Episode 1614 - Ke Huy Quan - WTF with Marc Maron Podcast

Transcript

Marc Maron (0:02)

Hey, folks. This episode is sponsored by Squarespace. We made a great website using Squarespace, and you can too now with the best features Squarespace has ever offered, like design intelligence, which uses AI technology to help you get the exact design specifications you need. And Squarespace payments, the easiest way to manage your sales in one place. Go to squarespace.com wtf for a free trial. And when you're ready to launch, use offer code WTF to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain. That's squarespace.com WTF offer code WTF. All right, let's do this. How are you? What the. What the Buddies? What the Nicks? What's happening? I'm Mark Marin. This is my podcast. How's everybody holding up out there? What is going on? Nothing good, but, you know, I'm here. That's okay, right? I'm okay. I'm good, I guess right now I'm having a good few minutes as we enter this episode of this show. I hope you're holding up. I guess, you know, I've got a couple emails, couple dms from people in Canada, and I. I don't. I'm sorry, I don't know what. What to tell you other than, look, we're. We're very unhappy as well, and I don't know what it's going to take for the. Whatever's left of Legacy Media to start reporting on this for what it is. I guess we'll hang on to assessing this here as a just an odd presidency as opposed to what it really is until what it really is becomes undeniable. And again, I acknowledge my friends in Canada for what the monster here is doing, but we're all living in it, and it's not gonna get good or better maybe ever, but. Hey, what'd you have for breakfast?

Ki Huy Quan (2:10)

Huh?

Marc Maron (2:11)

What'd you have for breakfast? Today I talked to Ki Hui Quan, and it was kind of a great conversation. It's a beautiful human story, really. He won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor two years ago for his role in Everything Everywhere all at Once. He's now the lead of the action comedy Love Hurts, which opens this week, which I saw so out of martial arts action. He definitely wanted to make an entertaining, satisfying, violent comedy, but we talked about his whole life, and it's. It's quite a human tale. So that's happening. That is happening shortly. It'll happen right here. You know, I went out and I'm doing the comedy, and it was an interesting weekend, actually. Me and Blair Psaki drove up to we started in. Where was that first show? Santa Barbara. We were in Santa Barbara, then San Luis Obispo and then Monterey. Beautiful drive, beautiful, nice towns, Grown up audiences, my audiences, you know, kind of an eclectic but specific bunch, but a lot of them. And if you know me from listening to this show, you know that I put an inordinate amount of pressure on myself to speak to the current moment, at least in my standup shows. You know, I hold back a little bit on the show because I don't want that to become a through line of the show to where I have to, you know, manage, you know, talking points and reactions. I'd rather just speak from the heart if I can, but I go up to do these shows and you know, my audience is like minded people and they're, they're nervous, they're scared, they're depressed, they're, they're in despair. And this is at the joy of the governing class right now. But I have to get up there and talk to them. And there's part of me that thinks like I should have some sort of solutions or I should kind of like, you know, serve their anger. And I find that I could probably because the anger is not as tangible yet. I think a lot of people are still traumatized and terrified and in a certain amount of shock and unable to really figure out, you know, how to navigate in the brains that they had before this presidency in terms of what they believed in. And you gotta hold onto what you believe in and apply it wherever you can. But nonetheless, performing for them, like I just had to tell them, I said, look, you know, this is how I feel, this is what I believe is going on. It's not good. I'm on your team, but let me try to entertain you in the way that I can. And this is sort of a first for me, the idea that acknowledging the state of things and then kind of just trying to entertain, like I always want to talk, but I generally feel like I have a point. And I generally feel like a lot of my material is pointed, but I'm doing some bits that I think are story driven and personal, but entertaining. And I was very conscious of the idea of let's acknowledge what's happening, let's agree on that. We can do what we can. And then if you're here to see me and you like me, I can be entertaining, I'll do some entertaining. And I don't think I've taken the stage with the idea of being an entertainer ever. I, I mean, I, I somehow sometimes differentiate between being a stand up comic and being an entertainer. But once I was on the same page and you know, I, I kind of, we eased into it. We knew what we were up against and you know, it's, let's just be entertaining. Can we do it? And it was kind of rewarding. I don't really know what's going on, but there's something now that I'm doing the hours again. I'm generally doing about an hour and a half. I don't know, I've hit a zone with it. It's kind of new, but it's good. And you know, thank God, even at this age I'm seeing some change. Not much, not really any regression, but some change in my approach. And I got tour dates coming up. I even added some shows. There's now a second show in Toronto at the Winter Garden on Saturday, May 3rd. Burlington, Vermont. I'll be at the Vermont Comedy Club for three shows. Two shows on May 5th and one show on Tuesday the 6th. We added that one on Monday. And I'll be in Portsmouth, New Hampshire at the Music hall on Wednesday, May 7th. Tickets for all those shows are on sale now. You can go to wtfpod.com tour I'm in Iowa City at the Ingler theater on Thursday, February 13. Des Moines, Iowa at the Hoyt Sherman Place on Friday, February 14 Kansas City, Missouri at the Midland Theater on Saturday, February 15. Asheville, North Carolina at the Orange Peel on Thursday, February 20. Nashville, Tennessee at the James K. Polk Theater on Friday, February 21 Louisville, Kentucky at the BOM Hard Theater. I hope I don't bomb hard. I can't not do that. At the Bom Hard Theatre on Saturday, February 21st in Lexington, Kentucky at the Lexington Opera House on Sunday, February 22nd. I'm coming to Oklahoma, Texas, South Carolina, Illinois, Michigan, on into New York City in May to record my HBO special. You can go again to wtfpod.com tour for all my dates and links to tickets. And yeah, there also is a couple of things here that because of. Yeah, I don't always know what I'm going to talk about here or make a big plan, but I think I should mention the passing of David lynch for a couple of reasons. Kit loves him and to the point where she used to walk by his house fairly frequently. It was near her place and she was, you know, exercising. But, but she, you know, has sort of made me reassess some of the movies that I might not have gotten before. But I always was impressed with David lynch and we, we lost A truly visionary guy in that guy. And I'm sort of an outlier, I think, in that. I, I feel honestly that, that his two best movies are, are the, the Straight Story and Elephant man. And I, and like Kit will not abide by that.

Summary

WTF with Marc Maron Podcast
Episode 1614: Blair Psaki
Release Date: February 3, 2025

In Episode 1614 of the WTF with Marc Maron Podcast, host Marc Maron engages in a deeply personal and inspiring conversation with Blair Psaki, a former child actor known for his roles in iconic films like Temple of Doom and The Goonies. The episode delves into Blair’s tumultuous journey from a refugee fleeing Vietnam to an Oscar-winning actor, highlighting his resilience, challenges, and triumphant return to the acting world with his latest project, Love Hurts.

1. The Journey from Refugee to Child Actor

Blair Psaki opens up about his early life, detailing the harrowing experience of fleeing Vietnam at the age of seven amidst the chaos of war. He recounts the multiple escape attempts his family made, which often ended with imprisonment, and the ultimate successful escape to Hong Kong. Reflected in his words:

"And violating the escape because it wasn't a secret as much because we got on a boat that had more than 3,000 people leaving."
[02:44] Blair Psaki

Upon arriving in Los Angeles, Blair describes the challenges of integrating into a new culture with a large family, nine siblings in total. They settled in Chinatown, Los Angeles, where the support of a close-knit community played a crucial role in their adaptation.

2. Accidental Stardom and Early Acting Career

At age eleven, Blair's life took an unexpected turn when a casting director spotted him at school. Without prior acting experience, Blair was cast in Temple of Doom, marking his entry into Hollywood. He recalls the surreal experience:

"It's pretty insane. And to think that only four years prior to that was when I came here as a refugee."
[04:56] Blair Psaki

Blair further shares his experiences working alongside legends like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and Harrison Ford, emphasizing the supportive environment that nurtured his early career.

3. Navigating the Challenges of Child Stardom

Despite initial success, Blair candidly discusses the difficulties of transitioning from child actor to adult life. The pressures of maintaining relevance in an industry that often sidelines former child stars weighed heavily on him. He reflects:

"Once you became involved with the coordinating. So you were okay with your life, you're making a living."
[06:05] Blair Psaki

Blair explains how he stepped away from acting, focusing instead on behind-the-scenes roles such as action choreography. This shift allowed him to sustain a career in film without the instability of acting roles.

**4. The Comeback: Love Hurts and Oscar Success**

After decades away from the acting spotlight, Blair recounts his decision to return to acting in his late 40s. The alignment of opportunities and his renewed passion led to his role in Love Hurts, an action comedy that pays homage to the Hong Kong martial arts films of his youth. The culmination of his comeback was an Oscar win for Best Supporting Actor, a moment he describes as a "full circle" experience.

"It's an amazing Hollywood ending or middle, or we'll see how it goes."
[05:08] Blair Psaki

Blair shares the emotional reunion with Harrison Ford and the overwhelming support from both his old and new film "families." The recognition was not only a personal triumph but also a testament to his enduring love for acting.

5. Reflections on Empathy and Current Events

Throughout the episode, Blair and Marc discuss broader themes such as empathy, political unrest, and personal trauma. Blair emphasizes the importance of compassion, drawing from his own experiences of displacement and resilience.

"I just hope that people can really. You know, it's a very divided subject, but I just hope that people can look at it through the lens of empathy and compassion."
[32:49] Blair Psaki

6. Life Lessons and Final Thoughts

Blair Psaki concludes the conversation by reflecting on the unpredictable nature of life and the significance of seizing opportunities. His story serves as an inspiration for overcoming adversity, embracing one's passions, and the enduring power of perseverance.

"Had I procrastinated, I go, wow, you know, I don't know, man. If I, if I stand on my ass and continue to debate whether I should be an actor again, that opportunity would pass me by."
[05:07] Blair Psaki

Notable Quotes

Blair Psaki [04:56]: "It's pretty insane. And to think that only four years prior to that was when I came here as a refugee."
Blair Psaki [06:05]: "Once you became involved with the coordinating. So you were okay with your life, you're making a living."
Blair Psaki [32:49]: "I just hope that people can really... through the lens of empathy and compassion."
Blair Psaki [05:07]: "Had I procrastinated... that opportunity would pass me by."

Conclusion

Episode 1614 of WTF with Marc Maron offers a profound exploration of Blair Psaki's life, illustrating how early hardships and unexpected opportunities shaped his path. From escaping war-torn Vietnam to gracing Hollywood films as a child actor, and eventually reclaiming his passion to win an Oscar, Blair's narrative is a compelling testament to resilience and the enduring pursuit of one's dreams. This episode not only provides insight into Blair's personal journey but also invites listeners to reflect on broader themes of empathy, perseverance, and the unpredictable nature of life's paths.