Entertainment

Most of us know Henry Golding as a television host, but long before his dreams of being a storyteller came true, he was a humble shampoo boy.

In an exclusive video from his UNRESERVED cover interview, he said that what kept him grounded was having worked in the service industry from a young age.

“I was working from 14 years old, like sweeping up hair in a barber’s, to leaving school and continuing at 16 in an apprenticeship, shampooing hair for two years,” Henry said. “It’s humbling, it really is. And you really understand the levels of society.”

The Malaysian actor, who now has three feature films under his belt (Crazy Rich Asians, A Simple Favor and Monsoon), also dished some career advice on his Instagram page.

Henry wrote on a photo of his 21-year-old self: “10 years ago when I was 21 I took a chance and moved back to Malaysia. Looking back, I’m not sure if it was naivety or sense of something bigger in life. I was a young hairdresser at @richardwardhair in London and that’s all I knew from 16 years old. It was a leap of faith but I remember the specific moment I had made my mind up, from then out nothing else made sense. My compass had been set and the cogs were in motion.”

“It’s harder taking these leaps of faith when your older as there are so many ‘responsibilities,’” he added. But it is never too late to chase your dreams. Your current existence is just a mindset, I found that what it took was something so simple as introducing yourself as WHO you wanted to be. So for me it was saying ‘Hey, my name’s Henry I’m a television host’, rather than ‘Hey there I’m a hairdresser’. Try it, you will be surprised at what opportunities arise with something so simple.

“So friends, family, fans and friends to come. Hi, my name’s Henry Golding and I’m an actor.”

And to think he almost turned down Hollywood! Henry the actor makes his film debut in Crazy Rich Asians on 16 August 2018.

Related: Cover Story: Henry Golding Goes To Hollywood