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celeb bio
Awkwafina
A long road to a quick rise
To look at the past couple of
years in Awkwafina’s career is
to appreciate the joy of an artist
reaping the fruits of her hard
work. With roles in “Ocean’s 8”
(2018) and “Crazy Rich Asians”
(2018), Awkwafina has proven
herself a prestigious actress at
the center of enormous box office
successes. This swell in her career
has been a long time coming.
Awkwafina — her real name is
Nora Lum — found her way to
this moment by committing her-
self to a dream she thought was
impossible. Born in New York City
to a South Korean mother and a
Chinese-American father, Lum
grew up as far away from the en-
tertainment industry as one could
imagine. Her mother died when
Lum was 4 years old, and she was
raised by her grandmother, whom
she cites as one of her greatest in-
fluences. Already leaning into the
musical talents that would kick-
start her career as a performer,
Lum attended the prestigious La-
Guardia High School, where she
was trained as a classical and jazz
Awkwafina in “Ocean’s Eight”
Fill in the grid so that every row, every column,
and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.
Solution
page 20 19
Solution on
on page
trumpet player. It was there that
her rapping alter ego Awkwafina
was born, a character who rep-
resented Lum’s extroverted edge
as she struggled to be open with
her art and identity. She worked
on her music as Awkwafina on
the side and chose to pursue jour-
nalism and women’s studies at
university. After graduating, Lum
gave the routine of an office job a
try. That life was clearly unsuited
for Lum’s talents, and ultimately
her boss made the hard choice for
her: she was fired, and decided to
pursue her passion. In 2012, she
Renata Anderson, MA
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Administrative Assistant
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was fully devoted to a profession
in the entertainment industry, and
one of her comedic rap videos
went viral. Suddenly, Lum found
herself in demand by comedy acts
such as Margaret Cho and Tena-
cious D. She continued to create
digital content, hosted reality
shows and went on a music tour,
but her first film role didn’t come
until “Neighbors 2: Sorority Ris-
ing” in 2016. She voiced a main
character in “Storks” the same
year. Only two years later, she
became an audience favorite as
Peik Lin in the record-breaking
romantic comedy “Crazy Rich
Asians” (2018), the first studio
film in 25 years to feature an all-
Asian cast — Lum’s break didn’t
just open doors for herself, but for
many others like her. On being the
first Asian-American to make her
mark as an actress/rapper hybrid,
she said: “Being the first sucks.
But I found what I love. I found
what I always dreamt of as a kid
that would connect with adult-
hood.” From a do-it-yourself artist
quietly making beats in her room
to a boundary-breaking comedy
powerhouse, Awkwafina has
found her calling. With roles in the
critically acclaimed drama “The
Farewell” (2019) and the highly
anticipated “Jumanji: The Next
Level” (2019), you can expect to
see much more of her in the near
future. Listen for Awkwafina’s
voice when she stars as SkekLach
the Collector in “Dark Crystal:
Age of Resistance,” premiering
Friday, Aug. 30, on Netflix.
FACTS
- Born on June 2, 1988, in New
York, New York (age 31)
- Lived in Beijing for two years
to study Mandarin
- Has been heavily involved
in the “Time’s Up” movement,
which advocates for women and
condemns sexual harassment in
the workplace
- In 2018, became only the
second Asian woman, after Lucy
Liu in 2000, to host “Saturday
Night Live”
- Attributes her comedic in-
stincts to the loss of her mother,
saying that making her family
members laugh after this tragedy
taught her what comedy can do
for others
QUOTES
“If I didn’t have my music, then
I didn’t have an identity.”
“I remember seeing my grand-
ma as someone who was saving
me. She was my best friend.”
East Oregonian and Hermiston Herald | August 21, 2019
Screentime | 13