Simu Liu lost Crazy Rich Asians role because he's not 'white-passing'? Netizens defend Henry Golding as truly Southeast Asian

Asian Canadian actor Simu Liu has unwittingly stepped on a landmine and sparked a Twitter war when he shared how he'd auditioned four times for roles in Crazy Rich Asians but failed to nab a part in the hit 2018 film.

Describing how he was told he didn't have the 'It-factor', Simu shared in the podcast interview How to Fail with Elizabeth Day: "I didn't have that thing that made people want to watch it."

The role of the lead Singaporean character Nick Young, as we all know, went to Malaysian-British actor Henry Golding, whose mother is from the Iban tribe in Sarawak.

And even though Simu shared he had also auditioned for other parts in the film — including that of Nick's best friend Colin (played by Chris Pang) and cousin Astrid's husband Michael (a role which went to Singaporean actor Pierre Png) — the conversation somehow turned to how Henry was cast because of how he looks. 

Replies to a tweet by Indiewire on Simu's interview stirred up accusations that Hollywood execs chose Henry simply because he was "white-passing" — meaning he's able to pass off as Caucasian — in an industry often accused of being racially biased. 

Wrote one Twitter user: "Just say that Simu Liu is too Asian for you with your f****** chest, stop hiding it in euphemisms".

Others also highlighted how Henry possessed "conventionally attractive" looks by Western standards, plus, he "has the British accent".

Another Twitter user suggested that Simu, being ethnically Chinese, would have made "a lot more sense" in the role "than a half-white one".

"What does a Malaysian/British actor know about Singapore?" wrote one netizen.

Her tweet ignited a flurry of comments and temporarily united Malaysians and Singaporeans who schooled the user on the countries' shared history and common cultural background.

Malaysians have also defended Henry's Asian-ness in terms of looks and pointed out the ways in which the half-Malaysian actor was a better fit for the role.

"To me, he looks like almost every Dayak [indigenous people of Borneo] out here," shared one.

Not to mention that Henry is part Southeast Asian, unlike Simu, and has worked in Malaysia and Singapore as an adult. 

Another reason why Henry fit the bill? His English accent would have been in line with how 'atas' (high-class) Malaysians and Singaporeans often send their kids overseas for university.

The criticisms of Henry not being Asian enough aren't new, as the 35-year-old actor himself has acknowledged in previous interviews.

But Simu has admitted that he's grateful for the rejection, sharing that it changed the way he approached his work.

The 33-year-old eventually landed the lead role Shang-Chi in Marvel's 2021 superhero movie Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

ALSO READ: Crazy Rich Asians spin-off focusing on Gemma Chan in the works

candicecai@asiaone.com

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