An Evening with Ke Huy Quan

Schedule

Tue Sep 22 2026 at 08:00 pm to 09:15 pm

UTC-07:00
Location

Bezdek Center for the Performing Arts at Cross Roads School | Santa Monica, CA

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An Evening with Ke Huy Quan discussing his memoir, "Never Say Die"
About this Event

Please note:

-- Tickets cannot be re-sold on re-seller platforms. Re-sold ticket will not be honored.

-- Tickets are non refundable and are not transferable.

-- All ticket holders should be ready to show ID at the event.

-- The name(s) you provide during registration will be on a will-call list at the event, where you will check-in and get your ticket to enter the theatre.

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Join us for an in-person and virtual* Live Talks Los Angeles event:


Tuesday, September 22, 2025, 8pm

*Virtual event airs on September 29 at 6pm PT/9pm ET



An Evening with Ke Huy Quan

discussing his memoir, "TNever Say Die"


TICKETS:

  • $50 General Admission ticket + signed book
  • $60 Reserved Section seat + signed book
  • Additional signed books available for purchase at event
  • The virtual version of this event airs on September 29, 2025, at 6pm PT/9PM ET and is available on video-on-demand for five days. Tickets include a signed book.
  • Tickets for the virtual event can be purchased here (includes the signed book).
  • ASL interpreter provided upon request.
  • Free parking at the venue

The Oscar-winning star of Everything Everywhere All at Once, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and The Goonies tells the story of his journey from Vietnamese refugee to 80s child star to the most inspiring comeback in Hollywood history.

Ke Huy Quan is an Oscar-winning actor who immigrated to the United States as a child and grew up in Los Angeles. Discovered at an open casting call with no acting experience, he was cast at age 12 as Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, followed by his role as Data in the beloved adventure classic, Goonies. As opportunities became limited, he stepped away from acting to study at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, graduating in 1999, and later worked behind the scenes as an action choreographer and assistant director. After more than two decades away from acting, he returned to the screen in Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert’s Academy Award–winning Everything Everywhere All At Once, earning widespread acclaim along with the Academy Award, Golden Globe, and SAG Award for Best Supporting Actor. He has since appeared in Season 2 of the Disney+ series Loki, starred in Universal’s Love Hurts, and voiced Gary De’ Snake in Disney's animated film Zootopia 2.

“A monumental work of self-discovery and the power and grace of communal survival. Quan's voice is crystalline and luminous, and his Odyssean journey to the screen is, in itself, a triumph of storytelling.” –Ocean Vuong
Ke Huy Quan’s Hollywood adventure began when he was twelve years old, a mere five years after his family escaped Communist Northern Vietnam and settled down to a relatively peaceful life in L.A.’s Chinatown. After attending an open call audition on a whim, he was unexpectedly swept up in the wild world of filmmaking: learning to swim from Harrison Ford on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, receiving trucks full of toys from Steven Spielberg and George Lucas for his birthday, meeting Princess Leia and Luke Skywalker, and making lifelong friends on the set of The Goonies.
A star of two of the most beloved movies of the ‘80s, there appeared to be no limit to Ke’s rise. But just a few years later, the roles had dried up and it seemed like Hollywood no longer had a place for him. He eventually left acting to work odd jobs behind the scenes for directors like Wong Kar Wai. His confidence was badly shaken, but his love of performing never abated. It wasn’t until decades later, when he was 49 years old, that he stepped back in front of the camera to star in a strange little indie film called Everything Everywhere All at Once, which surprised everyone with its incredible box-office and awards season success. To call Ke’s Oscar-winning performance a triumphant return would be an understatement.
In this moving, inspirational memoir, Ke paints a vivid self-portrait, telling both heart-wrenching and funny stories of his early rise, slow fall from the spotlight, the resilience that kept him going through his darkest times, and his eventual resurrection on one of the biggest stages in Hollywood. Never Say Die is the story of Ke’s extraordinary life, a love letter to the movies and people that shaped him, and a powerful testament to never giving up on your dreams.


Event Photos
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Where is it happening?

Bezdek Center for the Performing Arts at Cross Roads School, 1736 22nd Street, Santa Monica, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 56.05 to USD 67.07

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