Awkwafina wants ‘angsty teenagers’ to watch Indie films to help ‘figure themselves out’

Awkwafina has some advice for struggling teenagers everywhere. The actress got candid about her high school experience and shared how she coped with growing up.

During the 2023 Asia Society Southern California Gala, Awkwafina shared a personal anecdote with the organization and audience while accepting the award for Culture Visionary honor.

“I first went to the Asia Society when I was in high school. My dad was an avid supporter and we’d always go to shows and talks there together,” Awkwafina said on Sunday night at the Skirball Cultural Center.

“It was a resource for us Ramones, Joan Didion, and Jay-Z-loving Asian Americans growing up to learn more about our own cultural identities. And I think that it’s that kind of self-motivation to curate and cultivate our identities as Asian people, is where cultural vision is born.”

The ‘Awkwafina is Nora From Queens’ co-creator and star also advised young Asian Americans to “achieve things more exorbitant than we are shown by being themselves, asking the world questions and demanding answers from the world.”

Her words of advice

“And I wanna encourage all of you today — in the case that you are the parents of angsty teenagers trying to figure themselves out,” she continued. “I want you to encourage them to love things, to watch Indie movies, to seek out their favorite authors and to exist in the world in uniquely their own space.”

The Asia Society Southern California’s annual gala recognizes leading figures in business, culture, entertainment, and sports from the Southern California region, the United States, and Asia.

Along with Awkwafina, the night honored Palo Alto Networks chairman and CEO Nikesh Arora, Bespoke Beauty Brands CEO and founder Toni Ko, Rosewood Hotel Group CEO Sonia Cheng, and Capital Group equity portfolio manager Noriko Honda Chen.

The evening’s sports tribute spotlighted Ali Riley, Jun Endo, Rui Hachimura, Lang Ping, Shohei Ohtani, Taylor Rapp, Alyssa Thompson, and Michelle Wie West.

“I think just being able to be celebrated for my Asian heritage, it took me a really long time to appreciate it,” Riley told Variety.

“I felt really different when I was growing up and I didn’t talk about being Asian. Now to be celebrated not only as an Asian, but as an Asian woman in sports, there aren’t that many of us, but I think we’re breaking a lot of barriers.”

A possible collaboration

On stage, Awkwafina also suggested that she and her fellow honorees should exchange numbers following her acceptance speech.

“Let’s collab because I have this invention where you could nap anywhere,” Awkwafina said with a laugh. “I don’t know where it goes past that, but I feel like we should do it.”