Advocates for diversity in Hollywood rejoice! Constance Wu, an Asian-American actress, has been cast to play the lead role in the upcoming movie “Crazy Rich Asians.” Wu has become a favorite in American television for her role as the no-nonsense Jessica Huang in the ABC comedy, “Fresh Off The Boat.” This role will be her first movie role.
“Crazy Rich Asians” will be a big-screen adaptation of Kevin Kwan’s bestselling novel of the same title. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the movie has yet to be greenlighted but is on the “development fast-track.”
Constance Wu and Diversity in Hollywood
Wu herself expressed how excited she is for the role. She tweeted on Feb. 16 how grateful she was for the “exciting news,” while sharing the news report on THR.
Aside from her TV roles, she is also very vocal about the lack of diversity in Hollywood. Last year, she criticized the casting of Matt Damon in the film “The Great Wall.” She made an impassioned plea to “stop perpetuating the racist myth that only a white man can save the world. It’s not based on actual fact. Our heroes don’t look like Matt Damon. They look like Malala. Ghandi. Mandela. Your big sister when she stood up for you to those bullies that one time.”
She also shared her frustration about the lack of Asians on the big screen. She told the New York Times, “An Asian person who is competing against white people, for an audience of white people, has to train for that opportunity like it’s the Olympics. An incredibly talented Asian actor might be considered for a leading role maybe once or twice in a lifetime. That’s a highly pressured situation.”
Constance Wu, Jon M. Chu plus an all-Asian Cast
The film’s director, Jon M. Chu, said that he was “blown away” by this news. In his tweet, he said that he and Constance were going to “make history together.” Chu is slated to direct the film and work with an all-Asian cast.
With the leading lady identified, the next challenge for Warner Bros. to identify the lead actor who will play the leading man in the movie. According to Huffington Post, Chu has launched a search for Asian talent via social media earlier this year. He called on Asian actors to submit audition videos with the hashtag #CrazyRichAsians for a chance to be considered for the movie.