Wu’s fight for ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ part of bigger crusade

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Crazy rich on film, proud to be Asian

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif, Aug 14, (Agencies): Constance Wu had resigned herself to the fact that “Crazy Rich Asians” was not going to work out for her. She was under contract for her sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat”, both were filming in the fall, and that was that. “Crazy Rich Asians” would be the first studio-made Asian-American movie in 25 years, and Wu, who has established herself as a crusader for Asian-American representation in Hollywood, would have to sit this historic moment out.

But then, feeling “kind of dramatic,” and thinking about the significance of the project to her and untold number of Asian-Americans who make it a point to tell her their stories because of her tweets and “Fresh Off the Boat”, Wu decided to give it one last shot and composed an email to “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon M. Chu.

“I said, I know the dates don’t work out and whoever you cast, I will be the first in line and I will be their No. 1 fan and supporter, but I did want to let you know that I would put 110 percent of my heart into this project and I know what to do with it and how to carry a movie and if you can just wait for me, I don’t think you’ll regret it,” Wu, 36, said. “I did not think this email would work. I did it more for me so that I felt that I had told my truth. But then he read it and said, “You guys, we’ve got to push the production.”

Sitting in a restaurant at the Beverly Wilshire, a hotel famous for co-starring in another “Cinderella” story, “Pretty Woman”, and sipping on  grapefruit juice and sparkling water, Wu is describing how “Crazy Rich Asians”, out nationwide Wednesday is also a kind of “Cinderella” story. Based the first book in author Kevin Kwan’s popular trilogy, Wu’s character Rachel Chu is a middle-class economics professor from the US who finds herself navigating the upper echelons of Singapore’s wealthy classes when her boyfriend Nick Young takes her home for a wedding and to meet his disapproving family and all the jealous women also vying for the attention of the “prince.”

“It’s a fairy tale, it really is,” Wu said. “And there are a lot of different shoes in the movie!”

Passion

A native of Richmond, Virginia, and a classically-trained theater actress with a passion for musicals, Wu has been working toward a moment like this her whole life, and taking it very seriously. During the shoot, she wouldn’t go out with her co-stars for karaoke nights. She wanted to be clear of mind and she’d already promised her director that she was going to give it her all.

She knew how unlikely it was that she’d ever get an opportunity as an Asian-American woman to lead a studio movie.

“Even a terrific actress like Sandra Oh was always No. 2 or No. 3 in the movie, she was never No. 1 unless it was an independent movie,” said Wu, who is not shy about saying that she only wants to go out for roles where she is the No. 1 star. It’s a drive that has made some uncomfortable.

“People are like, ‘Who do you think you are? And it’s like, I guess I think I’m a talented actor and I guess I’m not a person who is going to let you make me feel small anymore,” she said.

Also:

LOS ANGELES: The film is called “Crazy Rich Asians”, but the cast is proud to be showcasing such a rare array of Asian culture and identity in a Hollywood movie.

The romantic comedy, opening in movie theaters on Wednesday and starring Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina and newcomer Henry Golding, is the first with an all-Asian ensemble cast from a major studio in 25 years.

“Fresh Off the Boat” actress Wu plays New York economics professor Rachel Chu, who flies to Singapore to meet her boyfriend’s family only to discover that it is one of the wealthiest in the country.

Amid the lavish parties and romantic setbacks, the film highlights the clash of Western and Asian cultures and the tension between old-money Chinese families in Singapore and the nouveau riche.

It is also a love letter to Singapore, as the camera lingers on the city’s modern and traditional architecture, parks, nearby tropical beaches, street food and music.

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