Actor Ke Huy Quan had a career resurgence when he starred in the Daniels’ Oscar-winning sci-fi comedy-drama Everything Everywhere All At Once. The actor received his first Oscar award for Best Supporting Actor for the role of Waymond, the forever optimistic husband of Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn. The film also won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress.
Huy Quan has since starred in multiple roles, while also making his MCU debut in the second season of the Disney Plus show Loki. The lovable actor has also reportedly joined the voice cast of the upcoming animated film Kung Fu Panda 4. He reportedly plays a villain in the four-quel, which the directors say suits him despite his sweet and charming personality.
Ke Huy Quan Plays A Villain In Kung Fu Panda 4
The iconic animated franchise Kung Fu Panda is set to make a return with its fourth entry. Releasing a good eight years after its previous installment, Kung Fu Panda 4 reportedly has many new voice talents joining the franchise, with series regulars also making a comeback.
While Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Ian McShane, and Bryan Cranston return to the franchise, new actors such as Ke Huy Quan, Viola Davis, and Awkwafina are the new entrants. One of the most exciting actors to join the cast is Everything Everywhere All At Once star Ke Huy Quan. The Academy Award winner reportedly plays the role of Han, a pangolin who is the leader of the Den of Thieves.
Ke Huy Quan plays one of the antagonists in the four-quel which also has previous villains Kai, Tai Lung, and Lord Shen featuring. Director Mike Mitchell mentioned in an interview with Collider how they only realized during the interviews that Huy Quan had such a contrasting personality to the villain in the film. He said,
“He plays against type, which is really interesting because right away you recognize his voice. You’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s Ke!’ But he’s playing kind of this evil guy, but he’s funny too…he’s got a great evil laugh.”
Producer Rebbecca Huntley also expressed her excitement about casting Huy Quan in the role and how ironic it was for him to play the role.
Ke Huy Quan Reportedly Has Bunnies As Sidekicks
The Kung Fu Panda series is known for its iconic villains, who are voiced by some of the greatest actors. The first film had John Wick star Ian McShane play the role of the snow leopard who wants to be the dragon warrior Tai Lung, and the second had Gary Oldman play Lord Shen, the legendary peacock who wants to conquer China.
JK Simmons played the role of the antagonist Kai in Kung Fu Panda 3 and the fourth film reportedly features all of them and then some. Viola Davis reportedly plays the role of the Chameleon, a fierce warrior who is capable of copying the moves of her opponent. Another villain in the film is Ke Huy Quan’s Han.
In an interview with Collider, Mike Mitchell mentioned that Ke Huy Quan not only voices a character that is against his type but also his character has a bunch of bunnies as his sidekicks. He said,
“He’s got a lot of sidekicks, but some of them are these three very cute bunnies that can become very dangerous at the same time. So, it kind of taps into our theme, I’m just only realizing doing these interviews now, is that things aren’t what they seem. Heroes are in the most unlikely places.”
The makers also compared the personality and talents of Ke Huy Quan to that of his sidekicks in the film, saying that though the bunnies may just look cute on the outside, they were ferocious warriors and serious threats.
