KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — Think of Henry Golding, and the romantic heartthrob Nick Young from his debut film Crazy Rich Asians, is probably the first thing that comes to mind.
For Malaysians especially, that memory will have to make room for Golding’s latest avatar, the keris-wielding warrior Tuah in The Old Guard 2.
The excitement is already building among his fans here after Golding recently shared a poster of him wielding the iconic keris on Instagram.
The Old Guard follows the story of a covert group of immortals led by Andromache of Scythia or Andy (Charlize Theron), shaping the history of mankind by fighting alongside them in disguise for centuries.
Other prominent stars in the 2020 film, including Chiwetel Ejiofor, Matthias Schoenaerts, Marwan Kenzari, Luca Marinelli and Kiki Layne, are reprising their roles in the sequel while Golding and Uma Thurman enter as the new additions.
The Old Guard 2 introduces Golding, 38, as an older immortal called Tuah who lives as a recluse in his cavernous underground library.
Tuah is a quiet, meticulous and sharp-eyed historian devoted to learning and cataloguing the trails that every immortal has left through time and civilisations.
Surrounded by books and solitude, Tuah’s only companion is his deadly keris — the weapon and the key to his extensive archive.
Henry said his conversations with the director Victoria Mahoney sparked the idea for him to tap into Hang Tuah’s folklore and spotlight his Malaysian roots in the Hollywood project.
“We were playing around with a couple of names, she (Mahoney) had two in particular and one of them was Tuah.
“From my time growing up in Malaysia, I was always enamoured by the folklore of Hang Tuah and I thought this was perfect. It was kind of meant to be.
“I don’t think we have seen this kind of representation in a Hollywood movie.
“So, I’m really hoping that Malaysians and the South-east Asians can catch on to this… that’s for the area, for sure,” Golding told Malay Mail during an exclusive interview recently.
Whenever he isn’t holding a gun or a book in the film, Golding is seen taking down his enemies with the keris — a wavy dagger widely used in the ancient martial art of pencak silat in Malaysia and Indonesia.
“Something that I decided from early on in the training was to give Tuah a certain style different than the other immortals,” Golding said, explaining his decision to use the keris.
“It’s almost like a dance in some respects,” he added.
However, it is worth noting that Henry does not depict Hang Tuah entirely in the film. Only certain aspects of the folklore were infused into his character.
The Old Guard follows the story of a covert group of immortals led by Andromache of Scythia or Andy (Charlize Theron), fighting alongside mankind in disguise for centuries. — Picture courtesy of Netlix
The only people who knew of Tuah’s existence were Andy and the first immortal, Discord (Uma Thurman).
However, after centuries of consciously staying out from civilisational battles, Andy’s predicaments compel Tuah to change his mind.
“He was the one with the knowledge, and he had set out away from everyone for a few thousand years to concentrate on trying to learn the secrets of the immortals.
“He’s careful not to give away too much because that would upset the balance.
“When he joins the group, it’s the first time we’ve seen him relinquish control of his own fate in a long time.
“For him, this is a new sort of revitalised life,” Golding said.
Describing Tuah as a “wise owl”, Golding said he would occasionally retreat to solitude — just like his fictional character — in his own life to rejuvenate himself either through photography, computer games or just watching a movie.
More than the high-octane action sequences, The Old Guard 2 struck a chord with Golding because of its central theme about the undying battle with eternity.
“It is the struggle with the idea of living forever, the struggle of what repercussions that would have on the human psyche and how loss affects you over thousands of years.”
The Old Guard 2 premieres on Netflix on July 2.
