Henry Golding never quite figured out how he stumbled upon his lot in television. Born to an English father and Sarawakian mother, young Henry spent his early years chasing layang-layang in the idyllic east coast of Malaysia before relocating to London with his family. After his GCSE he began his career as a hairdresser with a stint in one of London's flashy hair salons. A couple of years later, he decided it was time to return to Asia without even a gameplan in mind.
"I've always known that I will come back to Asia and find something to do here for the long term. My entry into television hosting was somewhat accidental. It happened after I went for a series of open calls for audition not expecting anything and then a call came and the next thing I know I have been selected to host on ESPN. Other opportunities soon came knocking and I guess now after 8 years I've grown into the skin of a travel show host."
It's not difficult to see why Golding was casted in the first place. Firstly his pan-Asian good looks has the reach into key demographies in the region. It's only natural to expect a heavy dose of swooning from the ladies to come his way but his intelligent twinkles and casual airs have made him one of the most popular television personalities with a diverse following in the region, especially in Malaysia where he's constantly recognised on the streets in perennial scenes that play out to celebrities everywhere when quizzical stares turn into excited gasps.
Henry Golding is on the cusp of being Asia's next big thing.
"I didn't do work on TV to get famous really. I just enjoy traveling and learning new things on the job and to be able to present these facts and scenes to people through my works is the pleasure of the job. There is so much to learn when one is on the road with a crew and I hope to be doing this for quite a while more before exploring other genres of television."
Having worked on several lifestyle programs including series with BBC Travel and Discovery Channel, a plethora of projects is keeping Golding busy into 2017.
"We've just shot a travel series on Sarawak with Discovery Channel which will air in early 2017. For me it is really an unforgettable experience going into the heart of Sarawak and getting acquainted with the folks of the Penan tribes. Given that half of my DNA comes from this part of the world it's like coming full circle at this stage of my life."
+Update - Henry Golding is currently the male lead of the 2018 Hollywood movie - Crazy Rich Asia
