Whenever I see editorial photos of Henry Golding, I inevitably think the same thing every time: this guy looks like an old-fashioned movie star. Even back in the Golden Age of Hollywood, Henry Golding would have fit in and made it work somehow, I’m sure. Golding was named one of GQ’s Men of the Year, a clear appeal from GQ to drive more traffic from women and gay men, especially given the glossy, beautiful, colorful editorial. You can read the interview here and see all of the lovely photos. Golding comes across as very self-aware, but also: he knows who he is, which is a function of his age, and becoming super-famous in his 30s as opposed to his early 20s. Some highlights:
His first dream was to be a hairdresser: He wanted to “work in London, be a notorious and famous hairdresser and such. And that’s what I did.” At 16, Golding dropped out of school to work at a salon, later moving to London to work at the salon of royalty shearer Richard Ward.
The debate between In-N-Out Burger & Shake Shack: I tell him I’m team In-N-Out, to which he protests, “But their fries are terrible.”
His previous job as a travel guide on TV helped him navigate Hollywood: “I do. For me there’s a realism to everything, and I don’t get too carried away by the glittery, glamorous side of Hollywood. Because I know what really matters in the world. I understand all of this is super fleeting. It could be the fact that I’m a flavor of the month.
What he needs to learn next: “The American accent, which I really f–king suck at. I’ll research. I’m, like, an Internet fiend. I will research anything and everything that pops into my head. YouTube is my university. It’s where I’ve pretty much grown up for the past ten years—I left school when I was like 16, 17. I learned in life from a very young age that I soaked in a lot more from people that I respected and could learn from rather than a textbook.
He’s not intimidated by Hollywood: “No, not really. That’s the weird thing. It feels so normal and natural. I made it this far in life without having to rely on anyone but myself. I can manage it if I don’t make it in Hollywood. I’ve got nothing to lose. Which is the great thing. There’s no pressure. If I really enjoy it, which I thoroughly do right now, I’m gonna continue to work my hardest for it. It’s not as though I’m trying to appease anyone else but myself. A lot of people say, “I gotta win my awards.” I just wanna make great movies…There’s another side to me that’s like, “I don’t know if I’d be comfortable being Brad Pitt famous.” You can’t walk anywhere. You can’t live a life.
Lord, I hope he’s not the “flavor of the month.” I hope Crazy Rich Asians was a launch pad for even bigger things. I enjoy how comfortable he is with everything in Hollywood too – there doesn’t seem to be much angst or ennui, and he’s not performing his “discomfort” or “humility” for GQ. No, he’s confidant and engaged and he feels like he belongs. That’s how it should be, and it’s refreshing. Also refreshing? A man who has strong opinions about fast food french fries. THIS IS AN IMPORTANT ISSUE AND I THANK HIM FOR RAISING AWARENESS.
#CrazyRichAsians wasn't supposed to be a smash. @HenryGolding was never supposed to be an actor. So what expectation is he going to shatter next? https://t.co/22PgAa7C3z pic.twitter.com/B4DjgWkqTk
— GQ Magazine (@GQMagazine) November 13, 2018
Photos courtesy of GQ.
I completely agree about In n Out fries (the burgers however, are delicious). The only fast food fries I will eat are from McDonalds. We get our first Shake Shack next year. Fingers crossed for good fries!
Try ordering the In’N’Out fries well done. It definitely makes them better. Not great, but better for sure.
And if you can get them freshly hot, they’re OK, but if they’ve been sitting for more than 2 minutes they’re bad.
Habit Burger fries are really good.
The burgers or ok. I have to order mine with light lettuce to even taste the meat on a single. Fries are not great but I appreciate those are real fresh cut potatoes.
Yes! We tried them on a trip to America in 2016 and I was like ‘what ARE these?!’ They tasted like nothing and had the texture of old, dry dish sponge. I wasn’t that impressed with the burger either, way too salty.
Their fries ARE terrible though.
Just facts.
P.S. feel free to post more Henry. I’m here for it.
Henry is gorgeous. Loved him in CRA!
More Henry, please.
agreed! Honking for Henry – he is lovely to look at and listen to and I hope he has a very long, very successful career 🙂
He’s gorgeous and I wish him well but, ummm *whispers* I didn’t think he was all that great in CRA. ** 😬 Yeah I said it! Beautiful, but acting wise a “meh”. Not saying he can’t improve but I must say I cringed when I heard his next movie is with Emilie Clarke. That’s a lot of so so for one movie.
OK, I’ve maxed out the inner bitch, back to admiring photos. 😁
He seems lovely but I feel like his fate will go the same way as Armie Hammer. They are both gorgeous, sweet seeming men, but they also come off as kind of big goobers when you watch them on screen, which may make it difficult for him to take off.
He’s got sort of an old fashioned beauty about him, doesn’t he? I suppose that was the point of the photoshoot, but you could easily picture his face at any point in Hollywood history.
Bad French Fries are a blight on the Earth. If you’re going to make your body suffer through all of that grease and poor nutrition, it better be delicious. There’s a reason I skip out on them a lot when I eat fast food. If they’re not fresh, what’s the point?
He is gorgeous. That is all.
He is very photogenic!
He’s a beautiful man and I love the photo shoot.
Lord, the fantasies in my head when I look at this man.
¯_(ツ)_/¯
I’m in small town Canada, I don’t get to eat any of this stuff. I freaking love Dairy Queen fries though. To me, they’re pretty much perfect as far as mass-produced fast food goes. McDonalds fries when they’re super hot are amazing as well.
We have a local food truck type setup on the wharf in town. They do handmade burgers and fries, and grilled cheese and tacos and specialty poutines. I have literally ONLY been ordering a dilly poutine every single time I go. I would pay like 40 bucks to have one of those right now because it’s officially their off-season as of about two weeks ago. It has pieces of battered deep fried pickles, fried onion and a creamy dill sauce in addition to the normal poutine fixings. I could cry it’s so good.
in-n-out burger does have terrible fries! last time I went with my roommate I said they call this place in-n-out burger for a reason, don’t even bother with the fries. AWFUL
Future sexiest man alive?
Animal Style y’all. Animal Style. That’s what makes their fries bearable. They’re terrible otherwise.
Saw his interview and he’s excellent at interviewing – probably thanks to his hosting career. Comes across as humble but confident and easygoing. Glad an Asian guy is getting mainstream roles. He was good in A Simple Favor but I’m not at all interested in seeing CRA (and I’m East Asian). Personally I don’t find him hot but he has that Chow Yun Fat look to him. His parents are Iban-Malaysian and British so I don’t think he speaks Mandarin or Cantonese, which would be best if he wanted a big career in Asia. Aside, his wife is Taiwanese but her biological father – she never met him – was Italian and her mum married a Hong-Kong-born man who helped raise her as his own.