What does money mean to Crazy Rich Asians' Henry Golding?

Straits Times

3 days ago

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Actor Henry Golding is currently starring in The Old Guard 2 on Netflix with Charlize Theron.
SINGAPORE - Hollywood star Henry Golding had his breakout role in Crazy Rich Asians in 2018, a film that eventually grossed over US$238 million (S$303 million) at the worldwide box office.
The man himself was said to have a net worth of around US$3 million – and that was in 2022, according to the South China Morning Post.
He is currently starring in The Old Guard 2 on Netflix with Charlize Theron and has been in films like The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare, released in 2024, alongside the likes of Henry Cavill.
He might even be returning to his role as Nick Young in a Crazy Rich Asians television series, which is said to be in the works.
But what does money mean to Golding himself?
It is all about finding stable growth, he says.
The thrill of the market and playing with the volatility of stocks and shares does not appeal to Golding.
'I'd like to put money into something where I can sit on it for four to five years, and hopefully see a good return in the end,' he says.
The uncertainty of the acting business is also part of what prompted Golding to look into stable investments.
He adds: 'They say, when it rains, it pours. And it is never only one bus that comes. That's the way with acting.
'I can have a really busy period – six to seven months of back-to-back work – and then I can have some downtime. So in those downtimes, your brain starts freaking out, asking, oh, am I ever going to work again? So you tend to be very conscious about what your money is doing for you.'
But money is also not just for investing, but for creating moments of personal joy and fulfilment, Golding says.
He is attracted to 'new shiny things' like watches, recently having found his 'holy grail' yellow-gold Cartier Tank a Guichet which he wore to the Met Gala. He previously said he blew an entire season's pay cheque from a travel show he hosted on a Cartier Pasha watch.
'I love watches. I enjoy watches. So I only ever buy watches that I would wear. And I never have in mind that, oh, I'm going to put this in a safe, and five years down the line, I'm going to sell it for a profit. That's never the case,' he says.
As a self-professed 'geek' who collected Pokemon cards and Magic: The Gathering cards as a child, Golding says there is joy in buying things just for his own pleasure.
'It's about things that I'm passionate about and I love. It is not necessary that everything has to give you a return. When you're passionate about something, that investment is within yourself.'
Investing in himself is also why Golding thinks his early hairdressing days laid a solid foundation in his life.
He was 16 when he left school and became an apprentice, eventually graduating and becoming a fully fledged hairstylist.
'When you learn a trade like hairdressing or plumbing, building, anything like that, you can make money, without a doubt. If you want to work, and if you work hard, you can make money. So I knew that I had that in my pocket,' he says.
'So whatever I choose moving forward, I can fall back on that. It was like an investment in myself.'
And what would the 38-year-old Golding tell his younger self who was shopping at the cheapest supermarkets and making £24 (S$42) a day as a teenager helping out at a barber shop on Saturdays?
'Enjoy the fruits of your labour, but also be smart and invest,' he says.