AWKWAFINA
From Feminist Rapper to Leading Lady
You may know her from her moving performance as Billi in Lulu Wang’s The Farewell. But, how did Awkwafina get her start? Let’s get to know this performer who’s generating awards chatter. Born Nora Lum on June 2, 1988 in New York City, this Chinese-American gained attention with a 2012 rap single “My Vag.” Awkwafina followed that up with Yellow Ranger, a 2014 Hip Hop album, that included songs like “Queef” (otherwise known as a vagina-fart).
Her earliest screen credit was during the third season of MTV’s comedy talk show, Girl Code, when she appeared as herself. From there, she moved onto the big screen. She nabbed her first film role in 2016’s Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, where she played the supporting role of Christine. Her next efforts were comedic characters in Dude, Ocean’s 8 and the groundbreaking Crazy Rich Asians.
Awkwafina’s first leading role was in this year’s The Farewell, a comedy-drama. The film, written and directed by Lulu Wang, follows a family who gathers in China to spend time with their dying grandmother. But, no one tells the family matriarch she is so sick and claim they are gathered for a wedding. Wang said the film is based, in part, on her own family.
Awkwafina is Billi, the American daughter of Chinese immigrants. She disagrees with her family’s plan to lie to her grandma. Her family is worried she’ll reveal the secret and begs her not to fly to China with them. She disobeys but promises she won’t tell. The movie was a smash right out of the box (office) and beat Avengers: Endgame opening weekend. Awkwafina’s performance caught the critics’ attention and since then her work has generated a lot of praise.
With loads of new projects in her future, we’ll soon be seeing a lot more from Awkwafina.
