It’s safe to say Henry Golding probably doesn’t realize how big a star he is yet. The 31-year-old Malaysian actor just complted a five-month swing where he was introduced to the world as Nick Young in Jon M. Chu’s “Crazy Rich Asians” and as Blake Lively‘s suspicious husband in Paul Feig’s “A Simple Favor.” And as we discuss the roller coaster introduction to Hollywood in the swank Beverly Hills Hotel, he seems assured he still has some anonimity left. Perhaps for now.
When we chatted last week Golding had learned of the Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy from the Golden Globes and the film’s Critics Choice Awards nominations. He was unware of the Screen Actors Guild Awards nomination for Best Ensemble that makes him officially a SAG Award nominee. All pretty remarkable for a guy who was hoping to just break into acting a little over two years ago. But as Constance Wu recently told me, Henry Golding “had movie star written all over him.” It was bound to happen eventually.
Fresh off a flight from London where he’s shooting Feig’s “Last Christmas” and Guy Ritchie’s “Toff Guys” at the same time, Golding took a deep five into the crazy reaction to “Crazy Rich Asians,” his budding professional relationship with Feig and what’s next.
____
The Playlist: Congrats on the Golden Globe nomination yesterday for the film. What was your reaction?
Henry Golding: I mean, I was literally sat on the plane scrolling the Twitter announcements as they came out, and Constance’s came up first, and I was just like over the moon with her. Like, she’s worked so hard for this, and she’s been slogging away for a number of years to get the recognition of her peers, and finally with a movie like this one it’s deserved of something like that. So I was so, so happy for her. And then when the announcement came for Best Motion Picture, I was just like in disbelief I think at the beginning of it. Like, “Really?” And then I was just like my first thought went to Jon, and I was like, this is his baby, and he’s worked so passionately and for it. And the fact that he’s been away from his family – he missed his wife’s pregnancy, he came back and within three weeks they had the baby, so he gave up along, and he’s become such an amazing friend. And so my thoughts were just like, “Fuck, Jon, you did it.” We spoke yesterday and he was beyond anything. He was so proud of everyone involved. He said, “The greatest thing that’s come out of this movie isn’t just the accolades and everything, but it’s the love that we found within each other and the friends that we’ve made, the lives that we’ve changed.” This is the icing on the cake.
Let’s stay with that. I spoke with Michelle Yeoh I think about two weeks ago. Who, by the way, is so fucking cool.
Yeah, the nicest lady.
She was telling me that despite some big hits in the U.S. and around the world throughout her career, she’s never had a reaction like this. She’s shooting “Star Trek Discovery” in Toronto and people just come up to her on the street and want to hug her. Have complete strangers asked you for a hug too?
For sure. It’s interesting because it’s not just only from the Asian community. I mean, the strong majority is, but it’s people of all [backgrounds]. We were at the GQ party last night and Jonah Hill was sitting next to me, and he was like, “Yo, dude, like, I’ve watched that film like twice. Like, it’s one of my favorite films. I’m gonna watch it a third time.” And I was like, “This is insane.” It’s just a thoroughly enjoyable movie above all else, beyond the messages that we wanted to push across to break boundaries and everything. It goes to the essence of what we do as a living is creating these beautiful stories and telling them in a way that is engaging and pulls at your strings and changes your emotions. It’s a beautiful wave and for [the common reaction has been], “This is the first time I’ve ever felt this way about a movie and felt so passionate and attached to something like this. And I don’t even know you guys, but it just feels like you’re representing all of us.”
Do you feel like you’ve lost some of your anonymity coming to the United States now? Do people recognize you more?
A little bit more, yeah. It’s a strange one to swallow. It’s a little bit more disruptive I would say. I think it’s also the fact that I’m very self-conscious in a sense, that if somebody’s staring at me, I’m like, “Do I know them? Is there something I should saying hello to?” And so, I try to not make eye contact, but it’s actually just somebody who’s watched the film, and trying to figure out, “How do I know that guy?” Otherwise, it hasn’t been a fever pitch which is totally manageable. It’s not like I’m a Korean pop star [who has to deal with] screaming fans. But, no, it’s a lot of people taking the time out and come over and say, “I just want to say, hey. I don’t want a photo or anything, but thank you so much for what you’re doing for us and the community.”
That’s not only nice but also sort of rare.
Yeah, and then they’ll sneak in, “Oh, can we do a selfie?” [Laughs.]
When I spoke to Jon before the movie first came out, I remember he was telling me that you were one of the last people cast and he had seen a video of your travel show work. Had you always wanted to act or was this something of a surprise?
Three years previous to that, I had decided to designate the coming year to acting. I enrolled in a Meisner technique course with an acting school in Singapore. I was [intending] to do some shorts, something to build my repertoire and toolset, because I’ve always been enamored of movies, and I knew at some point that I wanted to do that, but then I got the offer from BBC and Discovery Channel to do these travel shows. I was like, “Oh, well, maybe it’s a sign, maybe I should go back.” It wasn’t until Jon got ahold of me [that it really happened]. I was at a point in life where I just finished this huge show called “Surviving Borneo” where I was in the jungles for three months or something ridiculous and I had burnt my wick at both ends. I was like, “I don’t know if I can do this anymore. I’m just not finding it. I’m not finding the passion that I once I had.” I’d just been married. I was turning 30. And so, all these chapters were coming to an end. I was like, “What’s next for me?” So I was open to it. At first, [when the auditoin offer came through] I was like, “It’s not for me. I’m not an actor. I’ll pass.” And I passed a couple time. I think, casting directors had sent emails and I was like, “No, no, no, no.” And all my management in Singapore were like, “Oh, I don’t think you would want to do this, so we’ll forget about it.” And I was like, “Yeah, no, you’re right, totally.” But then, yes, Jon got in contact with me [directly].
How nervous were you? I mean, did you know the book? Did you realize that you were playing one of the lead characters when they reached out?
No, Jon was like very tactful in the way that he brought it. Like, in the initial emails, he was like, “Oh, we’re still casting for our movie. I’d love to see if you would want to maybe audition for a role?” He never mentioned which one and I was like, “I’m sure it’s not Nick. Maybe I could do a small role and that would be cool.” And then he was like, “No, it’s gonna be Nick. We really think that you embody his character.” “Are you game?” “Can you do it?” I was like, “Oh, sure.” I believed in him before I believed in myself, let’s just say that.