Cover Constance Wu as Rachel Chu and Henry Golding as Nicholas Young in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’. The 2018 blockbuster has an eight-episode HBO series on the way (Photo: IMDB)
Constance Wu as Rachel Chu and Henry Golding as Nicholas Young in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’. The 2018 blockbuster has an eight-episode HBO series on the way (Photo: IMDB)
1 / 1
As Constance Wu, Henry Golding and Michelle Yeoh prepare to return to the world of ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ on HBO, here is the high-society pecking order the 2018 film left behind
When Crazy Rich Asians closed on a Marina Bay Sands rooftop in 2018, the fireworks suggested a tidy ending. Look closer, and the scorecard is far messier. With an eight-episode HBO series on the way, Constance Wu and Henry Golding set as series regulars, Michelle Yeoh in a recurring role and Ronny Chieng joining as a regular, the question is who truly held power when the credits rolled. Some walked away with their independence intact; others kept their fortunes but lost their footing. Here is the pecking order, from those who claimed total leverage to those stripped of status, as production eyes a 2027 window.
In case you missed it: 10 times BTS members wrote and produced their own hits, from ‘Spring Day’ to ‘Like Crazy’
Rachel Chu (Constance Wu)—the game-theory victor holding all the matriarchal leverage
Above Constance Wu as game-theory victor Rachel Chu in 'Crazy Rich Asians'
Rachel left Crazy. Rich Asians having flipped the rules. Facing Eleanor at the mahjong table, the NYU professor drew on the game theory she teaches: holding the winning tile, she discarded it, let Eleanor win and laid her hand face up, proving she had refused Nick’s first proposal to protect his bond with his family. Nick then proposed with Eleanor’s emerald ring, handing Rachel the matriarch’s blessing on her terms.
Nicholas Young (Henry Golding)—the scion who successfully bridged love and family
Above Henry Golding as scion Nicholas Young in 'Crazy Rich Asians'
Nick finished Crazy Rich Asians with the woman he loved and his place in the family, having offered to renounce his fortune for Rachel. When Eleanor surrendered her ring, he was spared disinheritance, but the clash between his life abroad and his duties as heir to Tyersall Park was only deferred. Golding returns as a series regular, so expect that tension to surface.
Astrid Leong-Teo (Gemma Chan)—the liberated aristocrat reclaiming her self-worth
Above Gemma Chan as liberated aristocrat Astrid Leong-Teo in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’
Astrid spent much of Crazy Rich Asians shrinking herself, hiding her couture purchases to protect her husband Michael’s ego. His infidelity ended that. When he blamed her family’s wealth, she reminded him she had 14 apartments of her own and walked out. Director Jon M Chu cut a dance with Charlie Wu (played by Harry Shum Jr) so her exit read as self-determination. Gemma Chan’s return has yet to be confirmed.
Eleanor Sung-Young (Michelle Yeoh)—the guarded gatekeeper executing a dignified retreat
Above Michelle Yeoh as guarded gatekeeper Eleanor Sung-Young in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’
Eleanor ended on a strategic retreat. Haunted by never being fully accepted by her own mother-in-law, she had defended the family line against outside individualism. Rachel’s sacrifice echoed the devotion she values most, so she parted with her emerald ring and offered a quiet nod across the party. Yeoh returns in a recurring role, and in Kevin Kwan’s novels the matriarch becomes a calculating ally.
Don’t miss: Beyond the music: fine art and literature hidden in BTS songs
Goh Peik Lin (Awkwafina)—the nouveau-riche confidante securing VIP access
Above Awkwafina as nouveau-riche confidante Goh Peik Lin in 'Crazy Rich Asians'
Peik Lin ends Crazy Rich Asians as Rachel’s sharpest ally. Her family’s gold-leaf aesthetic had drawn sneers from old money, yet she offered sanctuary after the Tyersall Park debacle and supplied the wardrobe and backing for Rachel’s comeback. She celebrates on the rooftop with access to circles that once mocked her. Awkwafina’s return is unconfirmed, but in the novels she stays Rachel’s grounded sounding board.
Edison ‘Eddie’ Cheng (Ronny Chieng)—the insecure banker desperately posturing for family standing
Above Ronny Chieng as insecure banker Eddie Cheng in 'Crazy Rich Asians'
Eddie is the film’s superficial foil: a Hong Kong private banker who barks orders at his wife, Fiona (Victoria Loke), and their children while staging effortless elegance for society magazines. Chieng is confirmed as a series regular, and in the novels, Eddie turns from comic relief into an aggressive player, chasing the Tyersall Park inheritance before being publicly disgraced.
Oliver T’sien (Nico Santos)—the glamorous stylist juggling society taste and scant means
Above Nico Santos as glamorous stylist Oliver T’sien in ‘Crazy Rich Asians’
Oliver, who brands himself the family’s “poor relation” and “rainbow sheep”, guided Rachel through her society debut in Crazy Rich Asians, then celebrated her triumph from the rooftop. Beneath the camp charm lies vulnerability: Kwan’s sequels reveal that his branch of the family lost nearly its entire fortune in the Barings Bank collapse. Nico Santos’s return has not been confirmed.
Michael Teo (Pierre Png)—the emasculated outcast cast aside by high society
Above Pierre Png as outcast husband Michael Teo in 'Crazy Rich Asians'
Michael is the one left with nothing. Insecure about his wife’s wealth, he cheated, blamed her family’s fortune and watched Astrid leave. In the novels, his resentment turns to financial and psychological retaliation after he learns Charlie secretly funded the buyout of his struggling start-up. Pierre Png’s involvement is unconfirmed, but the bitterness is ripe for a messy, serialised divorce.
NOW READ
7 young royals to know now: from Princess Leonor of Spain to Prince Hisahito of Japan
Nana K-dramas: 7 must-watch shows to stream after ‘The Scandal’
Topics
After more than a decade in lifestyle media, Clifford has mastered the art of writing seriously about things that are fun—and writing fun things about people who take themselves very seriously. At Tatler Asia, he helped steer its flagship lists, Tatler’s Most Influential and Asia’s Most Stylish. And today, he leads T-Labs, Tatler Asia’s content innovation hub, where he continues the noble pursuit of lifestyle storytelling, spinning stories on wealth, entertainment, necessary style, Hallyu, Hollywood, beauty and more for audiences across Asia.
