Ep 156. Awkwafina
b'Awkwafina (also known as Nora Lum) is having quite a moment. She\\u2019s a part of the impressive cast of female icons (Sandra Bullock, Rihanna, Cate Blanchett, and more) in Ocean\\u2019s 8, and she\\u2019s so hilarious in Crazy Rich Asians that you\\u2019ll barely hear her next line over the sound of your own laughter. What does this moment in the spotlight feel like? Awkwafina likens it to this: \\u201cI compare it to a wall opening up and transporting you to an alternate dimension where there is no gravity, and everything is weird.\\u201d\\n\\nHer initial shock isn\\u2019t so strange when you consider the fact that she never allowed herself to dream of a career in the arts, and there weren\\u2019t exactly any female Asian-American actress/rapper hybrids to pave the road to possibility. Awkwafina tried to follow the path that her friends took after college, but living the buttoned-up office life of a publicity assistant in Manhattan wasn\\u2019t really her thing. When her boss made her choose between her music and her unfulfilling job, it wasn\\u2019t much of a contest\\u2014not only because she got fired, but especially because her identity was at stake. As she explains, \\u201cIf I didn\\u2019t have my music, then I didn\\u2019t have an identity.\\u201d\\n\\nWith nothing to lose, she decided to post her \\u201cMy Vag\\u201d music video on Youtube, in which she hilariously raps about the superiority of her genitalia. After the push of a \\u201cPublish\\u201d button, Awkwafina became a viral success\\u2014and the rest is herstory.\\n\\nAs the first Asian-American actress/rapper of any consequence, Awkwafina acknowledges, \\u201cBeing the first sucks, but I found what I love. I found what I always dreamt of as a kid that would connect with adulthood. It\\u2019s so powerful for me. I finally feel like I can walk and know what I\\u2019m doing. I know why I\\u2019m there.\\u201d\\n\\nAwkwafina joins Off Camera to talk about embracing the responsibility that comes with being an Asian-American actor in Hollywood, discovering her comedic talents post personal tragedy, and why Margaret Cho is her spirit animal.'