Actor Henry Golding has become a serious name in film over the past two years. He burst onto the scene in a big way with Crazy Rich Asians, playing the endlessly charming Nick as the movie became a pop culture sensation. Since then he's starred in two Paul Feig movies, A Simple Favor and Last Christmas. He's also a supporting character in Guy Ritchie's The Gentlemen, which is nearly in theaters. And it turns out that he filmed his roles in both Last Christmas and The Gentlemen at the same time.
Henry Golding is mostly known for playing charming good guys, which is quite different from his character Dry Eye in The Gentlemen. The trailers show him as a foul-mouthed a violent criminal, but it turns out that he filmed his role as Tom in Last Christmas at the very same time. I had the chance to speak with the cast of The Gentlemen ahead of its release, where Golding told me about his hectic shooting schedule. Check out our conversation below.
Talk about two very different movies. The holiday-themed romantic comedy Last Christmas required Henry Golding to flex charming and affectionate acting muscles. Meanwhile, he's pretty loathsome in The Gentlemen. And that juxtaposition was a particularly unique experience for the 32 year-old actor as he filmed both projects at once.
Clearly Henry Golding's career is taking off right now. Since Crazy Rich Asians became a hit in 2018, he's gotten a handful of very exciting opportunities. And they just keep coming as Golding recently began production as the title character in the upcoming G.I. Joe movie Snake Eyes. While that foray into the action world will no doubt provide it sown set of challenges, it turns out that his work in Last Christmas and The Gentlemen was a masterclass in film acting for him.
As you can see from my conversation with Henry Golding above, the Crazy Rich Asians star actually really enjoyed filming both Last Christmas and The Gentlemen at the same time. Because while it may have been exhausting (even for his wife), it was a challenge to wake up every day possibly working on a different movie. Especially since the roles, and the films themselves, are so very different.
In Last Christmas, Henry Golding was a pretty typical leading man. His character Tom was shown falling in love with Emilia Clarke's protagonist, sweeping her off her feet with his kindness and hope. But those aren't concepts that are clearly foreign to his character in Guy Ritchie's newest crime drama The Gentlemen.
The Gentlemen follows a motley group of criminals, as they attempt to acquire Matthew McConaughey's massive marijuana empire in the UK. Chief among them is Henry Golding's Dry Eye, a murderous young buck who is hoping to make a bigger name for himself. He's cut throat and wild, dropping C-bombs alongside the rest of the cast.
The Gentlemen will arrive in theaters on January 24th. In the meantime, check out our 2020 release list to plan your next trip to the movies.
