I had never heard of Awkwafina before this year’s Ocean’s 8. The 29-year-old New York City-born rapper-actress offered comic relief in a few scenes but didn’t make much of an impression.

She showed up again in Crazy Rich Asians, stealing scenes as Rachel’s best friend, Peik Lin. Her distinctive voice, blunt delivery and sharp one-liners give the film a jolt of left-field humor. As one writer put it, Awkwafina “carries herself as though nobody told her that she’s not the star of the movie.”

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