Henry Golding is currently Hollywood’s “It” guy. Fresh off his well-received reception from the successful “Crazy Rich Asians“, the 31-year-old star will be playing another male lead. This time, as Blake Lively’s hunky husband in the thriller “A Simple Favor”.
Both films feature shirtless scenes from Golding, but buzz is already building up for his 3rd film, “Monsoon”. In the Hong Khaou-directed film, the Sarawak-born actor will play Kit – a gay British-Vietnamese man traveling from London to his birth country of Vietnam to scatter his parents’ ashes.
Kit left Saigon to flee the Vietnam-American War with his family as boat refugees when he was young. He returns home 30 years later after feeling the need to reconnect to his home country and culture.
“‘Monsoon’ as a script blew me away. After speaking to Hong Khaou the director (who also wrote it), I knew this was something I so wanted to be apart of.” Golding previously wrote on his Instagram post.
In comparison to his leading roles in “Crazy Rich Asians” and “A Simple Favor”, the Hollywood newcomer said, “‘(Monsoon)’ is a much more subtle role. It really stretched what I want to be able to achieve as an actor. It’s the project where I found my feet, and felt like I deserve to be where I am.”
In speaking with NewNowNext, Golding talked about recalled his introduction to the LGBT community. “I was a hairstylist, so the environment I grew up in, it was normal. My upbringing was, ‘Be good unto others, be kind, stay healthy, and be happy’. (My parents) never set barriers. And being surrounded by that community, I saw it for what it is: a very loving, inclusive community,” he shared.
The Asian heartthrob continued, “The thing is, it’s so normal for me; it’s weird when people ask me about it, it’s strange they’re asking me something so obvious. You don’t realise there are some people who are still affected by all this crap.”
“I felt so strongly about it that in my 3rd film (‘Monsoon’) my character is gay. I wanted to portray a character with heart—and the fact that it’s his story that shines through, not the fact that he’s gay. He has this wonderful relationship, but the truth of the matter is the material really lends itself to his journey,” Golding added.
So what can fans expect from “Monsoon”? The Malaysian star teased, “It’s pretty darn steamy“. We’ll leave it at that 😉
Sources: NewNowNext, Esquire.
