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The dramedy, written and directed by Lulu Wang, earned Awkwafina her first Golden Globe nomination and win. "This is great," Awkwafina said while accepting the award. "If I ever fall on hard times, I'm gonna sell this, so that's great."
"No one knows why I was cast," she told the Guardian. "Even I don't know. Gary Ross [the director] really took a chance on me. He saw something in me that I don't think I even saw in myself. Because of his confidence, I felt confident, too."
"My grandmother was everything to me, she taught me that Asian women are strong, they're not meek orchard-dwelling figures. She always knew I had something." Perhaps that's why she performed with such sincerity in 'The Farewell.'
'Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings' will be Marvel's first film with an Asian superhero lead, played by Simu Liu, with Awkwafina starring in an unannounced role.
Lum released a five-track EP titled 'In Fina We Trust' in 2018.
"Nora is neurotic and an overthinker and could never perform in front of an audience of hecklers," she said, adding that she associates her bad or sad moods with Nora.
The title was a reference to the fictional character Trini Kwan of 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' fame, who is an American woman of Asian descent.
From studying trumpet in an arts high school, majoring in journalism and women's studies in university, going to China to study Mandarin, and working at a video rental store, an air-conditioning company, and a publishing company, Awkwafina's story was not one directed towards fame.
In 'The Farewell' (2019), Awkwafina plays a Chinese-American writer living in New York who goes to Changchun, China to visit her grandmother, who does not know she is dying.
To everyone's surprise, the absurd video went viral and kicked off her career as a rapper and comedian.
Awkwafina had her first brush with fame as a rapper in 2012, with her YouTube video rapping about her genitals. She was consequently fired from her job as a publicity assistant at a publishing company, and her father was furious.
She's only the sixth woman of Asian descent to be nominated for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, following Machiko Kyoin (1957), Miyoshi Umeki (1962), Yvonne Elliman (1974), Hailee Steinfeld (2017), and Constance Wu (2019).
The moment she felt truly successful happened while shooting a glamorous scene for 'Ocean's 8.' She spotted the office where she had previously been fired, "And here I was shooting a scene with Rihanna."
Her mother died from pulmonary hypertension when Lum was just four.
She told the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that acting had never before been her plan. 'Neighbors 2' was her first audition and role.
The film, directed by Jon Chu, was based on the 2013 novel by Kevin Kwan, and it was a huge success.
She played a pickpocket in the all-female 'Ocean's 8' (2018), alongside Hollywood elite including Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, Rihanna, Mindy Kaling, and Helena Bonham Carter.
"I think that I'm a part of something that I hope will make a lasting change not only in this industry but as we progress as a society," she said, adding that she hopes this is just the beginning.
"I don't think I'll ever carry myself like a star," she said. But while that may be a negative thing for her, it's a refreshing sight and perhaps what got her to fame in the first place.
She explained that she felt uncomfortable when adults cried to her, and she said one of the first emotions she remembers is embarrassment. "So I started trying to make them laugh."
She's starring in an upcoming comedy series from Comedy Central called 'Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens,' set to premiere in 2020. It follows a "20-something woman in Queens who strives for a larger than life existence." Sums it up nicely!
And she was arguably one of the best parts of the film, playing Constance Wu's character's college friend from Singapore.
Be yourself, aggressively. "It's always better to be authentic than to be someone who later you're not," she advised. "Because if they really don't like you for you then what are you gonna do?"
"I was always the crazy one, the funny one. I'd do anything for a laugh, like dunking an ice cream in my eye. Everybody would be: 'Oh my God, I can't believe she did that!' These were not intellectual jokes." She came up with "Awkwafina" when she was 15.
Nora Lum from Queens, New York City recently made history as the first person of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe in any lead actress film category. She is also the only person in the world who self-identifies as an awkward twist on a water brand.
Awkwafina's path to fame has been unconventional, to say the least. Most people only heard her name in 2018, and now she's making huge strides for minorities in Hollywood. Click through to see how rapping about genitals, playing the trumpet, Rihanna, and the Power Rangers have all played a part in Lum's ever-increasing success.
She also said that she wants to use her platform to work with writers, directors, and other new talent who haven't had a chance. "I really want to use whatever I have to help usher in the next generation."
How Awkwafina became Hollywood's most unexpected star
No Oscar nom, but 'Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens' just scored a second season
CELEBRITY Actresses
Nora Lum from Queens, New York City recently made history as the first person of Asian descent to win a Golden Globe in any lead actress film category. She is also the only person in the world who self-identifies as an awkward twist on a water brand.
Awkwafina's path to fame has been unconventional, to say the least. Most people only heard her name in 2018, and now she's making huge strides for minorities in Hollywood. Click through to see how rapping about genitals, playing the trumpet, Rihanna, and the Power Rangers have all played a part in Lum's ever-increasing success.