Actor Ke Huy Quan is finally front and center after almost four decades in the entertainment industry, a few blockbuster hits and an Oscar under his belt.

Quan stars as real estate agent Marvin Gable in the action-comedy film “Love Hurts,” which debuted in theaters Friday. It’s the first leading role for Quan, who returned to acting after a near 20-year hiatus for his Academy Award-winning performance in the 2022 film “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” It’s new territory for him, but he says he’s approaching it all with a sense of humility, taking cues from some seasoned pros. 

“I had the good fortune of working with wonderful people, like Harrison Ford or Tom Hiddleston, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michelle Yeoh. They’ve all been No. 1 on the call sheet before,” Quan told NBC News. ”I just see how they carry themselves and how they treat the entire cast and crew and making everyone feel welcome … so I put that pressure on myself. I feel the responsibility.” 

In the new movie, Quan’s character, Marvin, is a seemingly wholesome real estate agent in Milwaukee, who gets ripped from his peaceful life of sales and open house showings. He’s thrown back into his assassin past when Rose, his vengeful former partner-in-crime, played by Ariana DeBose, re-emerges. Marvin previously worked for his brother and mob boss Knuckles, played by Daniel Wu, and years ago was ordered to kill Rose for stealing from the operation. But his love for her kept him from following through. With Rose on the scene once again, chaos unfolds and Knuckles attempts to hunt Marvin down. 

For Quan, the role is very much part of what he called the second era of his Hollywood career. The first took place almost 40 years ago as he played major roles in 1980s classics like “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies.” While acting opportunities cooled for him after that, he opted to work behind the camera as a stunt choreographer and assistant director, often abroad. He said he hopes this new stage in his career can be seen as an example of perseverance by other Asian Americans like him. 

“To have this incredible second opportunity to meet [fans] on the streets, and when I meet them in person, they share how inspirational this time around is — it gives them a lot of hope,” Quan said. 

Quan’s character in the film may have some lethal martial arts moves, but many of his other softer personality traits he adopts for the part are a departure from the typical  male roles in action movies. With this, he said, he’s trying to show a much broader definition of masculinity. And it all started with his “Everything Everywhere” character, Waymond, the doting husband, and the film’s directing duo known as The Daniels.  

“Masculinity is, for so many years, measured by how many guys you can beat up, how many weights you can lift,” Quan said, referring to iconic action stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone as prime examples. “I think the Daniels are geniuses to shine a new light on that … [Masculinity] can be defined by how kind he is and how much love he has for other people.” 

Much of his own interpretation of masculinity has been informed by his father, he said, a refugee from Vietnam who sought to bring Quan and his siblings to safety. 

“I look at my own father, who has given up everything he has to get his entire family here, immigrating to the United States, and never asking for anything in return,” Quan said of his late father. “My dad is a hero, and I think he’s very manly to do that.” 

Now at the center of an action movie that heavily revolves around a forbidden romance, Quan has also been reflecting on the great love of his life, his wife, Echo. He said that their own love story began more than two decades ago, one fateful day in Shanghai while working with acclaimed Hong Kong film director Wong Kar-wai. 

“I walked in the office, and there were a lot of people, but my eyes immediately darted to her,” he said. ”She had long hair, she had big eyes, and a big, beautiful smile, and she was just full of energy. And immediately I knew that she was someone very special. I always think that the day I walked into the office and met her was my lucky day.” 

Their first date was dinner and a movie, Quan said, a tradition that they’ve kept up over the years, he said. And with his own movie out just ahead of Valentine’s Day, he said it’s the perfect time to reflect on their relationship. 

“It’s a day where you show the people that you care about how much you love them,” he said. “That immediately makes me think of Echo.”