Constance Wu.Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage
Constance Wuis speaking out about her troubling experience working onFresh Off the Boat.
Though she was uncomfortable with the situation, Wu said she did not come forward with the story at the time in order to protect the show and its impact on the Asian American community.
Reps for ABC did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
“My publisher really encouraged me to write [about] it … I was like, ‘No I’m done with that chapter in my life,'” Wurecalled on stagetoThe Atlantic’s reporter. “And then I eventually realized it was important to talk about because I did have a pretty traumatic experience my first couple years on that show, and nobody knew about it because that show was historic for Asian Americans.”
“It was the only show on network television in over 20 years to star Asian Americans, and I did not want to sully the reputation of the one show we had representing us,” she continued. “I kept my mouth shut for a really long time about a lot of sexual harassment and intimidation that I received the first two seasons of the show.”
Once the show became “a success” on ABC, theCrazy Rich Asiansstar said she felt a sense of confidence to say “no” to the unidentified producer.
“I was no longer scared of losing my job,” she explained. “That’s when I was able to start saying ‘no’ to the harassment, ‘no’ to the intimidation, from this particular producer. And, so I thought, ‘You know what? I handled it, nobody has to know, I don’t have to stain this Asian American producer’s reputation, I don’t have to stain the reputation of the show.'”
Constance Wu onFresh Off the Boat.Kelsey McNeal/ABC via Getty
But that didn’t necessarily solve things, as Wu noted, “The thing is bad feelings don’t go away just because you will them to. They are inevitably going to come out somewhere.”
TheHustlersstar then addressed her 2019 tweet, in which she publicly expressed herdisappointment after the show’s renewal— a decision that not only led to mass criticism, but also one that led her to eventuallyattempt suicide.
“I made some very profane, reckless tweets that sort of ignited this whole pile-on of hatred towards me because I just had a hit movie,Crazy Rich Asians, so it looked really bad from the outside. Like, ‘Oh, she thinks she’s this big movie star,'” Wu explained. “When really, I wanted to have a fresh slate where I didn’t have to start a show with all these memories of abuse.”
“A few people knew [the harassment] was happening, and to go to work every day and see those people who knew that he was sexually harassing me, being ‘buddy-buddy’ with him, it felt like a betrayal every time,” she added. “And I don’t blame them because he could fire them too.”
Through tears, Wu continued: “I loved everybody on that crew, and I loved working on that show, but it had that history of abuse, that it started with, and even though I handled it after two years, I was looking forward to a clean slate.”
Going back to her original point from earlier, Wu noted, “Those tweets that came out were the emotions I suppressed that I thought I could will away, coming out in another way.”
She then revealed how the experience led her to take a break from her career, go to therapy and “ultimately come out better because of it.”
“Every time I talk about it, I start crying. It was really hard to hold it in for so long,” the actress added as she wiped away tears.
Wu starred inFresh Off the Boatfrom 2015 to 2020 for six seasons. While complaining about itssixth season renewalin May 2019, Wu tweeted about how shewas “so upset” and “literally crying.”
As a fan congratulated her on the “great news,” Wu said: “No it’s not.”
Wu laterretracted her initial statement, explaining thather tweetswere “on the heels of rough day & were ill timed w/ the news of the show.” She added, “Plz know, I’m so grateful forFOTBrenewal. I love the cast & crew. I’m proud to be a part of it.”
The tweets ultimately sparked outrage from fans who didn’t think the risingCrazy Rich Asianswas appreciative of her position on the ABC comedy, prompting Wu to leave social media for three years.
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Upon returning to the platforms this past July,Wu shared a lengthy statementthat addressed what happened during her time away from social media, how she had attempted suicide following the backlash and her plans to release a memoir of deeply personal essays.
RELATED VIDEO:Crazy Rich Asians’ Constance Wu ‘Never’ Thought She’d Get a Lead Movie Role as an Asian-American
Luckily, a friend found her and rushed her to the ER, which Wu called “a scary moment that made me reassess a lot in my life.”
“For the next few years, I put my career aside to focus on my mental health. AsAms don’t talk about mental health enough. While we’re quick to celebrate representation wins, there’s a lot of avoidance around the more uncomfortable issues within our community,” she explained, in part. “Even my tweets became a subject so touchy that most of my AsAm colleagues decided that was the time to avoid me or ice me out. I’ll admit it hurt a lot, but it also made me realize how important it is to reach out and care for people who are going through a hard time.”
“After a little break from Hollywood and a lot of therapy I feel OK enough to venture back on here (at least for a little bit). And even though I’m scared, I’ve decided that I owe it to the me-of-3-years-ago to be brave and share my story so that it might help someone with theirs,” she added at the end of her note.
Wu’s book,Making a Scene, hits bookshelves on Oct. 4.
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go tosuicidepreventionlifeline.org.
source: people.com
