It all clicked after he arrived on set at Londons Pinewood Studios.
In some ways, O.B.
could also be observed as a Ke variant.
Ke Huy Quan in ‘Loki’ season 2.Gareth Gatrell
Gareth Gatrell
There are some parallels there, Quan says.
Quan revisits that pivotal moment and more below.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo have said they dont always understand their complicated Marvel lines.
Wunmi Mosaku, Owen Wilson, Tom Hiddleston, Eugene Cordero, and Ke Huy Quan in ‘Loki’ season 2.Gareth Gatrell
Youre tasked with some complex TVA terminology.
How much of it did you understand upon receiving the scripts?
KE HUY QUAN:I didn’t understand what they were.
Tom Hiddleston, Sophia Di Martino, Ke Huy Quan, Owen Wilson, and Eugene Cordero in ‘Loki’ season 2.Gareth Gatrell
Multiplier, the Temporal Loom I had no idea what it meant.
He was very collaborative and helpful.
Going into this, it was a little bit easier, but still challenging.
Ke Huy Quan and Tom Hiddleston in ‘Loki’ season 2.Gareth Gatrell
It was a lot of practice.
You shared a fun Easter egg aboutO.B.s belt being a callback to Datas belt.
Did you take anything from set?
So Ouroboros wrote the TVA guidebook, right?
When we were shooting, there were a lot of copies of that book on set.
Do you happen to have it?
He has this worried face and I couldn’t lie to him.
I asked him, can I keep it?
And he said, “No, you’re free to’t keep it.”
Because at the end of the day, they always count every single prop that they have on set.
Marvel was very strict about all the props.
So I was really disappointed.
They gave me a temp pad and also one of those tubes [from] Repairs & Advancement.
So I guess all it takes is to win an Oscar to get a prop from a Marvel project!
What are the chances of O.B.
popping up in future Marvel projects?
Have there been discussions?
I would love to see him.
I really don’t know.
That is a question for Mr. Kevin Feige himself.
And I remember him telling me, “Ke, we always give the fans what they want.”
Ive also observed parallels between O.B.
and you, Ke, and how, much like O.B.
was sidelined in the basement for decades, it took some time for you to feel seen in Hollywood.
Is that a fair assessment?
I certainly think I brought some of that into the character.
It’s something that I’ve been longing for for so long.
So certainly, I don’t think you’re wrong.
There are some parallels there.
Do you still possess that fear of not knowing what the next job will be?
How do you maintain that optimism in a space that still feels inhospitable to inclusivity?
I still worry sometimes, even though it’s been an incredible two years.
I’m still surprised by that.
But my parents have always taught me to never forget where you come from.
I spent a lot of my younger days worrying about what tomorrow will bring.
And that’s what happened to me.
So I try not to worry too much now.
I learned that from my wife, too.
If you could time-slip back to any point of your life, where would you go?
Do you remember what the audition was for?
There was no name for that character.
It was just a description, a Viet Cong.
I went and auditioned, and there were 30 other Asian actors fighting for this little role.
I went to USC film school, graduated, and started working behind the camera.
It just made me a much better person.
Had I not gone through those times, who knows what I would be like today?
Lokiis streaming on Disney+.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
