‘Crazy Rich Asians’ Star Awkwafina Wrote a Heartfelt Note About Believing in Your Dreams
Crazy Rich Asians is one of the most hyped movies of the summer. Ahead of its release on Wednesday, August 15, one of the members of its groundbreaking ensemble cast reflected on how important the experience has been to her in a number of ways.
Awkwafina, who plays Goh Peik Lin in the film, took to Twitter to share a powerful open letter on the importance of believing in yourself. She recalled putting her early songs on YouTube back in 2012, hoping to kickstart a rap career but feeling self conscious about putting herself out there.
“One day, I got the email of my life,” she continued. “An A&R exec at a major record label wanted to meet with me. I listened to ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac on the way to the meeting. He listened to two of my songs and never called again.”
She didn’t give up, though. The 29-year-old stuck to her dreams, and has had the biggest year in her career to date.
“[Five] years later, I’m in an Escalade in a gown, driving down Hollywood Blvd that they shut down for Crazy Rich Asians,” she mused. “And I asked the driver for the aux to play ‘Dreams’ by Fleetwood Mac. I became teary, thinking about this moment, what it meant.”
“I remembered those days when I got fired from my job for Awkwafina, when I was broke for Awkwafina, when I got kicked off line-ups because ‘Awkwafina is a joke,'” she continued. “Awkwafina was a dream I was chasing, and in some ways, I am still chasing her. But we need to take risks. We need to go broke. We need to prove them wrong, simply by not giving up. Awkwafina wasn’t supposed to exist, but somehow she does. And I think about it everyday, that she was born for one reason only — to show every person out there, that it is possible.”
Thank you guys for believing in Awkwafina. pic.twitter.com/DDuhE5ZQf2
— AWKWAFINA (@awkwafina) August 13, 2018
Awkwafina knows the profound effect her success could have on others — including her own grandmother. “I really wanted my grandmother to see this movie and I thought she would be really proud of it,” the multi-talented rapper and actress recently told ET. “It would affect her as an Asian immigrant. She’s been living in this country since the 1960s. I think it’s going to be momentous for generations across the board.”
What would you write in a letter to yourself? Let us know @BritandCo!
(photo via Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images + Sanja Bucko/Warner Bros. Pictures)
