Awkwafina Actress Biography

American actress, comedian, internet personality, rapper, author, and television host Awkwafina. She was born on 2 June 1988 in Stony Brook, New York, United States. Born with the name Nor Lum.

She is the daughter of Chinese-American Wally and Tia who came to the United States from South Korea. Tia a painter suffered from Pulmonary Hypertension and passed away when Awkwafina was four following this loss Awkwafina began using humor to try to dispel the sadness she saw in those around her.

Early Success Of Awkwafina

Awkwafina gained fame after her 2012 viral youtube video “My Vag”. And has since starred in movies such as Crazy Rich Asians in 2018, Oceans 8 in 2018, in the farewell who is Awkwafina in 2012.

Awkwafina shared a video for her humorously boastful rap “My Vag” on youtube the video which eventually went viral cost her a job in book publicity but set her on the road to film and television stardom.

In 2018 Awkwafina had key supporting roles in the hit films Ocean’s Eight and Crazy Rich Asians the next year she delivered an award-winning lead performance in the farewell.

She also co-created and stars in the series “Awkwafina Is Nora From Queen’s”.

She wrote in people magazine in 2019 I Think all the time what would I have been doing if my mom hadn’t passed. I don’t think I’d be here because I think that I had to face a certain level of Trauma to be so Joyously self-deprecating and so free her father and his mother raised.

Awkwafina in forest hills Queens said “that as a child my every birthday wish was, I want to someday be on tv” yet she felt the lack of role models who looked like her until a seven-year-old Awkwafina saw Margaret Cho on the small screen.

Awkwafina feels that show changed my life if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t be doing this Lucy Liu was another inspiration.

A young Awkwafina waited outside the Saturday night live studios to seal you when she hosted the show Awkwafina has credited her grandmother who never fit the stereotype of a submissive Asian woman with boosting her confidence, “my grandma raised me with unconditional love people used to make fun of me about my low raspy voice I’ve always had this voice even as a kid and my grandma told me don’t ever be ashamed of what makes you weird because that is why I love you and that’s what makes you special”.

School And College

School and early career Awkwafina started playing the trumpet in school a choice she made because it was the loudest instrument available too many kids wanted the drums her plan got her into Fiorello H LaGuardia High School.

The school that inspired the film and tv show fame but she agreed with her teachers that she shouldn’t pursue a career with the instrument after graduation, she attended SUNY, University at Albany where she majored in journalism and minored in women’s studies.

Following college, Awkwafina worked as a publicity assistant but was let go after “My Vag” came out, she then took on a variety of jobs including at a Vegan Bodega to make ends meet while pursuing a career in entertainment.

At this time her father urged her to consider what he believed were more secure positions such as an air traffic controller or meat inspector however he came to accept Awkwafina’s path as she climbed the ladder of success creating the name Awkwafina came up with the name Awkwafina when she was 16.

Youtube Video My Bag

With the spelling a nod to her feelings of awkwardness years later when she posted the video for “My Bag” on youtube “it seemed disingenuous to pick a random name to put the video under so I stuck with what I felt was right”, then people started calling me that in real life.

In a 2018 interview Awkwafina explained how creating a new identity has helped her perform, she comes in and in many ways, she represents that universal aspect of confidence, that voice you kind of reach into when you need to pick yourself up yet in vanity fair’s Hollywood 2020 issue, she said “her identities as Nora and as Awkwafina has become less separate, I mean when I first started as Awkwafina there was a more distinct duality, where this is the one that’s performing and this is the one that’s at home having a panic attack. But as I get older I think they’re the same person this is the one that this one hides behind you”.

Music Career

Know music Awkwafina developed a love of rap music, when she was young was rapping herself by the age of 13 and later began using Garageband to produce her own beats “My Vag” was written when she was 19 a comeback to Mickey Avalon’s my dick in 2012 she recorded a low-budget video of the amusingly trash-talking song and uploaded it to youtube the decision proved to be a turning point in her life, as she described to rolling stone in 2018.

“I didn’t expect anything to happen there was no game plan I had nothing to lose you know and to this day everything that has happened to me my first movie gig, my first non-music gig was all from that following My Vag”

Awkwafina put out songs like “NYC he$” and giant margaritas her album yellow ranger appeared in 2014.

She joined Margaret Cho to make green tea 2016.

Which parodied Asian Stereotypes Awkwafina was also featured in ‘Bad Rap’ a documentary that followed her and three other Asian American rappers.

Her and finally trust came out in 2018 though her acting career has taken off, Awkwafina has no plans to leave music behind, however, she feels her music may be limited in its appeal

“I’ve kinda given up on marketing” Awkwafina for the masses she revealed in a 2017 interview “I decided I’m gonna continue making weird music and my small niche fan base that is still with me to this day will continue liking it and I think people will continue to be confused by it.

Movies

Movies Awkwafina’s first film role was as a Sorority sister in Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising 2016. She got the opportunity to audition because Seth Rogen star of the movie saw her viral youtube video.

Awkwafina next played one of a group of female Stoners in ‘Dude‘ 2018. Dude’s director Olivia Milch co-wrote “Ocean’s 8” and suggested Awkwafina joined that movie’s all-star cast playing Piquelin in the blockbuster romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians brought Awkwafina more fame, however she did receive some criticism for using a black scent when a non-black person appropriates black vernacular. In parts of her performance in the film and at other points in her career when asked about the controversy Awkwafina said “I welcome that conversation because I think as an Asian American identity as a people” we’re still trying to figure out what that is Awkwafina’s star continued to rise with 2019’s the farewell in her first lead role she portrayed a Chinese American who struggles with her family’s decision not to inform her Chinese grandmother of a terminal cancer diagnosis.

Awkwafina has said, “that the role resonated with her in part because of the early death of her mother”.

Awards Won

In 2020 Awkwafina won the Golden Globe Award for best performance by an actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her work in the farewell making her the first Asian American to win a Golden Globe for best actress.

Awkwafina Actress Biography