Malaysian-born British actor Henry Golding reconnected with his Iban heritage when he filmed an episode of the new docuseries No Taste Like Home With Antoni Porowski.
Now available on Disney+ Hotstar, the six-part show sees Porowski, the Canadian food and wine expert from reality series Queer Eye (2018 to present), guiding famous actors on trips to explore their ancestors’ culinary traditions.
The TV host accompanies Golding to Borneo, English actress Florence Pugh to England and American stars Awkwafina, Justin Theroux, James Marsden and Issa Rae to South Korea, Italy, Germany and Senegal respectively.
Golding, best known for his breakout role in the Singapore-set hit film Crazy Rich Asians (2018), was born in Sarawak, Malaysia, and his mother is a member of the Iban tribe, an indigenous group once feared for its practice of headhunting, or taking the heads of enemies as trophies.
And although his father is English and the family moved to England when Golding was eight, the actor is still very familiar with that part of his background, and even has several tattoos with Iban writing and motifs.
In a recent Zoom interview, Porowski, 40, says that of the celebrities featured, “Henry was by far the most experienced and knowledgeable about his family history on his maternal side”.
But the 38-year-old actor still learnt new things about his background and also enthusiastically chewed on live sago grubs, considered a delicacy by several Bornean tribes.
Porowski says: “He’s done documentaries on what it’s like to be part Iban, so it was pretty incredible to see that with the research (the production companies) put into the episode, we were still able to surprise him – including with an introduction to headhunters in his family and an actual witch.”
On this trip, the Hollywood star – who appeared in Guy Ritchie films such as The Gentlemen (2019) and The Ministry Of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) – left feeling closer than ever to that part of his history.
Porowski says: “As much as he feels the side of him that’s very Iban, being in that environment, introducing him to family members he’s never met before and hearing about these stories actually strengthened his identity.”
Golding’s favourite meal on their trip to Sarawak was when they were next to a river and ate freshly caught fish with torch ginger.
“Enjoying that fish and watching Henry go in with his hands, there was a childlike excitement,” Porowski recalls.
“He’s already a relaxed dude and keeps his shoulders dropped, but they dropped an extra inch when we were sitting there basking in the sun after a beautiful boat ride,” he says of his guest, who is married to Taiwanese media personality Liv Lo, 38. The couple have two daughters aged three and one.
But Golding was equally enthusiastic when the food on offer was less conventional.
“We were walking through a longhouse meeting all the people who live there, and there was a platter with these grubs, and they were live,” Porowski says.
Most people would have baulked at eating this, but “Henry looked at it with excitement and was explaining that you have to bite the head off, otherwise its teeth can bite the inside of your mouth”.
Porowski himself politely declined the squirming snack, but he did try durian for the first time on that trip, and the King of Fruits tested his limits.
“To quote one of our lovely crew members, it tasted exactly like if stinky, overly ripe camembert was blended with some very sharp garlic.”
He adds: “The durian I was down to try because it was vegetal.
“But the live grub – putting something that is still living and breathing into my body, I respect it, I think it’s beautiful, but unfortunately, I couldn’t do it.” – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
