by heading to tavala.com trips using our code trips for.

[Josh]

A limited time, Sufi Tavala's meals are chef crafted and taste just like homemade meals you'd make yourself just without all the headache. Plus, all of Tavala's meals are made with real fresh ingredients.

[Seth]

And here's the great thing as well. This smart oven, you might be like, oh yeah, you're smarter, right? But what if it's not a Tavala meal? Well, good news, it's that smart. You can use the oven to scan store bought groceries like Eggo waffles, Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, and Amy's frozen meals to name a few.

[Josh]

Because it knows how to cook those things.

[Seth]

Yeah, it's pretty good. So for a limited time, because you're a trips listener, you can save up to $300 on the Tavala smart oven when you order meals six plus times by heading to tavala.com trips and use our code trips. That's up to $300 off when you head to tovala.com trips and use promo code trips one last time. T O V A L A dot com. And make sure you use our promo code trips for up to $300 off the Tovala Smart oven. Remember, with Tavala, dinner is taken care of. Support comes from Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Hey Baji.

[Josh]

Yes, Sufi.

[Seth]

You know what? At Tropical Smoothie Cafe they believe enjoying the fun and taste of the tropics is a little getaway you need every day. And that's great. Cause nobody has time every day to go to the tropics.

[Josh]

No, that'd be way too much.

[Seth]

Tropical Smoothie Cafe brings the goodness with made to order smoothies and food and more good vibes with add ins Pashi. As I say, the add ins say if you like them or not. Almonds?

[Josh]

Yes.

[Seth]

Spinach. Love kale.

[Josh]

Oh yeah.

[Seth]

Chia seeds.

[Josh]

Oh, what do you think?

[Seth]

Ginger.

[Josh]

You know me.

[Seth]

Or supplements like fat burner or energizer bowls. And made to order wraps. All made with better for you ingredients and full of atropic vibes. Every sip and bite feels like a wellness retreat for your taste buds. For your taste. Wait, I think I said taste buds. Taste buds.

[Josh]

Oh yeah, that's better.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

And big news for smoothie lovers out there. Tropic Fanfest is back from November 3 to November 9 at Tropical Smoothie Cafe. That means free smoothie with a bowl or food purchase for Tropic Rewards members every day all week long.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah.

[Seth]

So to redeem, just simply order an app online or in Cafe during November 3rd through the 9th. Pair your favorite smoothie with a bowl or food item and boom. Free smoothie from the fan favorite Bahama Mama smoothie to the Acai bowl with Nutella topped with fresh fruit. And even the crave worthy Caribbean jerk chicken wrap packed with bold flavors. Tropical Smoothie Cafe has something for everyone. Do you say Caribbean or Caribbean?

[Josh]

It depends.

[Seth]

Oh really? On what?

[Josh]

Yeah, if I'm singing a Billy Ocean song, I say Caribbean. Otherwise I probably say Caribbean.

[Seth]

And do you say taste buds or taste buds?

[Josh]

I'm usually a buds guy.

[Seth]

Well, guess what? Tropical Smoothie Cafe is good for your taste buds and your taste buds. And have one with your taste buds. Those are your friends that also like things that taste good. Just download the app, sign up for Tropic Rewards and start sipping. Visit tropicalsmoothicafe.com to find a cafe near you. Terms and conditions as they always do apply.

[Ke Huy Quan]

I'm 32, juggling family, working full time and earning a bachelor's degree at University of Phoenix I earn career relevant skills with every five week course.

[Seth]

Skills I can use now, not just after graduation.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Earn skills weeks, not years.

[Seth]

Visit Phoenix Edu. Hello friends. Guess who? That's right, it is I, the replacer. Once again I've been called on so you can play the new Call of Duty Black Ops 7 with three expansive modes, 18 multiplayer maps and the tastiest.

[Josh]

Zombie gameplay you've ever freaking seen.

[Seth]

Available November 14th pre order Call of Duty Black Ops 7 now rated M for mature. Here we go.

[Josh]

Do you guys then, do you take trips down to Houston? Do you get the whole family together?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah, my wife and I would go to Houston every year at least once a year. It's a huge, huge family now. There's like 50, 60 of us.

[Josh]

Wow.

[Ke Huy Quan]

I remember one time when my mom had her 70th birthday and we practically took up half of the restaurant. There was like more than 60 of us. And she invited some of her friends. There was well over 200 people to celebrate her, you know, her big day. And yeah, and every year I go, you know, we would just try to get together in someone's house, you know, because, you know, it's almost impossible to fit so many of us and we would have a good time, but also very quickly someone, there's always someone would get in an argument with someone else, right?

[Josh]

Yeah. I mean the odds with that many family members.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah, that's, that's what a big family is, is.

[Seth]

You know, I think you, you have to know like when you turn 70, if you're lucky enough, right, to have like 50 people, you know, or blood relations. You have to know like, this will be better when I'm looking at a picture a year from now than it will be on the actual night. You know what I mean?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Oh yeah, yeah. And the best part about having a big family, if you're an actor, is that you can be sure your movie will at least gross a certain amount of money.

[Josh]

But I imagine very hard to get tickets to premieres for that many family members. I imagine you have to say I can only get X amount of tickets if everyone wants to come.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Oh, Josh, you have no idea. I love, okay, I love all my nieces and nephews and you know, they're like in their 20s, 30s, you know. And first of all, I feel really happy to be in a position, position to be able to invite them to events where they don't normally get, get invited, you know, like premieres and you know, like parties and stuff. But every time I say yes to one, it very quickly becomes 10 or 20. And then I have to go to my team and says, hey, do you think you go to the studio, ask for 20 tickets? And they would freak out?

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

You know, for example, like, you know, for Zootopia, we're having a big premiere in Shanghai, which, you know, it's a city that I love because that's where I met my wife. And my family's flying there. They're all flying there. They want to go to Disneyland. They want to go to the premiere. And I'm just, like, counting, okay, 1, 2, 3. It's like, 17. There was, like, 17 of them. How am I going to be able to get 17 tickets, you know?

[Seth]

Were you working in Shanghai when you met your wife?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yes, I was.

[Seth]

What was that? What were you doing there?

[Ke Huy Quan]

I was working for a filmmaker named Wong Kar Wai. And he had an office there that he wanted someone to look after. And he was trying to. You know, we were developing projects to be shot in, you know, in mainland China. And that's what I was there for. And she was. She was there as well. And we met, and it was pretty much love at first sight.

[Seth]

Had she lived in the States before, or did you have to convince her to come?

[Ke Huy Quan]

No, no, no. She never. She never traveled prior to that.

[Seth]

Gotcha.

[Ke Huy Quan]

We met. We dated for two years, and then we got married. And at that time, it was not easy for her to get a visa to come here.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

So we actually have to. We actually had to wait a year for all the paperwork to be ready. And then I flew back to China. And I. And I. And I. I. Yeah, I came here with her.

[Josh]

Was it culture shock for her to come here?

[Seth]

Was it.

[Josh]

How. How did she take to show?

[Ke Huy Quan]

It was. It was more of a shock to her how big my family is. You gotta understand, it's just she and her mom. That's her family. It's just she and her mom. And now she. She's married into family where there was, like, 60 people.

[Seth]

Yeah. Yeah, I think it's. I don't. I do not support the fact that you didn't tell her this until she married you.

[Ke Huy Quan]

I remember we had a little celebration when she came with the family, and the entire night, it was just everybody just dragging her, trying to, like, talk to her separately. It's like, come on. I got this story to tell you about Kee. She was being pulled in different directions, and she handled it with a lot of grace. I love her so much.

[Seth]

I mean, my wife loves me a great deal. Her literal nightmare would have to be listening to 60 different people tell her a story about me.

[Josh]

But it is tricky. Like when you get to those big events. I'm just thinking about my wedding that was just over a year ago. And we had 130 people there. 130 people that I love. But it's hard to really get good time with each and every one of them. Like you just, you can't. But when you get together with 60 people. Yeah. I imagine those, like, those deeper conversations are tougher to come by. But.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Oh, you know, Chinese weddings are huge. Yeah. And they're not 100 people. Usually there was like 50 tables, which is like equivalent to 500 or 600 people. And the big ones get up to like 100 tables. So you have like a thousand people. And the majority of them you don't even know. You know, they're like friends of your parents or friends of your grandparents. And then you just have to give face to them to invite them. And then they have to show up to give you face. But the majority of the people there, you have no clue. You've never met before. So when my wife and I, we got married, we. I mean, we didn't want any of that. We just wanted a very intimate wedding.

[Josh]

So you had her mom and 60 of your family members.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Something like that.

[Seth]

It is funny. I remember when Alexi and I were, you know, each of our sets of parents were asking, you know, will you please invite? And giving us a list of people. And at some point I was like, you have to realize, Alexi, we're lucky. Like in a lot of cultures, they don't even ask you. You know what I mean?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. No, your parents decide. Your parents tells you, this is who's coming. And then they give you a long list of people.

[Seth]

Yeah, they're like, you're lucky. 100 years ago you didn't even get to pick who you married. You should be happy.

[Ke Huy Quan]

That's right.

[Seth]

We're only doing guest lists now. Zootopia. So I just want to say real quick because I'm very excited there's a new one because I have kids. And a well made kids movie is such a gift. It also must be so nice. Like the amount of movies you've done that have been physically taxing and just long hours and not knowing what it's going to look like going into a booth and just knocking out. Zootopia. You deserved an easy job like this.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Oh, Seth, it was not easy.

[Seth]

Get out of town.

[Ke Huy Quan]

It was quite the opposite. And I'll tell you why?

[Seth]

Great. I'm very excited, and I apologize for acting like, you did not have to work hard on this. I'll take it back.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Okay. So with live action, you show up, you act with your fellow actors. You have a physical set, right? And then you know what the story's about. And there was a lot of interaction with. With your fellow actors. And with animation, you show up, as we all know, in a booth by yourself. You say all your lines without getting to hear what the other actor. How they're doing their part. Because as an actor, for me, I play off of my fellow actors. The choices that I make as an actor, it's dependent on the choices that they make. So that I want to make sure that with good scene partners, but with animation, it's very different. It's constantly evolving. And I'm very new at this, and I find myself, you know, like, to get my voice a certain way. I have to, like, clench every muscle in my body to get it a certain way to hopefully the audience can feel the emotions I'm feeling. And I would be. Every session I go in, I'm, like, sweating. And the first couple of sessions, I would be very embarrassed because at the end, they would come and give me a hug, and I go, oh, no, no, don't hu hug me. I'm really sweaty. And then I go, wait, is this right? Am I doing it right? And then I started talking, and I met Patton Oswalt, who, as we know, is an incredible actor who did Ratatouille. And I said, hey, Patton, is this right? Like, I'm sweating. It's like, it's hard. He says, keith, no, you're doing it. You're doing it the right. It's proper. You're doing it properly. That's how it is. It's a lot of fun. And then you get for a movie like Zootopia, too. Like, I'm so grateful to be along for the ride. But it was fun and challenging as well.

[Seth]

It'd also be nice to be at the premiere, because I'm assuming that'll be the first you lay eyes on a lot of your castmates.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah. I didn't even know who was in this movie until recently. I saw a press release, and I go, wait, Macaulay Culkin is also in this movie? That's great.

[Seth]

You're like, I think I'm gonna go see this movie.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah. No, but it's fun. It's such a good movie. It's so clever. Kids will love it. But what I love about these movies is Adults can enjoy it, too. And you always.

[Seth]

That's the thing.

[Ke Huy Quan]

You always come out with a. Yeah. And you always come out, like, feel like you just learned something. I love the themes in these movies.

[Seth]

Yeah, that's really great.

[Josh]

And then you must have. I mean, you must have taken. Had so much travel. Did your wife travel around with you during sort of the run of Everything Everywhere? Were you.

[Seth]

Well, she worked on the movie, didn't she?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Wasn't she?

[Josh]

Oh, yeah, she was the translator.

[Ke Huy Quan]

She was a translator. She was a translator. No, she's on the Always with me. Everything I. Everything I do, whether it's a movie or a press, she flies with me. So we had to spend a lot of time together, which is great. Yeah. And I feel. It's weird, like, I've become so dependent on her. I feel vulnerable if she's not there. And she's also one of the very few that I trust wholeheartedly. She's very straightforward with me. For example, a lot of times on the first week of a set, she'll say. I'll ask her, say, hey, how am I doing? And she'll just say, you're acting. You're acting. Stop acting. You're not this character yet. I don't see it. And normally it's at the end of the week that she says, now I believe you're this character. That's great, because she's always at the monitor, watching.

[Seth]

It is very valuable to have that.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah. I always, you know, and it's hard. I always tell people, you know, when I'm on a movie set, I said, just give it to me straight, like, how am I doing? And people are usually very reluctant to give you the truth.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And then until when you see it, you go, oh, I wish I would have done that. Then it's too late. But to have someone like my wife to tell me from the very beginning, and then I can adjust.

[Seth]

It's great. Well, I will tell you that at the end of every one of these episodes, Josh calls me after and says, you are a dud again.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Wait, by the way, I love the songs that you sing at the end of the day.

[Josh]

Isn't he amazing?

[Seth]

Thank you. You're gonna get a song key. Isn't it exciting?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Wait, do you do it for every guest?

[Josh]

Yeah, you're gonna get a song.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Oh, I can't wait to hear it.

[Josh]

Yeah, we'll see.

[Ke Huy Quan]

It's so good. It's so funny. It's so funny.

[Josh]

Thanks.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And you have a good voice.

[Seth]

The anticipation of knowing. Well, don't if you keep being complimentary, I'm gonna do your song and you're not gonna like it.

[Josh]

There was one I got very busy and where it looked like I was maybe not gonna be able to get it done, and Seth was like, I could always throw together a song real quick. And I was like, you know what? I'm gonna burn the candle at both ends and I'm gonna make sure that this happens. I'm going to do this song.

[Seth]

So he thought it would be.

[Ke Huy Quan]

It's so creative. The lyrics always makes me laugh out loud. I love it. And of course, Seth, I'm still waiting to be on your show. I know.

[Seth]

I can't believe you have mid on. This is. It's of great offense to me. And we're gonna figure it out up. Yeah, I'm gonna make sure it happens soon. This has been fantastic. I mean, it's. It really is like it is, you know, I mean, again, I. Everybody said it, but that was such a special movie a few years ago. But again, you're in two of the most special movies in my life. And like, the movies I most want to show my kids, I haven't shown them Temple of Doom yet. They're not old enough. But it'll be very fun when that day comes. And we. Before we let you go, Josh is going to ask you our.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Wait. We are at the end of the show.

[Seth]

Well, this is. There's still time because you'll notice these questions are gonna.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Okay, okay. Great, great, great.

[Josh]

Okay, here we go. Speed round. You can only pick one of these. Is your ideal vacation relaxing, adventurous, or educational?

[Ke Huy Quan]

See, I'm leaning toward relaxing and educational because a great trip for me is where I'm very relaxed, but I also get to learn something. But if I were to choose one of those, I would say relaxing. Otherwise I would need a vacation after a vacation.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Y call.

[Seth]

Do you feel like you're in line with your wife on that? Does she like the same kind of vacations as you?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah. By the way, I want to ask you guys, when you go on vacation, do you guys have, like an itinerary? Like, do you guys pack your day with a lot of stuff to do?

[Josh]

We try not to pack it, but I try to have, like, a couple things to do with sort of big gaps in between them to. To be able to sort of decide to do things on the fly where it doesn't throw a whole sort of schedule off.

[Seth]

Hmm.

[Ke Huy Quan]

How about you, Seth?

[Seth]

Well, we have kids, and so it's itinerary based Just because like they, if you leave them, if they become idle, they become more irritating. So it's just about like saving, we're trying to save ourself from them by having a very packed day. Also. They anticipate well, so if you tell them what's coming, like they're, they're ready for it. Have you guys, how often do you go back to Shanghai? Is your mother in law still there there?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yeah, we go back to China every year, at least once a year. Not necessarily Shanghai, but, but Shenzhen.

[Seth]

How long when you go, how long do you have to go for for it to be worth it?

[Ke Huy Quan]

I, I try to go for at least two weeks because it's a long flight. But my, my wife usually stays there for roughly about a month just to spend time with her mother. She goes back like twice a year.

[Seth]

Got it.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And, and now when we go, I mean, it's like we keep our schedule really very chill. You know, there's no schedule. I mean, it's a vacation and we just decide what we want to do the day of. Yeah, there's usually no schedule. Just a lot of like just meeting with old friends, just spending quality time with family. It's, it's all about that.

[Seth]

Where is there a place in China that we would be surprised to hear is a great stop to make if you're there?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Oh, there's so many. Beijing is a great stop to, you know, just because of how beautiful, how grand everything is. I always love Shanghai. Hong Kong is another wonderful, wonderful place. That's one of my favorite cities on the planet. I love going. The food is amazing. Yeah, there's a lot of great place for sightseeing. If you've never been, you should definitely. And put that on the bucket list.

[Seth]

All right, great.

[Josh]

Back to these. What is your favorite means of transportation?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Car. I like car.

[Josh]

If you could take a vacation with any family, alive or dead, real or fictional, other than your own family, what family would you like to take a vacation with?

[Ke Huy Quan]

You know, I've heard you ask this question before, and that's a tough one. It's such a great question.

[Josh]

But it's a hard one, I'll give you that.

[Ke Huy Quan]

But yeah, it's really hard. But I was thinking about this and I want to say Walt Disney, because I want to see the world through his eyes. You know, he's created so many incredible characters and brought so much happiness to so many people. I kind of want to be a part of that and see, you know, how he sees things.

[Seth]

You might be able to. Cause he Froze his head. So if they ever figure out how to thought out.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Is that true?

[Seth]

I think. Wasn't he one of the people who froze his head?

[Josh]

That's the rumor is that his head is frozen somewhere. And they're gonna.

[Ke Huy Quan]

They're gonna bring him back.

[Seth]

If they bring him back, we're gonna let him know that you want to take this trip.

[Josh]

But it's just gonna be you and a head.

[Ke Huy Quan]

I carry it around like this. Hey, Wal. I wish.

[Josh]

I wish for a different family.

[Seth]

I think I'm not. I have to check. I think TSA is making you check the heads now. They don't care.

[Josh]

If you were. If you had to be stranded on a desert island with one member of your family, who would it be?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Oh, that's easy. It's my wife.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Got it. I love her so much. I mean, we spent so much time together, and we still have a lot of things to say. So that's who you want to be with. With. If you're. If you're stranded on an island, that's great.

[Josh]

What do you consider your hometown?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Los Angeles.

[Josh]

If you had to. If you were the head of the Los Angeles board of Tourism, trying to get more families to come visit Los Angeles, how would you pitch that city?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Oh, we have so much going for them. I mean, currently the Dodgers playing the World Series theme parks, Universal Studios, Disneyland, Hollywood Boulevard. I mean, the list just goes on and on. And of course, you know, we have really incredible food. But I would. I would. I would have them first day, go to Disneyland. There are a couple of parks there that. That's great. Yeah. And. Yeah, check. Go, go check out all the palm trees I love. And the beach. And the beach. Beach. Malibu.

[Josh]

Yes, it does. The list goes on and on. Yeah, I'm with you there. And Seth has our final questions here.

[Seth]

Key. Have you been to the Grand Canyon?

[Ke Huy Quan]

Yes, I have. Two times.

[Seth]

Okay, what was the first time? How old were you?

[Ke Huy Quan]

It was late. It was like I was in my 30s. It's when they. Again, I don't know the time, but you know when they had that Skywalker.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

That bridge, that horseshoe bridge. When that opened, I went. And I thought I was brave enough to walk on it and go around. I didn't even make it past five steps. I looked down, I go, holy shit, this is scary as hell. And I walk right back.

[Seth]

Now I'm wondering, were you unique or were there other people who had maybe thought they were braver than they actually were? Or on the day you were there, were you the only Person who doubled back. Doubled back.

[Ke Huy Quan]

No, I was not. I was one of the first group to go see it.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And there was a lot of us. And then, you know, of course, there was a lot of people who went, you know, who started walking on. And I just look at all those people on the bridge, and I go, oh, my gosh, is it gonna hold? Because it was just. You know, it just had its grand opening, and it wasn't like I was by myself. I was with a bunch of people, and I just literally walked. Took five steps in, and I looked down, and I can see right to the bottom of the Grand Canyon. And my knees started getting super weak, and I go back. But also, I love the Grand Canyon. It's so beautiful. But one thing that I never understand is why do people stand right at the very edge and look down?

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Ke Huy Quan]

You know, as you say, there's no railing. Right. And then they always walk right up to it, and it freaks me out. My wife tried to do that when we. When we visit. She got pretty close, and I said, listen, don't. Please don't do it. My. My knees were already going weak, and I said, if you go to the edge, I'm leaving right now. I was so afraid for her. And there were. And then, especially when there was, like, a lot of people, too, and they're just all there.

[Josh]

Yeah. I was in Ireland with my wife, and we were on this walk along these cliffs, and they were very steep cliffs, and then into the water that, you know, was just pounding these waves into these rocks. And she. Where she was probably was fine, but I was like, can you please just not keep going forward? And she was like, it's fine, and she's not big into heights, but she was confident with it. And I just had to walk away. I was like, I'm. And, like, had she fallen in, there would have been nothing for me to do except for jump in after her, and we both perish. I was so uncomfortable with the notion of her being that close to the edge that I just had to walk away.

[Seth]

I hate it.

[Ke Huy Quan]

I hate it. Because you never think it would happen to you until it happens to you.

[Seth]

Yeah.

[Josh]

Also, the grand opening on that skywalk is probably not when I would be most content to be there. Like, of the.

[Ke Huy Quan]

No, but, you know, if. If you're not afraid of heights, I mean, it's. It's great. Go check it out. It's really amazing.

[Josh]

I wouldn't want to be there, like, in the first week. I'd want to know that it's been up for a year. This many thousands of people have been on it. And it is good. Yeah.

[Seth]

Yeah. Well, we're glad. We're glad you're still with us.

[Ke Huy Quan]

And you didn't.

[Seth]

You didn't try to be a hero. This is fantastic. So, so great talking to you.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Ke.

[Seth]

What a delight.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Seth, Josh, I love you guys. Thank you for having me. And yeah, I really enjoyed our conversation.

[Seth]

I really hope Josh doesn't blow your song.

[Ke Huy Quan]

I can't wait to hear it, Josh.

[Josh]

Yeah. All right, well, I'll get right on it. And congrats with Zootopia 2. Have so much fun at the premiere in Shanghai.

[Seth]

See you soon, King.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Thank you. Thank you. Bye.

[Josh]

Bye.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Bye. Bye.

[Narrator]

Sat and you would assume after Goonies and Temple of Doom that he.

[Josh]

Had found his vocation.

[Seth]

Checks came in, put some money down.

[Narrator]

Moved his family out of Chinatown. Cause he.

[Seth]

Was up on the big screen.

[Narrator]

But with a house and a car and his family set. Those movie roles became hard to get. And his family started moving to Houston. And his sister opened a restaurant. So you could manage this place if you want. And he took the job a year later.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Thank you.

[Narrator]

They closed it down. It took me free.

[Ke Huy Quan]

Free.

[Narrator]

Free Attempts to leave F came to.

[Ke Huy Quan]

La.

[Narrator]

You got to see the Palms. If you haven't seen everything every way. Yeah, yeah. All at once. Plan it now on Amazon. Three cheers for me. Give it up.

[Ke Huy Quan]

For.

[Narrator]

40 years later, an Oscar once. And people got to call his mom and wish.

[Josh]

Her congratulations.