Awkwafina was quite the tomboy growing up. "I climbed trees, was very rambunctious, like complete energy," she told Marie Claire. "Looking back, I would think of myself as a nightmare. At every fancy event, after coming out of the bathroom, my entire dress would be tucked into my pantyhose. I was messy."
The Crazy Rich Asians star added that her trademark raspy voice has been one of her defining characteristics ever since childhood. "People are not going to believe this, but I have sounded this way since I was a toddler," she said. "I would pick up the phone as a kid, and people didn't know if they were speaking to the man of the house. ... I never sounded right."
Awkwafina's voice has often taken people off guard, and she uses this to her advantage. "When I got my driver's license, men would try to cut me off or do the 'Asian driving' bit, that whole thing," she said. "I'd roll down the window and start going in on them, just screaming, really hard-core aggro. And they would be shocked. Every single person, like, 'Oh my God, I did not expect that.'"
