Crazy Rich Asians, Kevin Kwan's best-selling novel detailing the lives of Asia's rich and famous is set to hit cinemas next month. And while a lot of us already know Kris Aquino's involvement in the film and have replayed the released trailers (over and over and over again!), many have also been crushing on the men in the film. After all, several eye-candy Asian actors are part of the cast and are also quite known in their craft. Now, we put the spotlight on the male actors of CRA:
Henry Golding as Nick Young
This travel host-presenter with Malaysian and British roots plays Nicholas Young, the heartthrob NYU history professor who hid his old money status from his girlfriend, Rachel Chu, who is played by Constance Wu. Henry Golding has told Entertainment Weekly that "Nick is an extremely genuine guy. He wears his heart on his sleeve. He's caught in this crossfire… He's a little befuddled, but his heart is in the right place, and that's what [director Jon M. Chu] really wanted to put across."
Chris Pang as Colin Khoo
Australian-Asian actor Chris Pang, who reminds us of F4's Vanness Wu, plays Colin Khoo, Nick's childhood best friend. Colin and Araminta Lee's wedding is the reason Nick and Rachel will be going to Singapore in the first place.
Harry Shum Jr. as Charlie Wu
Tech billionaire Charlie Wu is a favorite character in the books, together with ex-fiance (whom he still has feelings for), Astrid Teo. We're glad Glee and Shadowhunters star, Harry Shum Jr., is playing Charlie since Harry has the down-to-earth charisma that makes the character lovable. And can we just say that he also looks so good together with Gemma Chan, who plays Astrid?
Pierre Png as Michael Teo
Singaporean actor Pierre Png plays Michael Teo, Astrid's husband who feels like an outsider among his wife's old rich family even if he has a growing tech business. As Gemma Chan told Entertainment Weekly, "Astrid's always slightly stepping on eggshells around Michael because she doesn't want to emasculate him. But even that in an of itself is not ideal. The fact that she's hiding anything is something that's causing problems in their relationship."
Remy Hii as Alistair Cheng
Australian-Asian actor Remy Hii plays another one of Nick's cousins, Alistair Cheng, who dates the notorious Kitty Pong. Remy recently starred in Netflix's Marco Polo but has also appeared in Australian series like Neighbours and H20: Just Add Water.
Nico Santos as Oliver T'sien
Kris Aquino isn't the only Filipino in the cast. Filipino comedian, Nico Santos, is playing Oliver T'sien, Nick's cousin who's been a "guide" of sorts to the nouveau riche and also shows Rachel the ropes in Nick's world. Nico has a role in Superstore, a hit comedy show from NBC with America Ferrera and Ben Feldman. He plays an undocumented immigrant in the series about the lives of workers in a super-sized store.
"A lot of them are Filipinos, a lot of undocumented people are from our community and it's important to sort of portray them in this light, that we're all contributing members of society," he told Balitang America of his role. According to ABS-CBN News, before his big television break, Nico regularly performed as a stand-up comic and is a self-confessed fan of the Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion love team.
Ronny Chieng as Edison Cheng
Ronny Chieng is Edison Cheng, Nick's pompous, villainous and yet, silly cousin. As for Ronny, he is a comedian and Daily Show correspondent who grew up in Australia and Singapore.
Jimmy O. Yang as Bernard Tai
Jimmy O. Yang, who is also part of HBO's Silicon Valley, stars as the obnoxiously wealthy Bernard Tai. Bernard throws Colin a bachelor party with as many extravagances as he can, except that they're totally lacking in taste and bordering on obnoxious. Jimmy has told Entertainment Weekly how proud he is to be part, for the first time, of a film with a big Asian ensemble.