Nora Lum (born June 2, 1988), known professionally as Awkwafina, is an American actress, rapper and comedian of Chinese and South Korean descent.
Awkwafina first received attention for her viral rap song "My Vag" in 2012, made as a response track to Mickey Avalon's hit song "My Dick". Off the back of its success, she released a full-length debut album, Yellow Ranger, in 2014, which was then followed by the In Fina We Trust EP in 2018.
She also gained mainstream attention for her recurring spot as a commentator in the MTV comedy lifestyle series Girl Code, which then extended into co-hosting its live talk show iteration in 2015.
Since Girl Code, Awkwafina has transitioned into high-profile acting, with her first roles following the switch being for projects including Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, Regular Show, and Future Man. In 2018, she starred in two major motion pictures: Ocean's 8 and Crazy Rich Asians. Later that year, she became the second-ever woman of Asian descent to host Saturday Night Live (following Lucy Liu in 2000). In 2019, she played against type in a serious role as the lead of the dramedy The Farewell, and won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. In 2021, she made her Marvel Cinematic Universe debut as one of the leads in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, playing Canon Foreigner Katy Chen, Shang-Chi's closest friend.
Discography:
- Yellow Ranger (2014)
- In Fina We Trust EP (2018)
Selected filmography:
- Girl Code (2014 — 2015) as herself
- Girl Code Live (2015)
- Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising (2016) as Christine
- Storks (2016) as Quail (voice)
- Regular Show (2016) as Apple (voice)
- Future Man (2017) as Tracy
- Ocean's 8 (2018) as Constance
- Crazy Rich Asians (2018) as Goh Peik Lin
- Saturday Night Live (2018) as herself (host)
- Tuca & Bertie (2019) as Bertie's Left Boob (voice)
- The Farewell (2019) as Billi
- The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019) as Courtney (voice)
- The Simpsons (2019) as Carmen / Dr. Chang (voice)
- The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019) as SkekLach The Collector (voice)
- Jumanji: The Next Level (2019) as Ming
- Awkwafina is Nora from Queens (2020 — current) as Nora Lin (also co-creator)
- The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run (2020) as Otto (voice)
- Breaking News in Yuba County (2021) as Mina
- Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) as Sisu (voice)
- Once Upon a Studio (2023)
- Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) as Katy Chen
- The Boys: Diabolical (2022) as Sky and Areola (voice, also writer)
- The Bad Guys (2022) as Ms. Tarantula (voice)
- Renfield (2023) as Rebecca Quincy
- The Little Mermaid (2023) as Scuttle (voice)
- Quiz Lady (2023) as Anne Yum
- Migration (2023) as Chump (voice)
- Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024) as Zhen (voice)
Tropes applying to her work:
- Big Applesauce: She was born and raised in Queens.
- Large Ham: She's always very high energy and expressive.
- Tomboyish Voice: Has a very distinctive raspy voice.
- Typecasting: She tends to play the brash, mouthy comic relief.
