Crazy Rich Asians’ Henry Golding on the Fast Times table-read, and returning to his Asian roots with Monsoon
- Golding’s appearance with Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, and Julia Roberts in an online table-read for Fast Times at Ridgemont High was a career highlight
- His latest film, Monsoon, tackles the difficulties of personal and cultural identity, something the Malaysian-British actor understands well
It’s been a pretty good week for Henry Golding.
The 33-year-old Crazy Rich Asians star has, you could say, been ushered into the Hollywood’s inner circle. He popped up as part of the starriest Zoom ever – an A-list online table-read of the classic teen movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High to help raise money for Core, a disaster relief non-profit co-founded by actor Sean Penn.
Golding seems more bowled over by the story than the “Hollywood jazz”, as he calls it. “I rewatched Fast Times the other night, actually,” he says. “It’s like another world watching a movie like that, because you see the mannerisms, the American lifestyle of that time. It’s crazy. It’s kind of joyful in a sense.
“There’s so much less to worry about back then! They’re blissfully unaware of what’s happening in the rest of the world. Your world is this mall in this little tiny town. It’s kind of enviable.”