Loki‘s second season may have continued the quest of Tom Hiddleston‘s titular God of Mischief as he tries to put fraying timelines back in order, but it was the introduction of TVA Repairs & Advancements Department head O.B. (Ke Huy Quan), a.k.a. Ouroboros, that stole the show.
Quan stepped into the new character with the kind of enthusiasm he approaches pretty much anything else in life and it shines through his performance, which became an instant fan favorite. Below, the Oscar-winning actor opens up about fan reactions to O.B., the pressure of keeping Marvel secrets, and whether or not he’ll be back on screen in the MCU anytime soon.
Now that Loki Season 2 has been over for a while, what has it been like getting to see fan reactions to your character O.B., a.k.a. Ouroboros?
Ke Huy Quan: When it was all done, I was so excited and so proud of the show and I couldn’t wait to tell the world about it. And of course, we had to strike and I couldn’t say anything when it aired on Disney+. But knowing that it became one of the most watched shows on Disney+ and all the wonderful fan reactions felt really amazing. It felt good, like all the hard work that we put into it was worthwhile. And honestly, I had the most amazing time on the show. This was Season 2, so I was the new kid on the block and I didn’t know how that would work out because everyone — Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophia Di Martino, Eugene Cordero, the entire cast—they’ve done this already. So I was a little nervous going in, but Tom and everybody welcomed me with wide open arms and I couldn’t be more happy.
(Credit: Gareth Gatrell/© 2023 MARVEL)
Was it tough keeping secrets when you found out about your role?
When I first got the call from Kevin Feige when he invited me to join the MCU family, I was so excited. But as it is, with all Marvel projects, we have to keep it a secret, and that was really hard to keep that big news from my family. And I have a big family and they’re all big, crazy MCU fans, so keeping that part away from them for the entire duration of the shoot and before it came out was really difficult. I was just so excited because I have been a fan for a long time, and for me as an audience and also as an actor, I love great character pieces.
I think [Loki] has one of the most amazing character arcs in cinema history. And I’m talking about Loki, the character, to see him go from this selfish villain who wants nothing but to be on the throne for his own purpose regardless of what he does to the world to what he did at the end of Episode 6 was really a bittersweet moment, but it was also one of the greatest sacrifices that I have seen on screen. And it was just beautiful to watch and to be on set and witness what Tom Hiddleston brings to this character.
What was it like working on the TVA Repairs & Advancements Department set? Was it mostly practical, and did that help with your performance?
Oh, yes. I mean, for many years, I’ve always been a big fan of the MCU, so I would watch a lot of behind-the-scenes and would always see a lot of blue screens. The actors have to pretend that there’s something there when it’s not. For this particular one, I was walking onto set and anticipating a lot of blue screens but was surprised because the Ouroboros set was all practical. I remember walking on it for the very first time, and I was just blown away by the scope and the detail. It really reminded me of what it was like when I was a kid walking onto a Steven Spielberg or a George Lucas set; when we did Indiana Jones and The Goonies, they were all practical. So to be able to walk on the set and see everything made my job a lot easier.
I’ve heard Tom Hiddleston gives Loki lectures. Did you sit in on a session at all?
Well, I didn’t need it because I’ve watched all of the Marvel movies from the very beginning and then also of course to when his character was introduced in the first Thor movie. So I knew what Loki was like. And also it was during the pandemic that I saw Season 1, and I was just blown away by how good that show was. So I’ve been a fan of this universe and of this particular character from the very beginning. But what I was very lucky to be a part of was my first day when I flew to London, I was invited to be a part of the rehearsal process, and it was Tom and Owen and me, our showrunner, Kevin Wright, our writers. And to witness what they do to bring all of that to the screen was something that I learned a lot from.
They really rehearsed it and analyzed it and looked at everything, all the dialogue, every sentence, every adjective that was used. And I was invited to be a part of that process. I remember being asked [if I was] comfortable with a line. Or what is one word that you like to use for this particular moment? I remember Tom asking me and I said, “I like the word spectacular.” And he said, “Oh, that is a great word. Let’s put it in.” So that became one of the dialogues for Ouroboros and as an actor to be invited in that process, I felt really special.
Are you hopeful to reprise your role somewhere else in the MCU? Maybe in Deadpool & Wolverine? If so, who would you like to cross paths with?
When it comes to this, I’m greedy. I want to cross paths with all the Avengers because I’m a huge fan of these movies and also all these characters. And I know Deadpool is coming out. I’m really excited. I love the trailer. I wish I could tell you that I’m in it, but I’m not. But I’ll be the first one to watch it. I know it has a lot to do with the TVA and honestly, that is such a vast world, and I hope, fingers crossed, that we get to see more of Ouroboros in the future.
Loki, Seasons 1 & 2, Streaming now, Disney+