WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for 2025’s Love Hurts.Actor Ke Huy Quan has continued his Hollywood resurgence with his leading role inLove Hurts. This action-packed rom-com depicts Quan as Marvin Gable, a realtor and former hitman who must fight for his life when his dark past catches up with him. While Quan and Ariana DeBose’scharacters inLove Hurtsare the focal point of the story, the film features a noteworthy reunion betweenQuan andThe Gooniesco-star Sean Astin, who plays Marvin’s manager, Cliff.
Marvin and Cliff have only one scene together in2025’sLove Hurts. However,the film features a clever reference to how Quan won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actorfor his performance as Waymond Wang inEverything Everywhere All At Once. The movie’s reference to Quan’s Oscar win is especially heartwarming due to his journey to stardom, as well as his history of working with Astin in Hollywood.
Marvin Winning An Award Cleverly Represents Ke Huy Quan’s Oscar Win For Everything Everywhere All At Once
Marvin & Quan’s Awards Represent The Progress They’ve Both Made
In the first act ofLove Hurts, just after Mustafa Shakir’s Raven attacks him, Marvin gets another surprise visit from Cliff at his office. There,Cliff awards Marvin the Realtor of the Year Award, with the latter taking pride in the progress he’s made with his humble, more fulfilling life away from crime. The moment is bittersweet, given that Marvin is trying to go into hiding now that his mobster brother Knuckles (Daniel Wu) is after him. Nevertheless, this award carries plenty of meaning as it perhaps symbolizes his recent win at the Oscars.
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After a long disappearance from the limelight and many years working as a stunt choreographer, Quan made a stellar comeback as an actor with his Oscar-winning performance inEverything Everywhere All At Once. Since his victory, Quan hasn’t just gotten a lead role inLove Hurts, but also in high-profile projects such asLoki,Kung Fu Panda 4,American Born Chinese,The Electric State, andZootopia 2. Just as Marvin found a new life as an award-winning realtor inLove Hurts, so too did Quan as an Oscar-winning Hollywood actor.
Sean Astin’s Involvement In Love Hurts Makes The Ke Huy Quan Recognition Even Better
Astin Gets To See How Far His Friend Has Come In Love Hurts
Sean Astin’s appearance alongside Ke Huy Quan is especially meaningful,given that they worked together as actors in 1985’sThe Gooniesand 1992’sEncino Man. While Quan had few acting roles in the years since then, Astin achieved greater success with projects such asRudy, theLord of the Ringsfilm trilogy, andStranger Things. Though Quan’s acting career stagnated for almost 20 years, he finally caught up with Astin by becoming an Oscar-winning actor and getting his first lead action role inLove Hurts.
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Astin’s reunion with Quan inLove Hurtsis even more touching when Cliff says to Marvin: “You’ve come a long way. I’m proud of you.” With this bit of dialogue,Astin is also expressing his pride and happiness for Quan for all he’s achievedsince their days working together as child actors, having won an Academy Award and become a favorite Hollywood star. It brings greater emotion to this scene, as it shows the bond of friends both real and fictional as they celebrate one’s outstanding achievement.
Quan’s long road from a child actor to an Oscar-winning action hero is effectively captured in Marvin receiving his realtor award in the film.
