Malaysia-born Hollywood actor Henry Golding playing a gay man in the British film Monsoon calls for a celebration for some people in his home country.
The movie premiered in the UK Friday and features the 33-year-old as a Vietnamese-Brit named Kit, who returns to Vietnam after fleeing the war-torn place when he was little. Golding stars alongside his on-screen love interest Lewis, played by U.S. actor Parker Sawyers.
Back home, fans seemed excited that the Sarawakian took on a role that would not have existed in conservative Malaysia. It did not seem to matter that he was a heterosexual embodying a gay man.
“I’m generally not one to vouch for heteros playing queer characters buttttt since I’m petty and personal I’m all for this simply because I know the locals are losing their little raisin minds over this,” @Serpentbrownie said Monday.
“Henry Golding says GAY RIGHTS and we STAN. #tetapbangga #lgbtmalaysia,” @Lightsong96 wrote online with the popular hashtag and a photo of Golding and Sawyers kissing.
Henry Golding says GAY RIGHTS and we STAN. #tetapbangga #lgbtmalaysia pic.twitter.com/vV7ISmEJ94
— ✨ ✨ (@lightsong96) September 29, 2020
“As Malaysia’s kind of pride in Hollywood, I’m so glad he’s taking challenging roles. Love you @henrygolding. LETS GET THE LOCALS MAD. HENRY GOLDING IS IN A GAY MOVIE BABY,” @Chinkypapi said.
A day before the movie premiered, Golding, who is married to Taiwanese yoga instructor Liv Lo, promoted the movie online, describing it as “beautiful.”
Golding told Attitude Magazine earlier this month that he did not pick the role because of the character’s sexual orientation, but his backstory.
“I’m going to accept this role because of the journey it represents in this man. It’s not a journey into his queerness. It’s a journey into his history,” he was quoted as saying.
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