Even Henry Golding is going crazy waiting for the sequel to Crazy Rich Asians.
It's been three years since the release of the hugely successful rom-com and the 35-year-old actor counts himself among one of the many fans waiting with bated breath to see how the story's next chapter—or rather, book—will unfold on the silver screen. In an exclusive chat with E! News about his new campaign with luxury jewelry brand David Yurman, Henry gave an update on the highly anticipated follow-up to the 2018 film.
"I always bug [director Jon M. Chu] about it and he tells him the same thing every time: They're trying to figure out the writing," he said. "I know they're working on it, but hopefully sooner than later."
With COVID-19 restrictions being lifted worldwide, Henry said he "can't wait to get back to Singapore," where the first movie was shot. After all, he and his wife, Liv Lo Golding, are avid travelers who often take their 11-month-old daughter, Lyla, with them on their journeys.
They even all traveled to the United Kingdom last year when he was shooting Persuasion on location with Dakota Johnson. "It was an opportunity to go home to my family for the first time since COVID [and] bring Lyla, who was really young in that stage," he said of filming the Jane Austen adaptation. "We had the most amazing time and Dakota is fantastic in this movie."
Henry, who plays a "very suave and fairly sexy" suitor of Dakota's Anne Elliot in the upcoming flick, added about his co-star, "She just blows everyone away."
For now, Henry is enjoying fatherhood. In addition to traveling the world with his baby girl, the British-Malaysian actor is looking forward to teaching her how to take "pride in her heritage and understanding the value of each culture, but also not being kind of tied down or categorized as such."
"I think she can be her own person," he continued. "I don't think she should be constrained to the idea of her heritage in a way as well, because she's just so much: She's British, Malaysian, Taiwanese, Italian."
And Lyla seems to already be a lover of luxury goods! According to Henry, his daughter, who will celebrate her first birthday on March 31, "loves my David Yurman bracelet. It's the one thing that she's always kind of playing with, which is super sweet."
With a little one excited to be on the go, Henry said he's "enjoying the moment" and not "rushing to make her develop and grow too fast." As he explained, "I'm really looking forward to sort of seeing how she grows and develops into a little lady," adding, "I love, love, love, love being a father."
As for his work with David Yurman, Henry—who is one of the jewelry brand's first-ever celebrity ambassadors alongside Scarlett Johansson—said that shooting its "Come Closer" campaign has been "pretty monumental for me."
"I'm the first male representative for the brand and I think it's amazing in the direction that they're taking it," he said. "The video came out phenomenally. It gives me goose bumps every time I see it, so in all it was an absolutely fantastic experience."