M'sians Defend Henry Golding's Role In 'Crazy Rich Asians' After Simu Liu's Comments
Speculations were made saying that Simu Liu was not cast in 'Crazy Rich Asians' because he is not biracial, throwing shade at Henry Golding.
By Ivyna Ong — 23 May 2022, 06:32 PM
The Twitterverse is abuzz with Malaysians defending Henry Golding in the lead role of Crazy Rich Asians
In case you missed it, here's what went down.
It all started when Indie Wire tweeted about a recent podcast with Simu Liu where he expressed his disappointment in not getting cast in the popular, ground-breaking rom-com.
Liu was told that he did not have the "It" factor to play the lead role in Crazy Rich Asians.
This statement gutted Liu as he felt that he wasn't good enough.
This led to Twitter users speculating that the reason why Liu was not cast and Henry Golding was, is due to Golding being half-Caucasian
Some people saw no surprise that a Chinese actor was overshadowed by a biracial actor.
They felt that despite the movie being about Asians, it is marketed towards the Caucasian audience, hence Golding was cast as the lead instead.
A Twitter user mentioned that it is insulting to cast a biracial actor to play an Asian character.
These speculations enraged Malaysians who came to Golding's defence
Many felt that the casting was perfect and Golding is a good representation of Southeast Asians, as the region is diverse and not all of us look Chinese.
Furthermore, due to his connections with his Sarawakian roots and his slight Malaysian accent, he was the perfect choice.
Additional counter-arguments pointed out that Singapore and Malaysia are neighbours, thus it makes sense for Golding to play the part.
Some even mentioned that Golding looks just like any other Southeast Asian or Sarawakian you can easily spot in a mall.
A Twitter user even posted the similarities between Golding and an Indonesian actor, Anjasmara, putting a photo of the two side-by-side to compare.
