Henry Golding talks about taking on a gay role in new movie Monsoon
Henry Golding has done all he can to not be pigeonholed into a specific type of role since he made his mark with Crazy Rich Asians in 2018.
From the fooled husband in A Simple Favour and enigmatic stranger in Last Christmas to the gangster in The Gentlemen, Golding has kept busy in varied roles since his Hollywood breakthrough and Monsoon offers a completely new side again.
Golding stars in the intimate and beautiful drama as Kit, who returns to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time since he was six years old when his family fled Vietnam. He finds a city he doesn't recognise and embarks on a personal journey to understand himself and open up the possibility for friendship, love and happiness.
It was a role that spoke personally to the star when he first read the script during the press tour for Crazy Rich Asians.
"Kit is Vietnamese, but has grown up in the UK and has no real connection apart from his physical connection with Vietnam. So he straddles these two cultures and that's something I’ve had to struggle with, being half-Malaysian and half-British," Golding told Digital Spy.
"His journey back to Vietnam under the guise of trying to find a resting place for his parents, really was a journey into himself. I think he did it for selfish reasons – he wanted to get to the bottom of who he was. So I felt that draw back to the motherland very similar to my experience in life."
There was, however, some hesitation in taking on the lead role in Monsoon given that it would mean a straight actor taking on a gay leading role, something that is in short supply even after the recent strides in the industry.
"I used to be a hairdresser, so my environment as a young man was with all of these mentors of strong, gay, independent men. So I understand, and I respect the culture so much," Golding reflected.
"But there's only so much you can say to somebody and justify a straight man taking a gay role."
In the end, it was the fact that writer/director Hong Khaou saw Golding as being the right man for the role that played a part in him taking it on, as well as the fact that Monsoon's story doesn't centre on Kit's sexuality.
"It didn't hinge on the fact that he was queer, and the story wasn't about that, and I think it's important to be able to distinguish that. With Hong's filmmaking, it becomes a matter of fact," Golding explained.
"It almost normalises it, and that was the beauty of the movie – it didn't hinge on the fact that the character was queer. I spoke at great lengths to Hong about it and I thought about it a tremendous amount.
"I felt as though going into a role with complete respect and understanding of the community and giving it my best shot – I think it was, hopefully, enough for people. It's coming from a place of good will."
For fans of Golding's work to date, his performance in Monsoon won't be what you expect as it's often more about the quieter moments.
After Kit arrives in Vietnam at the start of the movie, he struggles with his place in this city so unfamiliar to him. The movie is Kit's journey to discover more about himself, so it's fitting that he's not openly expressing his feelings to everyone he meets.
"I think Hong has a very special way of creating and drawing out truth in silence. It's something that we spoke about. We, as humans, we tend not to portray our angst, our discomfort, our quizzical nature. It really sits within us," Golding noted.
"Hong's goal was to portray that in these long silences, in these troubled moments of Kit looking confused and looking out of place in this alien environment that he thought he belonged to because he's Vietnamese."
Kit's journey in Monsoon sees him reconnect with his cousin (David Tran) and meet the "next generation" of Vietnam in Linh (Molly Harris), but arguably his most important connection comes with American tourist Lewis (Parker Sawyers).
The pair strike up a relationship during Kit's time in Vietnam and bond over their pasts, with Lewis trying to make amends for his father's role in the war.
"Kit and Lewis's relationship, it starts off like all relationships with real fiery passion. But then as the journey goes on, as Kit takes down the walls slowly and surely, the tenderness starts coming into the relationship," Golding outlined.
"There's the one scene where it slowed down. It's very intimate. I think that's a progression that we worked on, not only within that relationship, but Kit's journey.
"At the beginning, he arrives in Vietnam, and he's overwhelmed. He can barely cross the street. He doesn't know where to look. It's an assault on the senses. But as he progresses through to the end of the journey, you see that he's almost light on his feet.
"There's a sense of hope. There's hope for both of the characters that they've both laid to rest something that's been troubling them for a long time – and I think that's beautiful."
Monsoon is out in UK cinemas and on digital platforms on September 25.
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