Valentine’s Day isn’t just an annual thing for Ke Huy Quan.

The Oscar-winning actor and his wife, Echo, have a lovers’ tradition of going out to a nice dinner and then a movie with popcorn and Coke. “We have many Valentine’s Days in a year,” Quan says with a laugh.

And just in time for the most romantic holiday is the latest in Quan’s Hollywood journey, the hard-hitting action comedy “Love Hurts” (in theaters Friday). He stars as Marvin Gable, a good-natured Milwaukee realtor and ex-hitman whose past comes flying back in his face – as do a lot of punches – when Rose (Ariana DeBose), the lawyer he was supposed to kill years ago (but saved instead), returns to town. And Marvin still harbors seriously strong feelings for her, though she doesn’t know it.

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It marks the first leading role for the 54-year-old comeback kid: A 1980s pop-culture staple as a child star in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” Quan took a two-decade hiatus from acting and enjoyed a high-profile return three years ago in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which won best picture and earned him best supporting actor.

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Quan, who also stars this year in Netflix’s “The Electric State” and Disney’s “Zootopia 2,” talks with USA TODAY about “Love Hurts,” his “Goonies” reunion and what pushes his nostalgia buttons.

(Edited for length and clarity.)

Q: It’s taken you 40 years to finally reach leading man status. Why is “Love Hurts” the perfect vehicle for that?

Ke Huy Quan: When I was younger, I loved the action genre, and that’s why I studied taekwondo and got a black belt. I loved watching those movies: Schwarzenegger, Steven Seagal, Stallone – but especially Jackie Chan and Sammo Hung. I always wanted to star in my own action movie. I didn’t get the opportunity back then, but better late than never, here I am.

You worked as an action choreographer in the early 2000s with “X-Men” and “The One.” Did you stick with martial arts this whole time?

When I was younger, I would practice all the time with my younger brother. We would study three days a week and then on the weekends, we would go back to the studio. When we weren’t at the studio, we would watch martial arts movies. I thought I didn’t have any use for those skills until I became an action choreographer. And then, I wasn’t practicing every day. Especially as you get a little older, you just don’t.

So for “Love Hurts,” I actually had to get back into shape. It was really fun for me to do, except there was just a lot of aches and pains.

After a tough day of fighting former NFL bruiser Marshawn Lynch, what’s your go-to routine to recover?

I would soak in an Epsom salt bath every night. I used so many bags I feel like I should get an endorsement from them. (Laughs) Every single day, I would go home and my body would just be all bruised. In order to make these fight scenes look real, you really have to go at it. And getting a little hurt is a very common thing.

In “Love Hurts,” you share scenes with your old “Goonies” co-star Sean Astin. His character says in the movie, “Man, you’ve come a long way. I’m proud of you.” Is that also a little bit of Sean talking to his friend Ke?

I think so. That line really resonated with me. And having it delivered by Sean just made it even more special. We have a great relationship, and Sean has always been there for me. It wasn’t just emotional for Marvin Gable to get that kind of validation from his boss, but also to do this with Sean on a personal level was incredible. 

What thing from your childhood still gets you in the nostalgia feels?

Every time I see those movies that I love, “Goonies” or “Indiana Jones” or “Back to the Future,” it just brings me back to that wonderful time where movies really allowed you to escape reality. They’re really fun to watch, and you come out of it feeling a little bit refreshed. “Love Hurts” is certainly an homage to those early ‘80s action movies: “Project A,” “Police Story,” “Winners and Sinners.” Those are the kind of movies I’ve seen more than any other movie.

Has winning an Oscar changed how people see you in Hollywood?

I think so? What’s really incredible is that I’ve met so many actors that are going through a very similar journey that I went through and who are really putting in the work and just being patient and waiting for their own spotlight. To hear them say “Your story really inspires me,” they’re all so generous and willing to share their own story.

You recently signed on for “Bad Boy,” a thriller told from a dog’s perspective where you play a serial killer. Is that another first, as a villain?

Yes! I’m really excited. I was talking to my agent and he says, “What do you want to do?” And I said, “I would love to do a good horror movie where I play a serial killer.” What I love about Marvin Gable is that element of surprise: You don’t think he’s lethal but he’s really a badass when you mess with him. With “Bad Boy,” somebody that looks like me, you don’t really think he’s a serial killer. It’s definitely another check off the bucket list.