Some actors are creatures of habit, so they’re often seen doing variations of the same characters and themes. But not if movie heartthrob Henry Golding can help it. 

Indeed, while the handsome 38-year-old British Malaysian actor is more known for his hunky leading-man roles in films like “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Last Christmas,” “A Simple Favor” and Jane Austen’s “Persuasion,” it isn’t hard to appreciate his attempts at versatility if we go by his body of work. 

The cinematic oeuvre even includes a string of ensemble-driven projects, like “The Gentlemen” (with Matthew McConaughey, Colin Farrell and Hugh Grant), “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” (with Henry Cavill, Alan Ritchson and Alex Pettyfer), and now, “Nine Perfect Strangers.” 

When we spoke with Henry in this exclusive interview for CoverStory about the eight-part Hulu and Prime Video series “Nine Perfect Strangers,” we asked if it’s a conscious decision for him to build a diverse body of work.

“Absolutely,” he said. “My goal coming into the business of acting is really to run the entire spectrum of who I could be and the characters I play. There’s nothing more satisfying than receiving a script, reading it with a different perspective, and realizing what has driven a character to make these hard decisions. You figure out what kind of choices they make, their mannerisms…everything.” 

He explained further: “That’s why I try to go out of my way to find very different roles to essay, because it’s easy to play handsome, dashing blokes like Nick Young (from ‘Crazy Rich Asians’). On the other hand, Peter, my character in ‘Nine Perfect Strangers,’ may be rich, but he’s damaged. He’s very emotionally sensitive because he’s a lost boy. He hasn’t had the father figure he wanted all these years. For him, money doesn’t matter, so everything has just been driving him to this point in Zauberwald, where Masha Dmitrichenko’s (Nicole Kidman) therapy sessions take place.”

Henry chooses fun characters: “So I also pick gangster roles (like Freddy Alvarez in ‘The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare’), or an action figure like Snake Eyes, or Blake Lively’s crazy, drunk ex-husband Sean Townsend in ‘Another Simple Favor,’ released on Prime Video last May. Creating these fun characters is what I love to do.”

For his part, Turkish actor Aras Aydin (from the rom-com “Oğlan Bizim Kız Bizim”), who plays Christine Baranski’s caregiver and young lover Matteo, got his lucky Hollywood break when he was asked to audition for the role.

“I’ll be honest. I didn’t really expect to get cast in the series when my manager told me about it,” Aras disclosed to us in a separate one-on-one chat. “I said, ‘OK, I’ll just try and do my best.’ Then, I auditioned to five people over Zoom, including director Jonathan Levine, writer Rachel Shukert, and our casting directors. I was asked to deliver lines from three of Matteo’s scenes, and they loved it. I was so excited!”

And it shows. In Episode 6, Aras demonstrates his razor-sharp acting chops during an emotionally charged scene that proves he’s more than just a pretty face.

Here are excerpts from our one-on-one chats with Henry and Aras for CoverStory:

What was the biggest lure for you when you accepted this project?

Henry: Nicole Kidman? (laughs) No, actually, I was a big fan of the series’ first season, and I watched that pretty much all the way through within four evenings. I sat there and just churned through all of them. I loved how different everybody’s story was. You have this collation of huge characters and every one of them has such amazing depth in their past. So when I read the script, I was like, “With these characters, I can see this world developing.” 

And it was my first time working with Dolly. I became a big fan since “Triangle of Sadness,” so when I heard that she was also going to be in it, I was like, “Oh my God, a fellow Southeast Asian! This is going to be awesome.” So, you know what, it wasn’t really because of Nicole Kidman. It was because of Dolly de Leon! (laughs)

Henry, can you tell me more about your character’s relationship with his billionaire dad, David Shore (Mark Strong)? What was it about this particular father-son story that resonated with you?

Henry: It’s interesting to see what happens whenever there’s money involved. When you have familial or ancestral money, does money get in the way of love? Does money become an obstacle to a relationship in some instances? In this instance, yes, I think so. 

It’s one of those relationships where Peter has struggles with his father, because David is this relentless businessman who has made all of his money off his own back, through sweat and blood—and David takes a lot of pride in that. He doesn’t allow himself to relax or connect. 

That’s what happened through the years with Peter. Their relationship has been sort of muted, and all he wants is his father’s love. So they go to Zauberwald to explore that and try to get to the bottom of the reasons why they haven’t been able to connect as much as he would have wanted.

What about you, Aras? Can you talk more about Matteo’s backstory?

Aras: Matteo is a lonely guy. He wants to forget about his past. He lost his parents and three siblings in the war, so he’d be lost without Christine’s character Victoria. She has ALS, but she’s all he’s got. She gave him a sense of connection, but he’s also been hoping to find a measure of healing from Masha’s therapy sessions.

Aras, you’re a singer and an award-winning actor in Turkiye. Weren’t you intimidated by your Oscar-winning costar and producer (Nicole)?

Aras: No Turkish or English words can explain how big of a deal it was for me to act alongside Nicole because she’s a superstar. The other guys were just as good and they’ve all become good friends of mine. When I met Nicole, she was so warm, so sweet and so helpful. She always had a ready smile for me. She was always supportive, always giving advice about how to be in the moment. That was really cool.

On a lighter note, which of your screen characters do you think is closest to your personality?

Henry: It’s funny. It’s like there are bits and pieces of me in every character that I play. There’s no other way around it, because your view of the world affects your character… unless you go the deep method route with this and don’t believe in anything that you’ve experienced in your past. 

So there are parts of me in Nick Young, in Mr. Elliot from “Persuasion,” in Dry Eye (from “Ungentlemanly Warfare”) on an angry day. (laughs) Then, there’s the vulnerability of Peter at some point and the playfulness of Tom Webster from “Last Christmas,” my Christmas rom-com with Emilia Clarke. As an actor, you leave a little piece of yourself in every single character.

“Last Christmas” left fans giddy when it was shown here in Manila.

Henry: Yeah, because you guys love Christmas and romantic films over there. 

What do you wish viewers to take away from “Nine Perfect Strangers”?

Henry: This series explores so many different challenges that we as humans face, from loneliness to finding our passion to relationships with our mothers and fathers to the choices that we regret making. 

It’s a wild ride. Here, each character struggles from different issues, so every viewer will find something different to identify with. There’s so much joy in the storytelling, especially when you’re given eight episodes to explore every character. That’s much better than two hours. 

You know, it’s also my first time doing a big series like this, and it was such a fun thing to do, because you can pace your story and slowly reveal your past and your motivations. It has a lot of fun reveals, a lot of joy and sadness, and a lot of excitement and surprises. 

How different is the Season 2 from the previous season?

Aras: That’s a good question. I think this cast is incredible. The story moves like slow waves in the ocean, but the finale is incredible. It’s going to be a huge surprise for the audience.

Aras, what was your experience working with Dolly de Leon, who’s from the Philippines?

Aras: Just thinking about Dolly’s personality, her humanity and beautiful heart makes me want to cry…because I really miss her. She was the first person I met on my first day in Munich. I was excited and nervous because I thought, “How do I talk to the other actors? How do I act out my scenes well?” My brain was in overdrive! So when the driver picked me up and opened the car door, there she was inside. And Dolly greeted me with a big smile and said, “Hi!” (in a high-pitched voice) She was just so sweet! 

But even before meeting her, I already knew of Dolly because I saw part of her film, “Triangle of Sadness.” Her acting was insane! She’s not human. Is she a robot or something? 

I can’t forget that pivotal scene where she delivers her line, “I caught the fish, I made the fire, I cooked. I did all the work and everybody got something…Who am I? On the yacht, toilet manager, Here, I’m captain!” Then she started giving portions of fish to the other hungry survivors, and I was like, “Oh my God. She’s brilliant!” On set, she was always supporting me, always helping me out. I will never forget our moments in Munich.

Stream the eighth and final episode of the second season of “Nine Perfect Strangers” on Thursday on Prime Video.

Read more: ‘Unfailingly sweet, phenomenal’: Mark Strong on working with Dolly de Leon and Chai Fonacier