1983 Ad Seeks "Oriental Boy" for "Raiders of the Lost Ark II"

'Short Round Up' documentary seeks Asian guys who auditioned for 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.'



This is an actual ad that ran in the Toronto Star and other cities back in 1983, putting the call out for an "Oriental Boy" to play Indiana Jones' sidekick in the movie that would be released as Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Open auditions were held Toronto this week, thirty-three years ago.

Nobu Adilman was among the hundreds (thousands?) of Asian boys across North American who showed up to audition for the role of Short Round. He didn't get the part, which would ultimately go to Jonathan Ke Quan.

Now all grown up, and now a filmmaker, Nobu is putting the call out for his documentary Short Round Up, a quest to find all the fellow men who, as boys, auditioned for the role of Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Do you know one of those boys? Do you know anyone else who worked on the movie?

Did you audition for the Asian kid in 'Temple of Doom'?

'Short Round Up' is an epic search to find all the Asian guys who auditioned Short Round in 'Indiana Jones.'



Back in 1983, dozens (hundreds?) of young Asian boys from around North America lined up to audition for the role "Short Round" in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The part of Indy's scrappy sidekick eventually went to Jonathan Ke Quan, squashing dreams of stardom and Spielberg for a lot of hopeful kids.

One of those boys was filmmaker Nobu Adilman, who auditioned for the role of Short Round when he was 11 years old. Long story short: he didn't get the part. "I tanked.. hard," he says.

Fast-forward three decades. Now all grown up, Nobu recently launched Short Round Up, an epic search to find all the Asian guys who also auditioned to play Short Round in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Spielberg and Co. held open auditions in major cities across the U.S. and Canada. Nobu auditioned in Toronto, which had a huge turnout. Did you audition for Short Round back in 1983? Nobu wants to hear from you:

Angry Gift Guide: Short Round Mini Bust

A tribute to Indiana Jones' greatest sidekick.



Know anyone who really really likes Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom?

Came across this super-weird Indiana Jones Short Round Mini Bust for sale, and thought it would make an excellent gift for the Jonathan Ke Quan fan in your life. I mean, come on, who wouldn't want one of these sitting on their mantel? Call it a tribute to one of the bravest little Asian sidekicks ever.

This exclusive Short Round collectible stands 6-inches tall and is a limited edition of only 350 pieces. You can order it for a whoppin' $54.99 from Entertainment Earth. Now if someone would make a cool statue of favorite Jonathan Ke Quan role -- Data from The Goonies.