Awkwafina tonight became the first Asian American and Asian actress to win a Golden Globe for best actress in a musical or comedy for her performance in The Farewell.
The comedic actress and former rapper challenged herself by turning a heartfelt dramatic performance with a light touch in a role that perhaps demanded much more of herself than ever before.
Awkwafina began her acceptance speech with some levity, joking as she held up her coveted trophy, “If I fall on hard times, I can sell this.”
She quickly turned serious, however, thanking Zhao Shuzen, the woman who played her grandma, and one of the first person’s she hugged after her award was announced. She also gave a nod to director Lulu Wang who Awkwafina said gave her “the chance of a lifetime” and taught her “so much.”
The actress did not forget her family, thanking her mother who she said would be watching from above and her dad, Wally, who she dedicated her honor.
” I told you I would get a job, Dad,” she reminded him.
Backstage, Variety reported that Awkwafina commented on the significance of her win to the Asian community.
“I just heard that fact and it was pretty mind blowing,” she began. “There’s also this other feeling that you want there to be more, and I hope this is just the beginning.”
She played Billi, a Chinese American granddaughter who reluctantly conspired with the rest of the family to withhold a terminal diagnosis from her grandmother. The family travels back to China to see grandma one last time under the ruse of a family wedding. It was a character she understood.
“I relate to her mentality a lot,” she said. “A lot of children of immigrants in this country do. We are raised to feel like Americans, and when we go back we’re told we don’t belong there. It’s a constant feeling of being lost in translation, and that’s something that definitely resonated with me.”
Awkwafina will star in the upcoming show on Comedy Central, Nora From Queens and will also appear in Marvel’s Shang-Chi.
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