The Ultimate Guide to the Crazy Rich Asians Film
We’re a few weeks away from the local release of Crazy Rich Asians on August 22. For anyone who’s read the trilogy and is eagerly awaiting to see how Asians will be represented in the film, this last stretch is the toughest.
To tide fans over, here's a rundown of details about the film, the trailers, a complete list of who’s playing which character, and what the stars themselves think of their roles.
The Plot
Rachel Wu is invited by her longtime boyfriend Nick Young, the seemingly normal and sensible history professor, to go to Singapore with him to the wedding of his childhood friend, Colin Khoo, and to meet his family while at it. Rachel has no clue as to what she’s in for—Nick lives in a world where the primary mode of transportation are private jets, where homes are designed with luxury car elevators, and entire hotels and enterprises can be bought out with a phone call.
Hilarity and drama ensue as Rachel tries to cope with the fast lifestyle of Nick’s ultra-wealthy family and friends, all while she deals with his jealous exes and Nick’s disapproving mother, Eleanor.
The Trailers
The official trailer provides ample snippets of the film and gives us a peek into Rachel’s initial shock at her boyfriend’s wealth.
The real jaw-dropper, however, is the over-two-minute clip of the movie. Nick and Rachel are seated at a café in New York, where he asks her to
Cast & Character Descriptions
Constance Wu as Rachel Chu
The Fresh Off the
Henry Golding as Nick Young
Golding is a relative unknown in Hollywood and was once a BBC Travel presenter. He plays the male protagonist, Nick Young. Despite growing up a scion of a wealthy family, Nick never let his wealth or status define him.
Michelle Yeoh as Eleanor Young
The Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star plays Nick’s mother, a perfect embodiment of elegance and old money. She’s protective of her only child and wants nothing but the best for him—this means marriage to a woman with an honorable lineage.
Gemma Chan as Astrid Leong
Gemma Chan takes on the role of the ultra-stylish Astrid, Nick’s favorite cousin. She seems to be the only one from Nick’s family who truly takes Rachel’s side but has to attend to some drama of her own.
Awkwafina as Peik Lin Goh
Peik Lin Goh is Rachel’s best friend from school. She also comes from a wealthy family in Singapore but they are considered “new money.”
Chris Pang as Colin Khoo
Pang plays Colin Khoo, Nick’s childhood best friend.
Sonoya Mizuno as Araminta Lee
Colin’s bride, Araminta, is a glamorous supermodel who also comes from a moneyed family. She graciously invites Rachel to her bridal shower, where things go sour for the newcomer.
Remy Hii as Alistair Cheng
Alistair Cheng is Nick’s cousin. He buys himself into the film business and makes heads turn when he takes Kitty Pong, a gold-digging wannabe starlet, to the wedding.
Pierre Png as Michael Teo
Michael Teo is Astrid’s controlling husband. A former Army captain, Michael’s insecurities come from in-laws who never fail to remind him that he married up.
Ronny Chieng as Eddie Cheng
One of Nick’s crazy cousins, the Hong Kong-based Eddie is obsessed with wealth and status.
Jimmy O. Yang as Bernard Tai
In the film, Bernard stages an over-the-top bachelor party for Colin, who only invited him because the two families do business together.
Nico Santos as Oliver T’sien
U.S.-based Filipino actor Nico Santos plays Oliver
The rest of the cast:
Tan
Lisa Lu as Shang Su Yi
Ken Jeong as Goh Wye Mun
Koh Chieng Mun as Neena Goh
Constance Lau as Celine Lim
Selena Tan as Alexandra Cheng
Janice Koh as Felicity Leong
Jing Lusi as Amanda Ling
Amy Cheng as Jacqueline Ling
Victoria Loke as Fiona Cheng
Fiona Xie as Kitty Pong
Harry Shum Jr. as Charlie Wu
Kris Aquino as Princess Intan
Cast and character descriptions are based on the production notes from the film and may differ from those in the book.
Kris Aquino as Princess Intan
Movie Stills
Warner Bros. has allowed Town&Country permission to release photos of the movie stills below:
Nick shares a moment with his favorite cousin, Astrid.
Rachel gets advice from Peik Lin.
Gemma Chan as the stylish yet modest Astrid Leong
A possible scene from Colin's bachelor party
Peik Lin Goh welcomes her best friend Rachel Chu to her gilded mansion in Singapore.
Michelle Yeoh as Eleanor Young
Chris Pang as Colin Khoo
Fil-Am actor Nico Santos as Oliver T'sien stands next to Michelle Yeoh as Eleanor Young.
Rachel talks to Peik Lin's father, the eccentric Goh Wye Mun played by Ken Jeong.
Araminta Lee gets a surprise during her lavish destination bridal shower.
Colin Khoo stands next to his best man, Nick Young, and the rest of his groomsmen.
Initial Reception
The film is set in Singapore and Malaysia and features an all-Asian ensemble. The feat is something that hasn’t been seen in contemporary Hollywood, save for period films, in 25 years. The last movie similar to this is the movie adaptation of Amy Tan’s Joy Luck Club.
Director Jon M. Chu made headline two years ago when he revealed his plans for the film.
With amazing Asian actors cast in EVERY SINGLE ROLE. #itstime #CrazyRichAsians https://t.co/BoLEaaBEOr
— Jon M. Chu (@jonmchu) May 4, 2016
Constance Wu recently spoke out about the significance of the film and why it’s important for her and her fellow Asian actors.
She tweeted, “History is about to be made again—in a little over a week, the Warner Bros film Crazy Rich Asians will be released, it’s a bit of déjà vu for me, bc CRA is the first Hollywood Studio film in over 25 years to center an Asian American’s story. Before CRA, I hadn’t even done a tiny part in a studio film… I never dreamed I would get to star in one… because I had never seen that happen to someone who looked like me. CRA is changing that, just like [Fresh Off the Boat] did. CRA not only centers on an Asian American story, it is also filled with a talented, dynamic, unique all-Asian cast.”
#CrazyRichAsians opens August 15th. Read below to understand why it means so much to so many people. All love. @CrazyRichMovie @FreshOffABC @WarnerBrosEnt pic.twitter.com/IISLRDMRjU
— Constance Wu (@ConstanceWu) August 1, 2018
Wu’s co-star, Henry Golding, even had to defend his casting, since some fans of the book
