‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Actor Henry Golding Addresses His Own ‘Whiteness’ in Casting Decision

“Crazy Rich Asians” star Henry Golding addressed the “whitewashing” controversy over his casting in the upcoming film during a recent appearance on “The View.”

Being partially Malaysian and partially White, Golding has received criticism over the role which some argued should have gone to a fully Asian actor.

In the highly anticipated film, Golding plays an extremely wealthy Chinese Singaporean named Nick Young, who invites his girlfriend Rachel Chu (played by Constance Wu) to meet his family in Singapore.

“For me, being sort of half British, I’ve always struggled with my identity,” Golding told the hosts of the show. “And the one thing that I learned very young was to own my identity.”

According to Golding, he is not angered by the criticisms, saying that he agrees that discussions on whitewashing should continue “because it kind of just shows the studios that we’re watching; we’re very aware of how we want our films to tell authentic stories now.”

“I know I’m Asian, through and through,” said Golding. “There’s nothing that I needed to prove.”

Golding previously spoke about his controversial casting in his interview with Entertainment Weekly last year.

“I’ve lived 16, 17 years of my life in Asia, and that’s most of my life. I was born in Asia, I’ve lived cultures that are synonymous with Asian culture, but it’s still not Asian enough for some people. Where are the boundaries?” he was quoted as saying. “Where are the lines drawn for saying that you cannot play this character because you’re not fully Asian?”

While “Crazy Rich Asians” has its critics, the film also received praise for having an all-Asian cast, which is a first for a Hollywood production in 25 years.

Based on the bestselling 2013 novel of the same name by Kevin Kwan, the film is scheduled to be released in U.S. theaters on August 15.

Directed by Jon M. Chu, “Crazy Rich Asians” is tracking for a five-day domestic debut around the $20 million range, based on the estimates of industry leader NRG.

Meanwhile, Warner Bros. insiders estimate a more conservative figure of around $18 million-plus.

Share this Article