Ke Huy Quan 'teared up' when Demi Moore won her first Golden Globe: 'I know what that was like'

Ke Huy Quan was deeply moved by Demi Moore’s first Golden Globes win at this year’s ceremony.

Moore, an industry staple since the early 1980s, picked up her first major acting award for The Substance last month, delivering an empowering speech about the value of knowing one’s worth in a business that often overlooks women. Speaking with Entertainment Weekly about his new action rom-com Love Hurts alongside costar Ariana DeBose, Quan gets emotional when asked about favorite moments from this year’s ceremony, where he and fellow Globes winner DeBose presented for Best Supporting Actor.

Related: Demi Moore shares morning after reaction to Golden Globes win: 'F--- yeah!'

"For me, when Demi Moore won," says Quan, his voice cracking, "I teared up. When she said she's never won anything, that was something. It just broke me because I know what that was like. I was just so happy for her, and I had tears coming down my cheeks."

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Indeed, both Quan and Moore share a relatively similar history of being overlooked in Hollywood. The actor, who broke out as a child star in the '80s as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Data in The Goonies, stepped away from acting in his 20s and forayed into working behind the camera when he struggled to find substantial roles.

"Opportunities for Asian actors at that time were just few and far between," Quan told EW in 2022. But the success of Crazy Rich Asians emboldened his big comeback, which came opposite none other than Crazy Rich Asians star Michelle Yeoh in the acclaimed Everything Everywhere All At Once.

After decades in the industry, Quan won his first Academy Award and Golden Globe for the role in 2023. At the Oscars, DeBose — who scored her first win the year prior for her turn as Anita in the West Side Story remake — presented Quan with the statuette. It was also an emotional moment for DeBose, whose voice memorably cracked upon reading Quan's name aloud. Why was she so emotional in that moment?

Related: Ariana DeBose got injured 'every day' filming action rom-com Love Hurts: 'It comes with the territory'

“I had watched this one through his entire awards season, with all of his very genuine positivity, his hope, his presence — he was so present with everyone that he came across and that really stuck with me," DeBose explains to EW. "I was just rooting for him. I was like, this person is so deserving. I'm so glad he's going to have his moment free of controversy. I couldn't help but be emotional. When you work that hard, when you have walked through not just this industry but the world facing every challenge —  that moment should have been free of everything [except] joy, and he got that. That's what got me."

"This is the first time I’m hearing this," Quan says to his costar. "That’s so beautiful. Thank you."

"You are a beautiful human and deserve all the good things in the world," DeBose adds. "I’m very proud of you."

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly