Golding uses his widespread social media reach to advocate for issues close to his heart, including the importance of mental health for Malaysians as well as the issue of anti-Asian hate, which has heightened during the coronavirus pandemic.

He recently spoke out on Instagram about the ongoing lockdowns in Malaysia, saying that “one thing we take for granted is our mental state and our emotional fragility.” In his IGTV he discussed the fact that many may be thinking about suicide, given the “endless lockdowns, job losses, restrictions and so much else”, and he asked people to consider reaching out to three friends to mentally check up on them. “Have a heart to heart, send a message of love or even a quick ‘thinking of you’ note. It can make a huge difference,” he wrote. The video has been watched nearly a million times.

Alongside many of his Crazy Rich Asians castmates, Golding has also spoken about the issue of Asian hate. “[It] has been seeping into all parts of the world, not just in America… Don’t be a bystander, we are more powerful in numbers. If you see an injustice being committed, do what you can to help the victim,” he wrote on Instagram. “So many times we see these attacks and people of all races turn a blind eye… Love and support each other, that’s the only way we are going to beat this.”

See also: Everything You Need To Know About Actor Angel Locsin

Action film Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins, is a GI Joe spin-off focused on the character of Snake Eyes, played by Henry Golding—a considerable change from Golding’s previous roles in romantic comedies.

The producer of the film, Lorenzo di Bonaventura, told Empire magazine that they had reservations about whether Golding could be taken seriously as an action hero due to his past roles as a “romantic heartthrob”. But he said that Golding “put the work in” for his role. “For us, that was an important thing to say to anyone who wanted to question whether Henry had it. You can’t really ask that question after that [opening] sequence.”

"For everybody who is of mixed race... you're definitely not considered white,” Golding said to the BBC. "You need to take pride in where you're from. I'm neither half white nor half Asian. I'm full both."

Born in Malaysia, Golding and his family moved to Surrey, England at an early age, an experience he called “a slap in the face” due to the rife racism he described facing as a child. He told The Guardian that it was a reminder that he was “different” and “not British”.

When he moved back to Malaysia later in life, it also wasn't the experience he expected. “I felt like a fish out of water. I was like: ‘Whoa, I thought I was Asian… So that just makes you all confused again.” Instead he grew to feel that home and belonging is “wherever [his] loved ones are.”

See more Gen.T honourees from the Entertainment category of the Gen.T List 2020