Henry Golding
Henry Golding

KUALA LUMPUR: Despite becoming a household name after the success of Crazy Rich Asians, Henry Golding still sees himself as an "outsider" in Hollywood.

In a recent interview with entertainment portal Inverse.com, the Sarawakian said that he had always been so since he set foot in the United States.

Golding said: "I'm always the outsider, and still feel like one. I wasn't Asian enough for Crazy Rich Asians and not Caucasian enough for Snake Eyes. People can say what they want and have a minuscule view of the world, but we are global."

Golding sympathised with Chinese-Canadian actor Simu Liu who was criticised after landing the leading role in Marvel's coming superhero film Shang-Chi.

He said: "This is too much. We're playing characters, not their background. We shouldn't be having such conversations when we are fighting for something so much bigger.

"All of us should be uplifting each other and rooting for the success of everyone. Not just a few because they've been lucky to be brought up in a certain location."

Golding admitted that despite being a person of mixed race, he had firmly decided to be "his own man".

"I'm going to be who I am and lead a movie the best way I can."

He insisted that race should not matter when it came to casting.

"It starts with the directors and producers. They are the ones creating stories and characters anybody can play. Is it so important that your character has to be a particular race?

"If the character's actions drive the story, anyone can play it. Anyone should play it."

Golding, 34, who is of British and Iban parentage, hails from Betong, Sarawak.

Growing up in the United Kingdom, he returned to Malaysia when he was 21, and began his showbiz career in 2009 when he co-hosted talk show The 8TV Quickie with actress Belinda Chee.

Besides Crazy Rich Asians, Golding has also starred in the films A Simple Favour, The Gentleman, Last Christmas and Snake Eyes.

He has also appeared in a Malaysian film, Pisau Cukur, in 2009 alongside Aaron Aziz, Nur Fazura Sharifuddin, Maya Karin and Liyana Jasmay.