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Where most people first heard her name -

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.

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But who was she, and how did she land the role? -

"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."

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A rocky start -

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.

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A silver lining -

To everyone's surprise, the absurd video went viral and kicked off her career as a rapper and comedian.

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She then released her rap album 'Yellow Ranger' in 2014 -

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.

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The moment she knew she made it -

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."

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She's candid, and that's what people love - "Getting fired from that job really hurt my feelings. Now I could just look up and say, 'F y'all,'" she told the Guardian.

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She also got in on 'Crazy Rich Asians' (2018) -

And she was arguably one of the best parts of the film, playing Constance Wu's character's college friend from Singapore.

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It was a big win for the Asian community -

The film, directed by Jon Chu, was based on the 2013 novel by Kevin Kwan, and it was a huge success.

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Her first starring role -

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.

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Entrance into the awards world -

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."

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Awkwafina's Golden Globes win is historic -

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).

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The film was important for both Awkwafina and Nora Lum - She connected with the script for 'The Farewell,' as she told Good Morning America, "I was raised by my grandma, and I also know what it's like to go back to Asia and to feel lost there as well—it meant a lot to me."

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Where does Nora stop and Awkwafina begin? - The actress explained there is a duality between the identities: "Awkwafina is someone who never grew up, who never had to bear the brunt of all the insecurities and overthinking that come with adulthood."

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The moniker is a way to escape herself -

"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.

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She went through a lot as a young child -

Her mother died from pulmonary hypertension when Lum was just four.

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Tragedy drew her to comedy -

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."

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Her grandmother helped Lum's father raise her -

"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.'

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She was a class clown -

"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.

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Roundabout route to fame -

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.

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Her viral rap video got her an audition for 'Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising' (2016) -

She told the Hollywood Foreign Press Association that acting had never before been her plan. 'Neighbors 2' was her first audition and role.

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She's not done rapping -

Lum released a five-track EP titled 'In Fina We Trust' in 2018.

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Fame and success are not natural feelings for her -

"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.

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She's entering the Marvel Universe -

'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.

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Big moves for representation - The actress told Good Morning America that the film is going to mean a lot to the Asian community and for Hollywood at large. "I think we're getting a lot of firsts in the past couple of years, and I think that there is an audience for our stories," she said.

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She is passionate about progress -

"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.

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Plans to lift people up with her platform -

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."

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Her best piece of advice -

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?"

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Keep an eye out for her -

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!

See also: 30 female celebrities to look out for in 2020.

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