Everything Everywhere All At Once Has Another Wild Goonies Connection
The Goonies star Ke Huy Quan called upon his old co-star, Jeff "Chunk" Cohen, to help negotiate the deal to star in Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Everything Everywhere All at Once is one of the most beloved films of 2022 for a multitude of reasons (including hilarious and profound performances from Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis), but one of the greatest joys of watching this maximalist masterpiece is witnessing the return of The Goonies actor Ke Huy Quan. The actor, who portrayed Data in Richard Donner’s 1985 classic, had not been to an audition for more than 25 years when he arrived to put his hat in the ring for the new Daniels film. But Ke Huy Quan got the part, and he said in a roundtable event for The Hollywood Reporter that when it came time to negotiate his deal for Everything Everywhere All at Once, he turned to his Goonies co-star turned entertainment lawyer, Jeff Cohen.
“Jeff Cohen, who was in The Goonies with me — he was Chunk — is all grown now and he’s an entertainment lawyer, so he’s my entertainment lawyer,” Quan told the acting cohort. “When the producer of our movie was trying to make my deal, he said he never imagined that he’d have to talk to Chunk to get Data to be in his movie.” Adam Sandler then asked if Chunk got Ke Huy Quan a good deal, to which the Goonies star said, “Jeff is an outstanding lawyer.”
“Jeff Cohen, who was in The Goonies with me — he was Chunk — is all grown now and he’s an entertainment lawyer, so he’s my entertainment lawyer, when the producer of our movie was trying to make my deal, he said he never imagined that he’d have to talk to Chunk to get Data to be in his movie.”
Ke Huy Quan on getting assistance from his The Goonies co-star
It’s a good thing, because Ke Huy Quan has become an in-demand performer once again thanks to Everything Everywhere All at Once. The actor, who began his career with Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, will take on a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe during the upcoming second season of Loki, and will lend his voice to the Russo Brothers’ upcoming film The Electric State. Ke Huy Quan has come a long way since The Goonies, but his return to acting was not an easy feat.
Directing duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, collectively known as Daniels, pushed their signature eclecticism to new heights with Everything Everywhere All at Once, and the demanding role they offered to Ke Huy Quan was a far cry from the actor’s Goonies days. Quan said during the roundtable that nerves led him to hire coaches for acting, dialogue, voice, and movement in order to refine the three different versions of himself he would play in the film. Quan’s intensive process paid off, as the actor earned a Golden Globe for his performance and is in the conversation to take home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
During his Golden Globe acceptance speech, Ke Huy Quan thanked Goonies producer Steven Spielberg for giving him his first role back in 1984’s Temple of Doom. Daniels were up against Spielberg in the Best Director category at the Golden Globes, but weren’t able to beat The Fabelmans helmer for the statue. Before Everything Everywhere All at Once, Daniels were best know for their 2016 film Swiss Army Man, starring Daniel Radcliffe and Paul Dano, and their no holds barred music video for DJ Snake and Lil Jon’s Turn Down For What; their next project is a TV series titled Mason.
Ke Huy Quan has been a beloved performer for generations, with Temple of Doom and The Goonies living on as bonafide classics through the decades. Though Quan left the acting world because he was not getting offers for the parts he truly wanted to play, he has reentered the world of filmmaking in a new era, and his epic comeback is shaping up to continue in exciting ways. And for a duo like Chunk and Data, it feels as though anything is possible.
