HomeBad Ass AsiansConstance Wu Doesn't Mince Words Defending Diversity of the Broadway Hit Hamilton...
Don't Be Fooled by Gift Card Scams

Constance Wu Doesn’t Mince Words Defending Diversity of the Broadway Hit Hamilton

Constance Wu on Fresh Off The BoatBy 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.

Phillipa Soo
Phillipa Soo as
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.

Reaction to her tweet has been mostly positive.

Predictably, others lashed out at Wu.

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.

 

(AsAmNews is an all-volunteer effort of dedicated staff and interns. You can show your support by liking our Facebook page at  www.facebook.com/asamnews, following us on Twitter and sharing our stories.)

 

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Latest

Worth the Time

Must Read

Regular Features

Latest

Discover more from AsAmNews

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading