Paul Giamatti is on a heater this awards season. He's won a Golden Globe and a Critics Choice Award for his performance as the lovably grumpy prep school teacher Paul Hunham in Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers." Now, he's up for his second Academy Award nomination. And you can bet his girlfriend, Clara Wong, will be right by his side on Oscars Sunday.
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The couple have been a red carpet staple at industry events since January 2024. (We're still not over that hilarious In-N-Out date after the Globes.) Giamatti has also paid gushing tribute to Wong in his acceptance speeches.
The crowd erupted into laughter when he joked at the Globes, "I want to say, I love my beautiful girlfriend Clara Wong. Why you bother with me, I don't know." He got emotional while accepting the Critics Choice Award for Best Male Actor in a Film, thanking Wong alongside his late father and his son, Samuel, from his previous marriage.
Paul Giamatti and Clara Wong have been linked since 2019, but the pair likely go back even further. They worked together in the Showtime series "Billions" from 2016 to 2023, in which Giamatti's now-girlfriend played his dominatrix — a funny twist of fate not lost on fans.
But who is Clara Wong, and what films has she been in? Here's what we know about Paul Giamatti's girlfriend.
Clara Wong Is From Illinois
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Per IMDb, Clara Wong was born in Skokie, Illinois. She currently resides in New York City and splits her time between the East Coast and Los Angeles. Giamatti, similarly, moves between L.A. and Brooklyn.
She's Been an Actress Since 2013
Clara Wong made her professional acting debut in an uncredited role in the 2013 blockbuster "Pacific Rim." She's had recurring roles in TV since then, including the Netflix miniseries "The I-Land" (2019), the Billy Bob Thornton starrer "Goliath" (2016-21) and "Billions" (2016-23).
Wong has also appeared in films like "Exposed" (2016), "The Assistant" (2019) and "You Hurt My Feelings" (2023). She's set to star in the upcoming comedy series "Good Enough."
Paul Giamatti and Clara Wong Worked Together in 'Billions'
Giamatti and Wong likely met on the set of "Billions" in 2016. The Showtime series wrapped its seven-season run in October 2023, with plans for four spinoff series. Giamatti received two Critics Choice Award nominations for his leading role as U.S. Attorney Chuck Rhoades Jr. in series. Wong played Troy, a dominatrix with whom Rhoades enjoys secret flings, in the show.
Social media got a kick out of Giamatti and Wong's relationship rollout this awards season, given their envelope-pushing "Billions" scenes:
Paul Giamatti is dating Clara Wong, the actress who plays his dominatrix in Billions. A king among kings. pic.twitter.com/acuMFwLrAW
— michael kolberg (@mikeykolberg) January 8, 2024
They Went Public in 2021
It's unclear exactly when Giamatti and Wong began dating. They've been publicly linked since as early as October 2019, when Wong attended the NYC unveiling of the Paul Giamatti Fundraiser for the Denali Foundation, which supports the arts globally.
The couple went Instagram official in June 2021, when Wong shared a goofy photo of Giamatti donning a "Super Charged" fireworks T-shirt to mark his birthday. "Happy birthday to this firecracker!!" Wong captioned the snap, in which Giamatti gives two thumbs-up.
They Made Their Red Carpet Debut in 2024
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Paul Giamatti and Clara Wong hit the red carpet together for the first time at the Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards on January 4, 2024 (pictured above). She wore a sequined halter dress and he donned a pink tie. They looked every bit the happy couple, laughing and smiling together for the cameras.
Since Palm Springs, Wong has been right by Giamatti's side this awards season. She wore a brilliant green gown at the Golden Globes, where Giamatti won Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy. The couple went viral later that night after they were photographed enjoying burgers and fries at In-N-Out in L.A. Giamatti's Golden Globe sat demurely on the table at the fast food joint.
PAUL GIAMATTI keeping it real post his Golden Globes win last night , at the Westwood In-N-Out in L.A. pic.twitter.com/bmhbLhy3DB
— Michael Warburton (@MichaelWarbur17) January 8, 2024
