Ke Huy Quan breaks down in tears after giving a powerful Golden Globes speech about redemption

Ke Huy Quan won the award for best-supporting actor at the Golden Globes and gave a stirring speech on passion, perseverance, and hope. The actor was recognized for his performance in "Everything, Everywhere, All at Once." Quan spoke about his breakout role in Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and his acting trajectory since. He began his acceptance speech by reflecting on his journey up to that point. "Thank you, thank you so much," he said. "I was raised to never forget where I came from and to always remember who gave me my first opportunity. I am so happy to see Steven Spielberg here tonight," he said, paying tribute to the director who launched him. "Steven, thank you," Quan said, reported TODAY.

"When I started my career as a child actor in 'Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom,” I felt so very lucky to have been chosen," said Quan. He said that being a child star harmed his confidence. "As I grew older, I started to wonder if that was it. If that was just luck. For so many years, I was afraid I had nothing more to offer. No matter what I did, I would never surpass what I achieved as a kid," he explained. "Thankfully, more than 30 years later, two guys thought of me. They remembered that kid, and they gave me an opportunity to try again. Everything that has happened since has been unbelievable."

"Dan Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, thank you so, so much for helping me find my answer," Quan said. "You have given me more than I could have ever hoped." Quan also expressed gratitude to his wife. "And last but not least, I want to thank the most important person in my life, the one person that has never stopped believing in me, my wife. I love you with all my heart." This isn't the first time Quan has made news for his solemn award speeches. He received best-supporting actor at the Gotham Independent Film Awards in November. "This time last year, all I was hoping for was just a job, he said in his heartfelt acceptance speech. "And just when I think that it can’t get any better, it does. What an incredible honor."

In 1984's "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," Quan portrayed Indiana Jones' sidekick "Short Round," and he later appeared in "The Goonies" in 1985. However, following those jobs, his acting opportunities stalled. "I love acting and I couldn't get a job. Hollywood didn't want me. There were no roles for me so I spent the majority of my time in my late teens and early 20s just waiting for the phone to ring and it rarely rang," Quan told The Hollywood Reporter on January 9. "I had no choice but to step away and the difficult part was to say goodbye to the dream that I always wanted but it was just difficult to be an Asian actor at that time."

Backstage, Quan explained that after finishing "Everywhere," he was always out on auditions, but he "could not land a single job, and I was so worried that maybe I'm not good at this", reports USA Today. "First of all, no I’m not Tom Cruise, I’m not Brad Pitt. I’m not Leonardo DiCaprio," he said. "But hey, I just won a Golden Globe!" Quan expressed appreciation not just for re-entering the acting world in a huge way, but also for doing so at a time when Hollywood is more focused on diversity than ever. "Moving forward, I really want to play all kinds of roles. That was not available to me when I was much, much younger," he said. "I'm grateful the landscape has changed, there’s a lot more progress now. I just want to keep an open mind and see what’s out there."