Quan began by praising his mother, who he said was watching from home, after entering the stage and kissing his golden statuette.
“Mom, I just won an Oscar!” he said.
He then referenced his past, saying that his “journey started on a boat” before spending “a year in a refugee camp.”
“Somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood’s biggest stage,” he said. “I cannot believe this is happening to me. This is the American dream.”
Quan expressed gratitude to his mother for her “sacrifices” in bringing him to this point. David, his younger brother, “calls me every day simply to remind me to take care of myself,” he added.
In the 1980s, the actor made his debut as a young child performer in “Goonies” and “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” He then took a break from acting. He honored his wife on stage, saying, “She promised me that one day my time will come month after month, year after year for 20 years.”
“Dreams are something you have to believe in. I almost gave up on mine,” he said. “To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive.”
He added to the room, full of his peers: “Thank you so much for welcoming me back.”
“Everything Everywhere All at Once,” directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, is the most nominated film of the evening.
