Awkwafina mistook Crazy Rich Asians co-star for assistant director

Rapper-turned-actress Awkwafina was so caught off guard by the humble nature of her Crazy Rich Asians co-star Henry Golding, she mistook him for a member of the film crew.
The Ocean’s Eight star recalls the first time Golding, who plays lead character Nick Young, introduced himself to her upon arriving on location in Singapore, where his unassuming nature had her convinced he was working behind-the-scenes.
“I thought he was the assistant director (AD) because when I landed in Singapore, I was in a hotel room, I was very jet lagged and I heard a knock on my door,” she recalled in a joint interview on breakfast show Today.
“I see this beautiful man and he’s like, ‘Hey, I’m Henry, I just want to introduce myself’ and then he came in and I was like, ‘What’s the call time tomorrow?’ and he was like, ‘You know, I don’t know but I can check it out,’ and I was like, ‘Oh, so you’re the AD…?’ He was like, ‘No, no, no, I’m (playing) Nick!'”
Awkwafina, real name Nora Lum, would be forgiven for failing to recognise Henry, as the BBC travel presenter makes his acting debut in the new romantic comedy.
“I never experienced someone to come here (to her room) to say hi (sic),” she remarked.
“He is that humble and grounded,” commented co-star Ken Jeong.
Although Awkwafina didn’t know who Henry was at first sight, he was well aware of her celebrity.
“I was a big fan of Nora’s before I met her…,” the British-Malaysian star smiled. “(I admire) everything she’s done within the Asian community and in the rap scene…”
And he also had nothing but kind words to say about The Hangover funnyman, adding, “Ken Jeong is a living legend…!”
Crazy Rich Asians, an adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s bestselling book, is the first major Hollywood production to boast an all-Asian line-up in 25 years, since 1993’s The Joy Luck Club.
The film, directed by Jon M. Chu, received rave reviews from fans and critics alike, and opened at number one on the North American box office chart with a record-setting $25.3 million (£19.8 million) launch this weekend (17-19Aug18).