Why Constance Wu Does Not Turn Down Roles With Asian Accents

With “Crazy Rich Asians” planned for release this year, Constance Wu and her cast mates have been doing press to promote the much-anticipated film. However, before she’s bombarded with questions, she’d like people to be clear about why she doesn’t turn down roles with accents, which some might see as a perpetuation of Asian stereotypes on being foreign.

“As I go into press for #crazyrichasians I’m already being asked about this kind of stuff so here’s what I’d like for ppl to consider with specificity and real thought/consideration: ‪I don’t turn down roles with accents bc there is nothing shameful about knowing 2+ languages and having an accent. It’s not a joke. If it happens to be used as a joke, that’s the fault of the writer or of an uninformed American culture, it’s not the fault of the accent itself. Let’s CHANGE that culture of ridicule, rather than buy into it. To turn down a role simply bc of an accent actually reinforces that biased culture. And I will never make career choices that reinforce a non-Asian person’s ridicule of what is simply a product of immigration. That’s why I don’t turn down those roles as a blanket statement. In fact, I think roles that are brave enough to portray immigrant stories with authenticity (which include accents!), ones that are written by Asian Americans are roles to LOVE, not ones to avoid. I think we should have pride in selecting those roles and not just blindly apply the word “stereotype” to anything that has an accent. ‬Because accents are not inherently shameful. Also? I’m an actor, I majored in Acting in college and part of that course of study was learning accents that are not your own. French, British, Boston, etc. it’s not “fake” it’s just…acting. Because when you’re acting, you’re not playing yourself. People who are immigrants deserved to have their stories told, not avoided, and not watered down. Let’s have pride in these stories, because we come from those stories. Ok bye! 👋”

Though she started her career back in 2006, she exploded in popularity after starring as  in ABC’s “Fresh Off the Boat,” which turned out to be a huge hit. Since then, she’s been vocal about calling out the fetishization of Asians, getting mainstream media to know the difference between the Asian and Asian American experience, and calling out the Oscars for their lack of diversity.

“Crazy Rich Asians” hits theaters August 17, 2018.