Ke Huy Quan reveals what he learnt from Loki's Tom Hiddleston ahead of first lead role
The Oscar winner and former child star leads the cast of new action-comedy Love Hurts.
Ke Huy Quan has been around film sets from a very young age – ever since rising to global fame by playing Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom as a young teenager – but until recently he had never taken on the lead role in a movie.
But now, two years after he won Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars for his turn in Everything Everywhere All at Once, he's leading the cast of new action-comedy Love Hurts, which also features a reunion with his The Goonies co-star Sean Astin.
Speaking exclusively to RadioTimes.com about the role, Quan revealed that he was delighted to be the first name on the call sheet (holding up a cushion of his character smiling to illustrate his point) and went on to explain the biggest difference when it came to having top billing.
"It feels amazing. Honestly, it feels amazing," he said. "As an actor, what you do is the same, whether you are number one on the call sheet or number five on the call sheet. You know, the entire movie is a collaborative process.
"But what's more important is that being the number one, you really kind of set the tone on a movie set. So, you know, there's that great line – with great power comes great responsibility."
He added: "I wanted to make sure that everybody feels loved, feel like they're important, and everything that they're contributing is just as important as my contribution.
"Because I remember working behind the camera, being in different positions, and sometimes I don't always feel like that. So this time around, when I get to do this, I wanted to do that."
Read more:
- Loki star Ke Huy Quan wants to play James Bond villain next as he eyes "bad guy" roles
- Indiana Jones director explains why Short Round isn't in Dial of Destiny
Quan also explained how he had learned from some of the best when it came to leading a cast – namely Harrison Ford from early in his career and Tom Hiddleston from his more recent stint on Loki.
"Over the years, I've had a lot of great mentors, great people who I can look up to," he said. "You know, Harrison Ford, Tom Hiddleston... I've seen him do it on [the] Loki set, where he really rallies everybody up to do the best work they can."
Love Hurts is directed by veteran stunt coordinator and first time feature filmmaker Jonathan Eusebio, and stars Quan as Marvin Gable, a successful estate agent with a past as a violent hitman – which comes back to haunt him when his former partner returns to the scene to inform him his violent brother is after him.
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Love Hurts is released in UK cinemas on Friday 7th February 2025.
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Authors
Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.