By [With 2022 all wrapped up and we’ve had time to let the previous year sink in, it’s time for our fifth annual Golden Cages Awards! Over the next two weeks, the staff at Flixist will be announcing the winners in sixteen different categories that range from all different genres and categories before ultimately revealing what our best film of 2022 was. So sit back, relax, and come join us as we take one final look at 2022 and see the notable movies the year had to offer.]
It’s true, 2022 was the year of the comeback kid. There was the #Brenaissance: Brendan Fraser’s return to the silver screen with 2022’s The Whale (which we’ll get to in the Golden Cages). But just as important and touching to witness was Ke Huy Quan’s first blockbuster film appearance in over two decades in the Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All At Once, where Quan plays Waymond Wang.
Quan got his start as a child actor, starring in The Goonies and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. As he got older he struggled to find work in the film industry, likely due to a lack of diversity in Hollywood. While he would wind up doing some action direction on X-Men and even assistant-directed Wong Kar Wai’s 2046, 2022 was his year to truly shine. He teamed up with the Daniels to work on Everything Everywhere All At Once and has received endless amounts of love and support for his beautiful portrayal as the endearingly goofy Waymond.
Waymond is probably my favorite character of 2022, and Quan’s acting is definitely what makes him shine so brightly. Ke Huy Quan’s Waymond loves so much, and it’s this love that guides Michelle Yeoh’s Evelyn (Waymond’s wife) to save the multiverse. I mean, the laundry and taxes line alone brings me to tears every time. And Waymond is also such a good person, he’s a patient father and husband and wants the very best for his family.
Luckily, it doesn’t seem like Ke Huy Quan is going anywhere after this year. He is already lined up for the next season of Loki, along with other film and television roles –including one that reunites him with both Yeoh and Stephanie Hsu-. While the Golden Cages nominees for Best Supporting Actor were good, none of them could hold a candle against Ke Huy Quan and Waymond Wang.
