Awkwafina may have starred in two of the Summer's biggest blockbusters, Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians, but how much do you actually know about rising star? It might seem like she became famous overnight, but did you know that she has actually been in the spotlight since 2012? Or that she's not only an actress but also a rapper, author, and comedian? If you want to lean more about the triple (quadruple?) threat, keep reading for 25 fun facts about Hollywood's latest darling.
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Her birth name is Nora Lum.
She was born on June 2, 1989 in New York City to a Chinese American father and a South Korean immigrant mother.
Her mother sadly died when she was four, so her grandmother helped raise her.
Awkwafina grew up in Forest Hills, Queens, and attended LaGuardia High School — the same performing arts school that Nicki Minaj, Ansel Elgort, and Timothée Chalamet attended!
She went to college at The University at Albany, where she majored in journalism and women's studies.
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She studied Mandarin from 2006-'08 at the Beijing Language and Culture University in Beijing, China.
Prior to becoming famous she interned at the Times Union and Gotham Gazette. She was also a publicity assistant at the publishing house Rodale.
Before Awkwafina began rapping at the age of 13, she played the trumpet and was trained in both classical and jazz music.
She became an internet sensation in 2012 with her music video My Vag," which she made in response to Mickey Avalon's "My Dick."
She created her own web-series called Tawk, which got her nominated for a 2016 Streamy Award and landed her as an official honouree at the 2016 Webby Awards.
Awkwafina and her Ocean's 8 costars keep in contact via a group chat.
Ramen and Chapagetti (Korean instant noodles), are always in her kitchen because she isn't the best cook.
She told Vanity Fair, that she is really excited to be a part of Crazy Rich Asians because, "it's going to be important for everyone who is Asian-American."
Her Crazy Rich Asians costar, Henry Golding was a fan before meeting her. He told Refinery29, "I had seen her videos on YouTube, and I was like 'Oh my God, I can't wait to meet her!'"
