When discussing actors on the rise in the past few years, it’s hard to find many who have been more impressive than Awkwafina. The talented lady first rose to prominence on YouTube and then as a rapper before starting to appear in a handful of movie roles. Since then, she has kind of been everywhere.
Awkwafina has been in films alongside major names, she has starred in blockbusters, made history as a Golden Globe winner, and recently landed a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. On top of that, she also has her own television series. With such a deep catalog in a short time, it’s interesting to see what her best work is.
Between Two Ferns: The Movie (6.1)
You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who wasn’t in Between Two Ferns: The Movie. Released in 2019 on Netflix, the comedy flick is a spin-off of the web series of the same name. The show sees Zach Galifianakis host a talk show featuring various celebrities.
The film version takes that concept to the next level as Galifianakis and his crew head on a road trip for more interviews. Awkwafina is one of his guests who appear as themselves along with the likes of Brie Larson, Tessa Thompson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Gal Gadot, John Cho, and more.
The Angry Birds Movie 2 (6.4)
People don’t often discuss The Angry Birds Movie and its sequel when mentioning the best video game films in history. However, they deserve to be part of the conversation. Unlike a lot of game to movie adaptations, The Angry Birds doesn’t come with a built-in major plot or anything like that.
Despite that, the filmmakers did a great job of turning the mobile game into a movie. The 2016 version grossed over $350 million and scored strong reviews. The 2019 sequel was also successful and the story sees the birds have to team up with their pig rivals. Awkwafina joined the ensemble cast as a pig named Courtney.
Jumanji: The Next Level (6.7)
This was one of the biggest roles landed by Awkwafina. After all, 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle grossed an astounding $962.1 million and this sequel was highly anticipated. 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level was nearly as big, racking up $800.1 million at the box office.
This installment sees the same group of teens enter the video game along with two unwilling elders. Awkwafina joined the in-game world as Ming Fleetfoot, the new avatar that Spencer utilizes. She has a background in pickpocketing and burglary but is allergic to pollen, much like Spencer.
Storks (6.8)
It might be surprising to see this listed above more notable movies like the previous two. Storks, released in 2016, wasn’t a huge hit but did gross $183.4 million on a $70 million budget. It wasn’t award-nominated or anything like that but it was a solid animated film.
The premise follows storks who no longer deliver babies and instead focus on packages, only to have things turned upside down when an order for a baby does indeed come in. Awkwafina voices Quail, joining a cast including Andy Samberg, Jennifer Aniston, Danny Trejo, and more.
Crazy Rich Asians (6.9)
In many ways, 2018 was the breakout year for Awkwafina. One of the reasons was her scene-stealing performance in Crazy Rich Asians. Based on the book series of the same name, the story follows a Chinese-American woman who discovers that her boyfriend is from a wealthy family in Singapore.
As Goh Peik Lin, Awkwafina is arguably the funniest part of the film. Crazy Rich Asians was widely praised and scored a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy. Awkwafina got a Teen Choice Award nomination and two sequels are currently in development.
Awkwafina Is Nora From Queens (7.0)
As noted, Awkwafina managed to get her own television series, which premiered in early 2020. Awkwafina is Nora from Queens aired on Comedy Central for its first season but the second season will be shown on HBO Max. Reviews were almost universally positive.
The plot centers on Nora, a lazy slacker who lives in Queens with her father and grandmother and finds some success working alongside her cousin. Although the setup isn’t all that original, the show works because of Awkwafina’s charm and the wonderful and hilarious supporting cast around her.
Ocean’s 8 (7.0)
Along with Crazy Rich Asians, this was the other big film that starred Awkwafina in 2018. Ocean’s 8 is the all-female spin-off of Steven Soderberg’s Ocean’s trilogy. Instead of focusing on George Clooney’s Danny Ocean, his sister Debbie (Sandra Bullock) is at the forefront.
Like the other installments, a group comes together to commit a heist, this one being of a diamond at the Met Gala. Awkwafina portrays Constance, the loudmouthed pickpocket and hustler of the group. Rounding out the cast were Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Rihanna, Sarah Paulson, Cate Blanchett, and Mindy Kaling. A lot of what worked in the male films was also successful here.
The Farewell (7.6)
At the start of 2020, Awkwafina made history. She became the first woman of Asian descent to win a lead actress Golden Globe Award. She earned it as Billi Wang, the protagonist of The Farewell, and everyone who saw it can attest to how incredible she was in it.
The Farewell marked a more dramatic turn for Awkwafina as it deals with a Chinese family who hides the terminal illness of the grandmother from her. They do it to keep her happy and Billi struggles with not revealing the truth. The film was an overwhelming success with a 98% on Rotten Tomatoes and by grossing $22.5 million on a $3 million budget.
Future Man (7.7)
Premiering in 2017, Future Man feels like a show that deserves more recognition than it gets. The Hulu original series ran for three seasons until wrapping up in 2020. It focuses on a janitor who loves video games as he is recruited to travel through time and save the world.
Led by Josh Hutcherson and Eliza Coupe, the series was executive produced by the tremendous team of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Awkwafina had a guest spot in three episodes as “Woman at the Video Game Store.” so it wasn’t a big role.
The Dark Crystal: Age Of Resistance (8.5)
There are actually way more actors than you probably realize who would have this show rank near the top of their bodies of work. This is a show that features the voices of talented stars like Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nathalie Emmanuel, Simon Pegg, Mark Hamill, Alicia Vikander, and so many others.
Awkwafina is among them, voicing a character known as The Collector in seven of the ten episodes in the series. The Netflix show works as a prequel to Jim Henson’s 1982 The Dark Crystal film and follows three Gelflings who head on a quest to unite the Gelfling clans.
