Ke Huy Quan's former Goonies costar inked the deal for him to star in Everything Everywhere All at Once

  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Do the truffle shuffle! Jeff Cohen inked the deal for his former Goonies costar Ke Huy Quan to star in the acclaimed multiverse epic Everything Everywhere All at Once.

Cohen, who played Chunk opposite Quan's Data in the beloved 1985 film, left acting in the 1990s and has since become an entertainment lawyer to the stars, including his former costar. Quan revealed that it was Cohen who represented him for the role of Waymond Wang — his first major role in some 20 years, one that has generated much awards buzz this season.

"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 and Data for his movie," Quan told fellow stars Austin Butler, Colin Farrell, Brendan Fraser, Jeremy Pope, and Adam Sandler in The Hollywood Reporter's Actor Roundtable. When Sandler asked, "Chunk get you a good deal, by the way?," Quan called Cohen an "outstanding lawyer."

Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Moviestore/Shutterstock (1623505a) The Goonies, Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Ke Huy Quan, Jeff Cohen Film and Television
Editorial use only. No book cover usage. Mandatory Credit: Photo by Moviestore/Shutterstock (1623505a) The Goonies, Sean Astin, Corey Feldman, Ke Huy Quan, Jeff Cohen Film and Television

Moviestore/Shutterstock Ke Huy Quan and Jeff Cohen in 'The Goonies'

Quan also revealed that a meme of 2020 Democratic Party presidential primary candidate Andrew Yang is what put him back on the radar of EEAAO directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known together as the Daniels. The meme in question, shared on Facebook, read, "Short Round is all grown up and he's running for president,"  which "triggered them to go, 'Oh, I wonder what Ke is doing,'" Quan said.

"They started doing the calculation, 'Oh, he's about the same age as this character,'" he said. "It was at the same time that I called up an agent friend of mine. I didn't have an agent for decades, so I was practically begging him to represent me, and he said yes."

Quan stepped away from acting in the '90s after struggling to find work as a young adult. He then attended film school and began a career behind the camera. Quan told EW in last year's EEAAO digital cover story that it wasn't until the release of 2018's Crazy Rich Asians, which starred his EEAAO costar Michelle Yeoh, that he began to mull a return.

"Opportunities for Asian actors at that time were just few and far between," he said. With the success of Crazy Rich Asians, "I called a friend who is an agent, and I said, 'Hey would you like to rep me?' and this is decades without an agent," Quan recalled. "Two weeks later, I got this call about this project that's written and directed by the Daniels and stars Michelle Yeoh. I was like, oh my God! I mean, Michelle is the reason why I'm even thinking about getting back into acting in the first place."

Kwan added of Quan, "He was the first person we auditioned for the role, and he became instantly our favorite. Because he is Waymond, he's a sweetheart who is just full of joy, who just wants to play, who just wants to welcome you into that energy. That's the person we imagined when we were writing this role."

Want more movie news? Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free newsletter to get the latest trailers, celebrity interviews, film reviews, and more.

Related content: