News | Entertainment
18 Feb 2026 12:36
NZCity News
NZCity CalculatorReturn to NZCity

  • Start Page
  • Personalise
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • Finance
  • Shopping
  • Jobs
  • Horoscopes
  • Lotto Results
  • Photo Gallery
  • Site Gallery
  • TVNow
  • Dating
  • SearchNZ
  • NZSearch
  • Crime.co.nz
  • RugbyLeague
  • Make Home
  • About NZCity
  • Contact NZCity
  • Your Privacy
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Join for Free

  •   Home > News > Entertainment

    Awkwafina has no plans to drop her stage name

    The 'Crazy Rich Asians' star - whose real name is Nora Lum - revealed her moniker was created as a child, and she feels immense pride when she sees the alias "on a chair back or on a call sheet"


    Asked if she could ditch Awkwafina for her own name, she told the New York Times: "I don't see it right now. That's not to say that it's not a possibility.

    "I created Awkwafina when I was a kid. What she represents to me is more than a persona -- in the very beginning, I did see her as the confident one, the side that comes out that gives Nora the panic attacks.

    "But as I've grown older I've come to really be grateful for that name and what I've seen it written on. To see her name on a chair back or on a call sheet, that means a lot to me. I don't think that I could shed her right now."

    The 31-year-old star is set to release her own sitcom 'Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens' on Netflix, and she opened up about her "memories" of growing up in the New York City borough.

    She added: "My memories of Queens are scattered. There's this family history that I kind of know only from stories, about when my dad was growing up in Whitestone and my great-grandpa owned a Chinese restaurant on Northern Boulevard.

    "My dad still lives in the same building I grew up in. My old neighbours find my dad and they're like, 'I can't believe she's that same little girl.'

    "He definitely hams it up with everyone. He's having a fun time with it."

    Meanwhile, the 'Farewell' actress previously admitted she sometimes calls herself Michelle Pfeiffer to confuse people in Starbucks when they're writing her name on a cup.

    She said: "When I was 15 or 16, I thought the name 'Awkwafina' was great, hilarious. I never thought anyone would ever call me that. Cut to now, where everyone calls me that. So that's good.

    "[In Starbucks] I like putting 'Michelle Pfeiffer'. All 'F's in the 'Pfeiffer,' throws them off a little bit."

    © 2026 Bang Showbiz, NZCity

     Other Entertainment News
     18 Feb: Ed Sheeran has revealed the reason he ditched his mobile phone - and how the experience inspired his song
     18 Feb: Meghan, Duchess of Sussex amped up the Valentine's Day magic by sharing an adorable snap of Prince Harry scooping up their daughter, Princess Lilibet, as he clutched a bunch of balloons
     18 Feb: Hilary Duff helped two fans pull off the ultimate engagement moment during her Las Vegas show on Friday night (13.02.26)
     18 Feb: Apple Martin has admitted to having gotten lip filler
     18 Feb: Rosie O'Donnell is shocked by how "very different" the US feels since she left
     18 Feb: Authorities have warned it could take "years" to find Nancy Guthrie
     18 Feb: Lindsey Vonn is ready to return to the US following a fourth operation
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    The wait is expected to go on for an All Blacks coaching appointment More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    An improving financial situation for one of our largest companies, Fletcher Building More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Ed Sheeran has revealed the reason he ditched his mobile phone - and how the experience inspired his song 12:27

    Business:
    An improving financial situation for one of our largest companies, Fletcher Building 12:27

    Entertainment:
    Meghan, Duchess of Sussex amped up the Valentine's Day magic by sharing an adorable snap of Prince Harry scooping up their daughter, Princess Lilibet, as he clutched a bunch of balloons 11:57

    Rugby:
    The wait is expected to go on for an All Blacks coaching appointment 11:57

    Entertainment:
    Hilary Duff helped two fans pull off the ultimate engagement moment during her Las Vegas show on Friday night (13.02.26) 11:27

    National:
    Make Japan strong again: Sanae Takaichi’s plan to transform her country’s military 11:17

    Hockey:
    Winter Olympics 2026: Jürgen Klopp makes Milano Cortina Games cameo, ice hockey fight ban labelled a 'joke' — quick hits from day 11 11:17

    Soccer:
    Second half drama in the Champions League football clash between Benfica and Real Madrid in Lisbon 11:07

    Entertainment:
    Apple Martin has admitted to having gotten lip filler 10:57

    Environment:
    Dozens of Canterbury kids spent a night hunkering down in Banks Peninsula - which was cut off by yesterday's torrential rain 10:47


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd