News | Entertainment
19 Feb 2026 7:55
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
     19 Feb: Peter Andre was scared of turning 50 because he worried it meant he was "getting old"
     19 Feb: Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter Apple Martin battled low self-esteem due to acne breakouts
     19 Feb: Kim Kardashian is reportedly helping her 12-year-old daughter North West prepare to launch her own business empire
     18 Feb: Kerry Katona is thinking of moving to Dubai
     18 Feb: Barack Obama believes in aliens but did not discover any evidence of their existence during his time in the White House
     18 Feb: Nancy Cartwright doesn't think AI has enough "heart" to replace her on The Simpsons
     18 Feb: Rupert Grint found life as a new dad "isolating" and "traumatising"
     Top Stories

    RUGBY RUGBY
    Leicester Fainga'anuku's been benched for Sunday's Super Rugby clash between the Crusaders and Brumbies in Christchurch More...


    BUSINESS BUSINESS
    The Reserve Bank says we may be seeing a fundamental change in the way our economy operates More...



     Today's News

    Law and Order:
    A former prison guard who murdered his childhood friend is appealing his conviction and sentence 7:47

    Health & Safety:
    New workplace testing results reveal cocaine detections have sharply risen across the country 7:37

    Entertainment:
    Peter Andre was scared of turning 50 because he worried it meant he was "getting old" 7:27

    Business:
    The Reserve Bank says we may be seeing a fundamental change in the way our economy operates 7:27

    General:
    Danielle Scott wins silver medal in women's aerials event at 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics 7:27

    Law and Order:
    Questions around why action wasn't taken sooner - following a fatal dog attack in Northland 7:17

    Law and Order:
    Police say they're working at speed to find those involved in an altercation that's left a person in critical condition, and three others injured in Christchurch's Northcote  7:07

    Technology:
    Ukraine reclaims more than 200km of territory as Elon Musk blocks Russian army's internet access 7:07

    Entertainment:
    Gwyneth Paltrow's daughter Apple Martin battled low self-esteem due to acne breakouts 6:57

    Entertainment:
    Kim Kardashian is reportedly helping her 12-year-old daughter North West prepare to launch her own business empire 6:27


     News Search






    Power Search


    © 2026 New Zealand City Ltd