It’s been a crazy successful career
Henry Golding’s journey has taken him from being a hairdresser to a movie star
NEW YORK Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding breaks into a laugh as he tries to explain the career trajectory that has seen him go from being a travel host to romcom leading man to foul-mouthed villain in Guy Ritchie’s gangster romp, The Gentlemen.
“It’s crazy isn’t it?” Golding says.
The British-malaysian actor, who just a few years ago was working in New Zealand for the BBC and Discovery Channel
Asia, was plucked out of obscurity to play Nick Young in 2018’s crowd-pleaser Crazy Rich Asians. He then played Blake Lively’s husband in the thriller A Simple Favor. Most recently, Golding starred opposite Emilia Clarke in the frothy holiday rom-com Last Christmas.
Now he’s back onscreen as the Chinese gangster Dry Eye, in an ensemble cast that includes Matthew Mcconaughey, Charlie Hunnam, Hugh Grant, Colin Farrell and Michelle Dockery.
Here, Golding traces his arc from hairdresser to box office star, muses on the politically incorrect barbs he and his castmates hurl in The Gentlemen and tells us why critics were wrong about Last Christmas.
Q You’ve been having a great couple of months. First Last Christmas and now The Gentlemen.
A Last Christmas was definitely a crowd-pleaser. Not much of a critic pleaser (laughs). But I’ve had much more of a response off of the back end of Last Christmas than Crazy Rich Asians. It really meant so much to people ... It was lovely. Moviegoers understood what it was. It’s just that bubbly sort of Christmas movie that’s like eating a pile of chocolate. You just can’t help but love it.
Q So you were nice guy Tom Webster in Last Christmas and now you’re the baddie Dry Eye in The Gentlemen. What was that transition like?
A I was filming both of them in London during the same time. One day I was Tom Webster and I woke up the next day and I had to play Dry Eye. But it was less challenging than people would think. It was a lot of fun to play someone so far from my own reality.
Q What was the best part of playing the villain?
A In this case, the barrage of swear words (laughs). Just being able to reel off as many profanities as you can possibly think of in the most creative ways was immense fun. That’s what Guy’s films are about. They’re about trying to insult the other person in funny ways. It’s what we grew up with watching Snatch and Lock, Stock (and Two Smoking Barrels) ... they’ve got so many classic one-liners that we can quote to this day. So working in that environment, especially alongside Matthew and Michelle, was phenomenal. It was one of my favourite experiences.
Q Why do you think those early Guy Ritchie gangster movies still resonate?
A Some of the scenes in Lock, Stock and Snatch had never been done in British cinema. So when it came to heist movies, he was definitely a trendsetter in that sense. The only other British director from that time that was creating groundbreaking movies in a similar vein was Danny Boyle with 28 Days Later.
Q You became famous at 30 years old after being a hairdresser and a TV presenter. What was the best part of finding fame as an older person?
A I think it helped that I had been able to live a regular existence. You often hear of young stars who get a little taken away by it all. I know that if it all ends tomorrow, I’d be pretty f---ing happy. It wouldn’t be as fun, but I’d still be going to the cinema to watch movies. Of course I’d be longing to be back in this industry, but I’ve had many careers. I was a hairdresser, I was a journalist and I was a television presenter. Now I’m a movie star. Where it goes from here? I don’t know. I’m just along for the ride.
But I give 110 per cent to it. That’s why I think I can be successful at it. The dedication is real. I think a lot of people, if you just throw yourself into whatever it is you want to do and do the best job and expend the most energy you possibly can, you can succeed at most things. Or at least that’s what I hope.