Henry Golding never intended to become one of Hollywood’s most in-demand leading men. In fact, the British-Malaysian star’s career has been defined by a series of happy accidents, he reveals in the December 2019 issue. Case in point: an impulsive move to Asia to become a travel presenter in his early twenties led, in a roundabout way, to him getting cast as Nick Young in 2018’s seminal Crazy Rich Asians.
His next trick? Playing the romantic lead in the year’s most anticipated Christmas film, Last Christmas – written by none other than Emma Thompson and based on the songs of George Michael. Golding is the impossibly charming Tom, a dyed-in-the-wool optimist falling for the troubled Kate (Emilia Clarke), who works as an elf in a Christmas shop. On set, the pair bonded over a shared love of garage music, belting out So Solid Crew tracks between takes – a far cry from Wham! (“Emilia is much better at lyrics than I am,” he admits.)
Taking on the world of romantic comedies, however, is just the beginning of what Golding has in store. Next year will see him continue to grow his own production company, Long House Productions, which focuses on “thinking man’s action, sci-fi, [and] accessible horror” with truly diverse casts. “We should be normalising that people of colour are taking lead roles.” As for those rumours about him stepping into James Bond’s shoes? “Even to be in that conversation, it’s an honour, but it’s out of my hands, ” he says, with characteristic modesty.
Read the full interview in the December 2019 issue, on newsstands now.
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