News | Entertainment
2 Feb 2026 21:54
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
     02 Feb: Sydney Sweeney has compared love to "a Disney movie"
     02 Feb: Mariah Carey doesn't like to call herself a "legend"
     02 Feb: Jeannie Mai has likened divorce to "experiencing death alive"
     02 Feb: Sydney Sweeney has no desire to publicly "speak on politics"
     02 Feb: Anthony Joshua understands his "duty" after losing two of his close friends in a recent car crash
     02 Feb: Kendall Jenner uses a fake name when she competes in equestrian events
     02 Feb: Olivia Culpo "knew" Christian McCaffrey would be a "really good dad"
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Super Rugby have announced five law innovations ahead of the 30th anniversary season starting late next week More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    NZ’s $2.5 billion shoddy building bill: how to fix the ‘build now, fix later’ culture More...



     Today's News

    Entertainment:
    Sydney Sweeney has compared love to "a Disney movie" 21:31

    Politics:
    The Education Minister says new nationwide school reporting will give teachers and parents clearer data on how students are performing 21:17

    Law and Order:
    Norwegian rape trial rocks the royal family and grips the public 21:07

    Entertainment:
    Mariah Carey doesn't like to call herself a "legend" 21:01

    Entertainment:
    Jeannie Mai has likened divorce to "experiencing death alive" 20:31

    Entertainment:
    Sydney Sweeney has no desire to publicly "speak on politics" 20:01

    Entertainment:
    Anthony Joshua understands his "duty" after losing two of his close friends in a recent car crash 19:31

    Entertainment:
    Kendall Jenner uses a fake name when she competes in equestrian events 19:01

    Law and Order:
    Napier Police have stood cordons down on Nuffield Avenue in Marewa, after a person was allegedly seen with a gun 18:57

    Living & Travel:
    Today in History, February 2: Balto and the dogs of 1925's Great Serum Run 18:47


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd