By Louis Chan
AsAmNews National
Constance Wu is bluntly coming to the defense of “non-Whites only” casting of the upcoming off Broadway tour of the hit musical Hamilton.
Producers of the show have been under intense criticism for their decision to seek “NON-WHITE men and women, ages 20s to 30s, for Broadway and upcoming Tours.” They say such casting is central to Hamilton’s core.
“It is essential to the storytelling of Hamilton that the principal roles — which were written for nonwhite characters (excepting King George) — be performed by nonwhite actors,” the producers said in a released statement. “This adheres to the accepted practice that certain characteristics in certain roles constitute a “bona fide occupational qualification” that is legal. This also follows in the tradition of many shows that call for race, ethnicity or age specific casting, whether it’s “The Color Purple” or “Porgy & Bess.”
The actor’s union sees it differently.
Eliza Hamilton in Hamilton
“The language on the ‘Hamilton’ audition call, located on the show’s website, is inconsistent with Equity’s policy,” Equity spokeswoman Maria Somma said, according to the Daily News.
An outspoken Constance Wu who plays the mother Jessica on Fresh Off The Boat left no doubt on Twitter where she stood on the issue.
Hey white ppl complaining abt #Hamilton cry me a fucking river;POC feel this every day of our lives & u have to feel it once? Boo fuckin hoo
— Constance Wu (@ConstanceWu) March 31, 2016
Reaction to her tweet has been mostly positive.
@KaraRBrown @ConstanceWu I might have fist-pumped a lil
— devon maloney (@dynamofire) April 1, 2016
@ConstanceWu ????????????????
— Katharine Chin (@katharrine) March 31, 2016
@ConstanceWu YES
— Angel (@nanananaBATMANN) March 31, 2016
Predictably, others lashed out at Wu.
@ConstanceWu If the roles were reversed and only a white man could play MLK, the world would come apart. Equality should apply to everyone.
— mltcjl76 (@mltcjl76) March 31, 2016
Wu has not been afraid to speak her mind. When Eddie Huang came under intense criticism for blasting his own show, she was the only cast member who publicly came to Huang’s defense.
Props to Constance Wu. She has strong feelings and shares them just as Jessica would.
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