Constance Wu shared her feelings about people who target her for her dating choices.
Like many other Asian women, the “Crazy Rich Asians” star has faced backlash for her dating preferences — particularly with men outside her race.
During the film’s writing, Wu convinced director Jon M. Chu to remove a dialogue that had Rachel Chu, her character, brag about never dating Asian men.
Chu said that the change, among others, helped the film portray Asians as “contemporary, stylish, at the top of art and fashion, emotional, funny, sarcastic and unapologetic.”
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Speaking to StyleCaster at American Express’s “Choose Your Own Adventure” event, Wu revealed that she has no ill feelings toward her critics and pointed out that expression of views is good.
“Hate and criticism in any form do not feel good. But I do think having the freedom to express things that are painful to certain people and start conversations about deeper issues [is a good thing].”
The “Fresh Off The Boat” star said that if becoming a target means helping out critics process their own feelings, she is “all for it.”
“Unfortunately, sometimes those conversations are targeted, but I’m very confident in the choices I make and why I make them, so if and when they are targeted at me, if this is a means for someone else to figure out and discover the things that matter to them or the things they feel about themselves, then I’m all for it. Because I’m OK.”
The idea of Asian women dating non-Asian men has been a heated topic in the Asian American community for a long time.
In August alone, Lana Condor’s Lara Jean Covey in Netflix’s “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before” received flak for having no Asian love interest, while Olympian Chloe Kim revealed horrifying text messages she had received for dating a White guy.
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