‘Monsoon’ Review: Henry Goldg Stars Hong Khaou’s Gay Romance – IndieWire

Contents:

• MONSOON'S HENRY GOLDG ASKED THE ADVOTE: IS IT OK TO PLAY GAY?
• CRAZY RICH ASIANS’ HENRY GOLDG ‘MAY NEVER E TO A NCLN’ ABOUT WHETHER ’S RIGHT FOR STRAIGHT ACTORS TO PLAY GAY
• HENRY GOLDG, PLAYG A GAY MAN MONSOON, DON'T SHY AWAY OM THE REPRENTATN NVERSATN
• WHY HENRY GOLDG TOOK ON A GAY ROLE ‘MONSOON’
• HENRY GOLDG PLAYS GAY, HAS A SHIRTLS MAKEOUT SSN 'MONSOON' - WATCH THE TRAILER (VIO)
• ‘MONSOON’ REVIEW: HENRY GOLDG DO SOME SEXY, UNRSTATED, GAY SOUL SEARCHG VIETNAM
• CRAZY RICH ASIANS STAR HENRY GOLDG WORRIED ABOUT TAKG A GAY ROLE AS A STRAIGHT ACTOR
• HENRY GOLDG EXPLAS WHY HE TOOK ON A GAY ROLE NEW MOVIE MONSOON
• HENRY GOLDG IS A GAY MAN SEEKG CLOSURE NEW FILM ‘MONSOON’

MONSOON'S HENRY GOLDG ASKED THE ADVOTE: IS IT OK TO PLAY GAY?

Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Goldg sat down wh GLAAD Head of Talent Anthony Ramos for a ep dive to his new film, Monsoon, and what kd of prsure he felt playg the role of a gay nearly 18-mute terview vers everythg om Goldg's role the film and Asian reprentatn on screen, to Goldg's past reer as a hairdrser. "When do we get to a stage where brg gay isn't even qutned on screen, " he asked, "Beg a straight or LGBTQ+ actor, will you always be qutned for your sexualy?

Monsoon is wrten and directed by Hong Khaou, a gay filmmaker, and tells the story of a gay Vietname man who returns home for the first time years.

CRAZY RICH ASIANS’ HENRY GOLDG ‘MAY NEVER E TO A NCLN’ ABOUT WHETHER ’S RIGHT FOR STRAIGHT ACTORS TO PLAY GAY

Addnally, the former is straight, and the latter is gay.

HENRY GOLDG, PLAYG A GAY MAN MONSOON, DON'T SHY AWAY OM THE REPRENTATN NVERSATN

He be an anchor for K a place where he ially feels no matter their birthplace, viewers around the world will relate to K his disnnectn om the society around him; several scen, K gaz out of wdows and through tablet screens at fay members, forhadowg the quarante to, Goldg discs his procs of givg life to a gay man gog on a journey for love, fay, and self-disvery Vietnam. He seems very ground beg a gay man.

Why do we need to qutn a character's sexualy so much and be so trigued by like, oh, OK, so he's gay? It be don't often see gay Asian characters film very often. I'm happy to have been able to fly that flag for young gay Asian men.

Pictured: Henry Goldg and Parker SawyersIs this your first gay role?

WHY HENRY GOLDG TOOK ON A GAY ROLE ‘MONSOON’

It n't jt stop at straight guys playg gay man or bisexuals playg straight people. I e om a culture where is still illegal to be gay. Henry Goldg played a gay character Monsoon (Alberto E.

Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Goldg has said he might “never e to a ncln” about whether ’s acceptable for straight actors to play gay characters.

Henry Goldg thks there is no right or wrong answer when to straight actors playg gay characters. Henry Goldg, who recently played Brish-Vietname character K  Monsoon, has been asked repeatedly whether he thks ’s acceptable for straight actors to play gay rol – and he has now said he might never settle on a sgle view. Speakg to EW, Goldg said the bate around straight actors playg gay rol is “an extremely layered nversatn”.

HENRY GOLDG PLAYS GAY, HAS A SHIRTLS MAKEOUT SSN 'MONSOON' - WATCH THE TRAILER (VIO)

“It’s unrstandg what the stggl have been, why there’s a mp that says gay characters should only be played by gay people vers the mp that says actors should be able to mimic or bee who their character is. Speakg to Digal Spy  September, Henry Goldg said he was ially unsure if he should take the role of a gay character when he read the screenplay. “I ed to be a hairdrser, so my environment as a young man was wh all of the mentors of strong, gay, pennt men, ” Goldg said at the time.

‘MONSOON’ REVIEW: HENRY GOLDG DO SOME SEXY, UNRSTATED, GAY SOUL SEARCHG VIETNAM

“But there’s only so much you n say to somebody and jtify a straight man takg a gay role. Goldg plays a gay man, K, who returns to his birthplace Vietnam after fleeg wh his parents to the U. "It's unrstandg what the stggl have been, why there's a mp that says gay characters should only be played by gay people vers the mp that says actors should be able to mimic or bee who their character is.

" Goldg me across Monsoon, wrten and directed by openly gay filmmaker Hong Khaou (Liltg, Sprg), at a time when Crazy Rich Asians hadn't yet bee a worldwi phenomenon and propelled Goldg's name to the limelight. Still mullg the topic of takg on a gay role as a straight man, Goldg ponrs what the right answer is. "From my pot of view, wh this particular role, was the fact that his journey wasn't hged on the fact he is gay, " the straight actor told Attu a new ver story.

"It's almost like, y, he's a young gay man. Goldg falls wh a long le of straight actors takg on gay rol -- often the most proment and most ld gay rols are taken by straight actors. Over the past , this has drawn creased scty wh both dienc and gay actors.

CRAZY RICH ASIANS STAR HENRY GOLDG WORRIED ABOUT TAKG A GAY ROLE AS A STRAIGHT ACTOR

We say, thank you for livg your tth, and thank you for beg brave, and you're such a role mol for our gay kids. " The stg lists they do stay on, for the most part, are those for gay rol or projects that want queer appeal. "I'm dog this rom , about a gay male uple that I wrote and I'm starrg for Universal, that Judd Apatow is producg, " Eichner said by way of example.

There were so many straight actors on every list to play gay characters. And then, at the begng before I raised my voice, for the straight characters the movie, there were never gay actors on the lists for those rol. And while we're sure that Goldg put on another standout performance, would have been tertg to see what a gay actor uld have done the role.

HENRY GOLDG EXPLAS WHY HE TOOK ON A GAY ROLE NEW MOVIE MONSOON

"I n tell you right now, that a gay actor, a gay person general, unrstands the nuanc, the idsyncrasi, and the emotnal plexy of playg another gay person, pecially a famo gay person, playg another famo gay person, than a straight person do, " Eichner, who is playg Pl Lyn an upg project, told Deadle months ago. "And we are never granted the opportuny to brg all of our life experience, as gay people, to the screen, and has bee a ltle b tratg to watch that happen over and over and over aga.

“We live tim where is a sensive topic to have a straight actor playg a gay role.

From my pot of view, wh this particular role, was the fact that his journey wasn’t hged on the fact he is gay, ” Goldg told the magaze. “It’s almost like, y, he’s a young gay man, but the bigger issue is who he is as a person. It don’t matter if you’re Black, Lato, gay, straight, bi, ’s that feelg of yearng and that return of that.

HENRY GOLDG IS A GAY MAN SEEKG CLOSURE NEW FILM ‘MONSOON’

It’s hard to take your ey off him, and that’s not jt bee he’s nearly every shot of this slice of gay soul searchg as an expat returng to his roots Vietnam. Khaou’s screenplay mak no fs about the fact that K is also gay, wh that element rolled out through sual sexual enunters that punctuate the movie wh rehgly ltle ceremony.

“You look like your picture, ” Lewis tells him, a passg remark that any gay lennial who’s experienced Grdr n relate to. He’s a terrific match for Hong Khaou’s unflashy approach, and while y, some viewers may groan that the straight Goldg is playg a gay character, what’s most quietly revolutnary about “Monsoon” is that mak no show out of gayns at all.

Henry Goldg has revealed that he wasn’t sure if was appropriate for him to play a gay character an upg film. The Crazy Rich Asians star said the role ronated eply wh him when he first read the script – but he wasn’t sure if he should play a gay character.