Ke Huy Quan becomes first Asian actor to win SAG best supporting actor prize

Everything Everywhere All At Once star Ke Huy Quan has become the first Asian actor to win the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award for best male actor in a supporting role.

The actor hailed the increasing diversity within the entertainment industry, as he collected the accolade at the ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Quan, who has stormed the 2023 awards season so far with his performance, beat Irish stars Brendan Gleeson and Barry Keoghan in the category.

He appears alongside Michelle Yeoh, Stephanie Hsu and Jamie Lee Curtis in the sci-fi thriller, which sees a family torn apart by an interdimensional rift.

Acknowledging his achievement in his acceptance speech he said: “I quickly realised that this moment no longer belongs to me.

“It also belongs to everyone who has asked for change.

“The landscape looked so different now than before. So, thank you so much to all of you in this room and everyone who contributed to these changes.”

Finishing his remarks, he added: “To all those at home who are watching and struggling and waiting to be seen. Please keep on going, because the spotlight will one day find you.

“Thank you everyone for rooting for me. I will be rooting for you.”

Quan is only the second Asian actor to win any individual SAG prize in either film or television, one year after Squid Game’s Lee Jung-Jae won the prize for male actor in a drama series.

This year he also won a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award (CCA) for his performance – and is nominated for best supporting actor at the Oscars next month.

During an emotional speech last month at the CCA, he said he had been shown “so much kindness” since his return to mainstream acting.

Addressing critics and journalists, he added: “I was bracing for a very different reaction.

“But because of your generosity, I was welcomed back with so much positivity.

“You’ve not only helped audiences find our little movie, but you’ve also helped audiences to remember who I am. And for that I am so, so grateful to you.”

As a child Quan starred in several blockbuster films including the Indiana Jones franchise alongside Harrison Ford, and The Goonies.