LOS ANGELES — Hearing his name announced at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday was "a really special moment" for newly minted Oscar winner Ke Huy Quan — who was advised toward the beginning of his career to change his name.
After winning the Oscar for best supporting actor, a triumphant Quan stopped by the press room adjacent to the Dolby Theatre and recalled his manager once encouraging him to adopt a stage name. The "Everything Everywhere All at Once" star was credited as "Jonathan Quan" or "Jonathan Ke Quan" in some of his early films, such as "Breathing Fire" and "Encino Man."
"When I started as a kid, it was my real name, Ke Huy Quan, and then I remember, when it got really tough, my manager told me that, 'Maybe it will be easier if you were to have an American-sounding name,'" Quan told reporters in the press room.
