Page 25 - Ocean Blue World 24th Edition

Outlandish, outspoken and always outstanding, the Queens-bred rapper (nee Nora Lum) transformed her street cred into scene-stealing, silver screen magic in 2018’s Crazy Rich Asians and Ocean’s 8. Accolades for her
performance as Billi Wang in 2019’s The Farewell resulted in a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical Comedy, the first-ever win for a performer of Asian descent. Born to a South Korean immigrant mother and Chinese-American father, Lum says she chose the stage name Awkwafina as a play on the word “awkward,” which she often felt growing up. In early 2020, SK Global announced it had signed Lum to The Baccarat Machine where she will undoubtedly continue to turn awkward into amazing.
Awkwafina
“I know what I want, and that’s to tell stories that make impact on people, to tell good stories. That’s what I have control over.” – Awkwafina
Director Jon M. Chu’s career began at the age of 23 when Steven Spielberg took notice of the budding filmmaker’s final project at the University of California Film School. During the first 15 years of his career, Chu directed films such as Justin Bieber:
Never Say Never, and Jem and the Holograms, but came into his own with Crazy Rich Asians, the 2018 ground-breaking rom-com that tackled Asian and Asian-American relationships with introspective humor. Chu, who grew up the son of Chinese immigrants in Palo Alto, was eager to tackle the challenges of dual cultural identity and has drawn accolades for helping break down cultural barriers in Hollywood.
ON THE MOVE
Jon M. Chu
“We’re all trying to find our place.
We’re all trying to figure out how to fit in. And we’re not alone in our struggle.” -- Jon M. Chu
Photos Courtesy Of: Peggy Sirota, Bryan Dale, Warner Bros. Pictures
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