Ke Huy Quan discusses refugee identity and career in new memoir

Actor Ke Huy Quan is discussing his personal history and career struggles in his new memoir, ‘Never Say Die’. The book explores his journey from being a child star in the 1980s to his recent Academy Award-winning comeback in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’.

Quan reflects on his identity as a refugee, noting that his family fled South Vietnam in 1978, spent time in a Hong Kong refugee camp, and eventually settled in Los Angeles. He shared that while he previously felt shame or stigma regarding his refugee status and faced prejudice, he now embraces the label proudly as a testament to his parents' sacrifices.

The memoir also addresses the difficulties of his career, including years of rejection that nearly led him to abandon acting. Quan described the writing process as one of the most challenging experiences of his life, as it required confronting childhood trauma and the emotional weight of his past.