Here’s What Awkwafina Is Up To In 2021

Awkwafina a.k.a Nora Lum (who, by the way, is celebrating her birthday at the time of writing, 2 June) has gone a long way since she rose to online popularity with her rap song My Vag. Since then, she has produced two studio albums, collaborated with fellow comedian Margaret Cho and landed a breakthrough role as eccentric and hilarious Goh Peik Lin in the 2018 hit movie Crazy Rich Asians.

Not long after that, Awkwafina received the 2020 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy for her performance in the A24 dramedy The Farewell. These days, she’s been busy with upcoming roles, being featured in magazine covers and more. Keep reading to catch up with what the birthday girl is up to lately.

Chatting about Raya and the Last Dragon

Since the release of Raya and the Last Dragon, Awkwafina has been giving interviews about her role as the voice of Sisu, the film’s last dragon. In one interview, she shared that she and Sisu have a lot in common; they share a love for food and a tendency to stay positive in dire situations.

Awkwafina also talked about what it’s like to film during a pandemic and revealed that she and her co-star Kelly Marie Tran, who voiced Raya, actually haven’t spent time together because half the movie was filmed during lockdown. The two have been bonding only now that the film has released through appearing in online press interviews together.

Interested in seeing Awkwafina in the movie? Good news! You don’t need a Disney+ subscription to watch the film, you can just rent it on YouTube movies.

Taking on a role in a new Marvel film

Awkwafina is also part of Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, set to be released this coming September. She’ll play the lead’s new close friend who is unaware of his dark past and will be entangled in the world of assassins. She will star alongside Canadian actor Simu Liu (Shang-Chi) and other remarkable actors of Asian ancestry, including Tony Leung, Michelle Yeoh, and Fala Chen.

The movie is said to be part of MCU’s (Marvel Cinematic Universe) “Phase 4” after Avengers: Endgame. The story will be based on the original Marvel Comics about a trained assassin who left his past behind in search of a normal life. Sounds exciting! We hope we get to see Awkwafina bust some action moves.

Diving into The Little Mermaid and more

Awkwafina has also confirmed that she will be joining the cast of The Little Mermaid live-action starring Halle Bailey. She will voice Scuttle, Ariel’s loveable seagull sidekick. Can you imagine it already?

Aside from that, she’s also working with Sandra Oh (Grey’s Anatomy) in a soon-to-be-released wacky sister comedy for Netflix. The plot will revolve around a woman whose life has been turned upside down when her estranged sister comes back in her life to help her become a game show contestant, according to Deadline.

Awkwafina will also star in the anticipated film Swan Song. It’s a drama film about a man who, after being diagnosed with a terminal illness, is given the option to leave a carbon copy of himself in the world. Awkwafina will play the supportive close friend and confidante of the lead character (yet again), reports Variety. With all these best friend roles, we can’t help but wonder if Awkwafina is the new Judy Greer. Nevertheless, we hope she’ll soon be in another movie where she plays the lead role.

Being featured in magazine covers

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Awkwafina has graced many magazine covers, including Vogue Singapore’s. The latest one? The cover of Allure. For the cover story, she talked to the magazine’s editor-in-chief Michelle Lee about a lot of topics — from her love for true crime to the recent violent incidents involving the AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders) community in the United States.

Today, just in time for her birthday, Allure also released a video of Awkwafina trying things she’s never done before: model a mermaid tail, put together a ‘90s-themed collage, do a lip balm blind taste-test, read a crystal ball, tie a shoe with one hand, do the dizzy bat game, name lipstick shades, give a mannequin a haircut, and draw a rainbow self-portrait. If you’re having a bad day, her adorableness in this video will banish your blues.