Back in January, director Jon Chu invited any and all Asians out there to try out for his upcoming film, Crazy Rich Asians, based on the book by Kevin Kwan. As in, he literally made a video and asked people to submit two-minute clips on social media along with the hashtag CrazyRichAsiansCasting for a chance to win a spot among the cast. “I know how much undiscovered talent there is in the world,†said Chu, “so we are shouting out to all you aspiring actors and cool personalities with hidden talents.†It’s not yet being reported what hidden talents he has, but according to The Hollywood Reporter newcomer Henry Golding has just been cast as the male lead opposite Constance Wu in Crazy Rich. That means he’ll be playing Nick, the ultra-desirable bachelor whom everyone in Southeast Asia seems to want a piece of, but who is engaged to Wu’s character, Rachel.
It is so far unspecified how Golding was found, or whether or not he submitted a video to audition, but he did post a photo on Instagram about two months ago with the caption, “The past couple weeks have been an absolute whirlwind … When opportunities arise it’s only those who brave new, unfamiliar things that emerge on top. Watch this space.†You can speculate on that accordingly, but making your feature film debut alongside Wu and Michelle Yeoh sounds an awful lot like emerging on top. With regards to his background, THR says that Golding has an English father, a Malaysian mother, and is currently residing in Singapore. (He was raised in London.) The future film star has apparently done work hosting TV travel shows, but no other previous entertainment work was mentioned in the report. As far as his possibly cool personality goes, Golding seems like a fun guy. Based on conclusions drawn entirely from his Instagram, he enjoys activities with family, elephants, fitness, and taking photos of the Urban Light installation in Los Angeles. Potential new stars: They’re just like us!