Constance Wu has publicly called out actor Andrew Barth Feldman in a savage statement. The 23-year-old is currently playing Oliver in the Maybe Happy Ending Broadway show, a character typically played by Asian actors.
“Recently, @andrebfeldman_ reached out to me to talk and we had an in-depth phone call about Asian American representation and erasure in theatre,” she said in a statement shared to her Instagram page. “It was a peaceful talk, followed up by several emails and texts. It made me hopeful.”
She continued, saying: “After a recent voice memo he sent me, all I can say is that I am disappointed in him. And feeling pretty discouraged. Once again, Asian Americans are left unheard, unacknowledged, invisible.”
Constance Wu has consistently spoken about the importance of Asian representation in film and on stage. In her statement, she also calls out the production team behind Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway for ignoring the backlash.
“A dozen or so folks behind the scenes at @maybehappyending have remained silent, perhaps in the hopes that this will all fade away, and you know what? It has. Your plan is working guys – I heard your box office is doing great,” she said.
Maybe Happy Ending tells the story of two humanoid “Helperbots,” and is set in a futuristic Seoul, South Korea. Andrew is playing the male lead, Oliver, while his real-life girlfriend Helen J Shen plays the female lead.
In the last part of her statement, Constance Wu apologises to Andrew.
“Honestly, I’m sorry ABF that you’ve been (perhaps unfairly) saddled with this responsibility by your producers. But sometimes we don’t choose our responsibilities, they choose us.”
She ended the statement with a rhetorical question aimed at Andrew, saying: “So the question that remains is that: what are you choosing to do with it? Silence is a choice.”
Even though his comment section is filled with thousands of people asking for a statement, Andrew is still yet to respond.
The Tab has reached out to Andrew Barth Feldman for comment.
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