Indiana Jones: Short Round Actor Has Bad News About Dial of Destiny Cameo

The upcoming Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is set to be star Harrison Ford's last outing as the beloved archaeologist, and while actor Ke Huy Quan recently won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, we shouldn't expect to see his Short Round return for a cameo in the upcoming sequel. While Quan's appearance in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was his breakout role, he took a near-20-year respite from acting, so while his return to Hollywood was a triumphant one, it seems as though the minds behind Dial of Destiny didn't attempt to find a way to bring his character back. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is slated to land in theaters on June 30th.

"I want to say [yes], but no," Quan shared with Entertainment Tonight about whether he makes a cameo in the new film. "Here's the thing: I don't want t to disappoint the fans. I've joked about it all the time, but reuniting with Harrison after 38 years, that was very special."

Both Quan and Ford went viral last year when they appeared at the D23 Expo, marking one of their only reunions since filming Temple of Doom nearly 40 years ago. Additionally, Ford ultimately presented the award for Best Picture at this year's Academy Awards, which went to Everything Everywhere All at Once. In addition to that moment bringing together Quan and Ford on stage, Steven Spielberg was also in attendance at the event, with Spielberg having cast Quan all those years ago as a child.

"Of all the years, to have him present the Best Picture Award, at this year's Academy Awards, that was something. That will always be one of the most memorable nights of my life," the actor recalled. "And I can't wait to see him don the fedora again, and crack that whip one more time. I will be first in line to watch it."

Even if Short Round isn't appearing in the upcoming film, we can't rule out a continuation of the character in another medium, with Quan confirming his interest in bringing that character or his role from The Goonies back to life.

"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and The Goonies changed my life, they changed the trajectory of my life. I still can't believe, 38 years later, I still have people come up to me and tell me how their life has been impacted by those two movies. So I'm grateful to be a part of that," Quan shared with ComicBook.com last year when asked if he was interested in reprising these roles. "And yes, over the years, I always dreamed of revisiting those characters. In fact, we tried for many years, making a Goonies 2. We've hired numerous writers with numerous drafts, but it just never came to be. And so, even my return to acting, it was once, to me, a very, very distant dream. [Everything Everywhere All at Once directors] the Daniels made that distant dream into a reality today and I'm so grateful to them. So, yeah, I'd love to." 

He added, "I'm excited that we're going to get Indiana Jones 5. I love Harrison Ford very much, and I can't wait for him to don that fedora hat once again, and crack that whip another time. So yeah, I'm very happy."

Stay tuned for details on the future of the Indiana Jones franchise.

Would you like to see Short Round return? Let us know in the comments!