'Indiana Jones' star Ke Huy Quan waited 'more than 30 years' for 'Everything Everywhere' role

NEW YORK – The greatest comeback story of this awards season belongs to Ke Huy Quan. 

The former child actor is back in the spotlight nearly 40 years after he shot to fame as Short Round in 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and Richard "Data" Wang in 1985's "The Goonies." 

Now, he's an Oscar contender for his endearing turn in "Everything Everywhere All at Once," playing a devoted, fanny pack-wielding laundromat owner named Waymond. Quan, 51, picked up a best supporting actor trophy for his performance at Wednesday's New York Film Critics Circle Awards. 

Here's a rundown of the night:

Quan thanks 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' directors with heartfelt speech

After appearing in the ABC sitcom "Head of the Class" in the early ’90s, Quan says he struggled to get work. That all changed when he auditioned for the genre-bending adventure "Everything Everywhere," which co-stars Michelle Yeoh and Jamie Lee Curtis. 

"I promised my wife I'm not going to cry tonight," Quan said in his acceptance speech Wednesday. "But I remember the day when I got the call from my agent and he said that I got the role of Waymond. I remember screaming so loud and was overwhelmed with emotions. It was one of the happiest days of my life because it was a role that I waited for for a long, long time." 

He went on to thank the film's writer-director duo, Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, for reminding him why he loves acting. 

"As I was walking down the red carpet, a reporter asked me, 'How does it feel?' " Quan said. "I couldn't quite articulate how I was feeling, aside from saying, 'It feels incredible.' And I realized I couldn't explain because it was a feeling I hadn’t had for a long, long time. In fact, it was more than 30 years. And it was the same feeling that I had when I was a kid, when I was a working actor.

"So I just wanted to give a huge shoutout to Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and our producer, Jonathan Wang, for making me feel like a kid again." 

'Everything Everywhere All at Once':Michelle Yeoh reveals she wants, but doesn't need, an Oscar

'Nope' star Keke Palmer chokes up about acting 

Palmer, 29, similarly got emotional about her craft when she took the stage to accept the award for best supporting actress for the sci-fi Western "Nope." The former child actress broke out in 2006's "Akeelah and the Bee," and quickly found success as a singer, producer, TV host, and social-media star as well. 

"I've been performing all my life. It's really all I've ever known," Palmer said, sparkling in a silver gown. "My parents introduced me to performing as a vessel to express myself. Sometimes I feel insane for how (apparent) my emotions are. But this craft has never judged me." 

Palmer ended her speech by thanking Peele and the New York film critics for the "esteemed" award. 

"And I'm thankful to acting," she said through tears, "for another great memory that we get to have together." 

'I'm pregnant!':Keke Palmer makes big announcement while hosting 'SNL'

Stephen Colbert gets huge laughs with Cate Blanchett tribute to 'Tár' 

Fifteen awards were handed out over the course of roughly three hours at TAO Downtown Wednesday, where Talking Heads frontman David Byrne made a surprise appearance to present best nonfiction film to Laura Poitras' "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed." Martin Scorsese also appeared virtually to fete "Tár," which picked up best film and best actress (Cate Blanchett). 

"Late Show" host Stephen Colbert stopped by to honor Blanchett for her "virtuoso" performance as Lydia Tár, an exacting conductor facing misconduct allegations and time itself. A "Lord of the Rings" super fan, Colbert couldn't resist the opportunity to crack a joke about Galadriel, Blanchett's elven character in the fantasy movie trilogy. 

"I was truly moved by your performance as a magnetic, larger-than-life, creative woman; a leader at the height of her powers; intensely, feverishly focused on defeating the Dark Lord Sauron," Colbert said to raucous laughter. "But this performance is even better than that. And I think we could both agree that Lydia Tár would take that ring." 

Since "Tár" was released last fall, the character of Lydia has taken on a life of her own online, inspiring a wellspring of memes, puns, fashion blogs, and fan theories. Todd Field, who wrote and directed the drama, is tickled by the attention. 

"You can never predict something like that. It's a phenomenon; it's unbelievable," Field told USA TODAY on the red carpet. "I mean, the various levels of engagement are something I couldn't have possibly imagined. Everybody involved with the film sends these things back and forth to each other – you have to smile." 

Interview:Cate Blanchett says 'Tár' is her 'hardest film' to talk about

2023 New York Film Critics Circle Awards full winners list 

Best film: "Tár"

Best director: S. S. Rajamouli, "RRR"

Best actor: Colin Farrell, "After Yang" and "The Banshees of Inisherin"

Best actress: Cate Blanchett, "Tár"

Best screenplay: Martin McDonagh, "The Banshees of Inisherin"

Best supporting actor: Ke Huy Quan, "Everything Everywhere All At Once"

Best supporting actress: Keke Palmer, "Nope"

Best animated feature: "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On"

Best cinematography: Claudio Miranda, "Top Gun: Maverick"

Best first film: "Aftersun"

Best foreign language film: "Eo"

Best nonfiction film: "All the Beauty and the Bloodshed"

Special awards: Jake Perlin, dGenerate Films and Jafar Panahi