The movie Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will hit theaters on June 30, 2023. Once again James Mangold is back with an action and adventure-packed Indiana Jones movie. Many well-known actors returned in the previous film in the series, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but Short Round didn’t make a comeback.
Short Round is played by Ke Huy Quan. The 51-year-old actor surprised Harrison Ford at the Hollywood premiere of the upcoming movie. On the day of the premiere, the Passenger actor was asked many questions about if he would like to return as Short Round.
Director James Mangold explains why Short Round couldn’t return to the big screen
Except for Short Round, numerous well-known characters made appearances in the preceding Indian Jones film series. James Mangold has an explanation for the fans who adored Ke Huy Quan as Short Round. According to Mangold who is the writer and director of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Short Round’s character couldn’t fit in the story. When the 59-year-old filmmaker was asked about Oscar-winning actor’s characters, he said,
“We looked at all these different things, but the first thing we were trying to do was assemble a story that made sense in the present, meaning in the 1969 section of the movie. If you notice… the only person we follow through the whole way is Indy himself. Joined by Helena Shaw, played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge, I felt like we needed to have a female lead who challenged him. But we looked at all these different things and tried to figure out how they would work. I just didn’t want another adult along for the ride.”
Quan, who won an Oscar for best-supporting actor for the film Everything Everywhere All at Once, garnered a lot of appreciation from Logan movie director. Mangold said he is happy about how Quan found a project to display both his acting and martial arts talent.
Ke Huy Quan says he loves acting because of Harrison Ford
One of the best moments captured during the Hollywood premiere of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was when Quan surprised Harrison Ford on the red carpet. The Red Pirate actor was 12 years old reportedly when he was cast as Short Round in the movie Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Quan has always shown he has great admiration and respect for the 80-year-old actor. While talking about how Ford shaped his acting career, the Second Time Around actor said,
“Honestly, every time I see him — he’s such a gracious man, such a humble man. And the reason why I love acting so much is because of him, because of that experience that we had on Temple of Doom.”
Indy and Short Round reunion at the #IndianaJones and the Dial of Destiny red carpet. 🫶 pic.twitter.com/JpDmBERDc1
— Disney (@Disney) June 15, 2023
Quan also recalled during a recent interview that on the day of the premiere, as he approached Ford to greet him, he was nervous and worried that the Blade Runner actor wouldn’t recognize him. But, when Ford saw the 51-year-old actor he immediately asked Quan if he was Short Round and hugged him tight.
Source: Screen Rant; Kiro 7
