Four years ago, Constance Wu took the important initiative to open the doors for Asian American content in Hollywood through her two major projects – ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ and ‘Crazy Rich Asians.’ Not only acting, but when it came to weighing in on issues about racial and gender equity and representation, she was the first person to take the stand on social media as well.
But, following a Twitter backlash in 2019, the actress went complete silent. She just disappeared from not only social media but she refused to face the camera as well. Now, the actor has come forward to give explanations about her longest hiatus.
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Constance Wu Wanted To Die!
The ‘Hustler’ actress recently returned to Twitter for the first time in nearly three years to announce her new book, ‘Making a Scene’. That brought up an explanation of her disappearance. In a lengthy note posted on her Twitter account, she explained how after getting brutally cyberbullied, she was working on her mental health.
“I was afraid of coming back on social media because I almost lost my life from it: 3 years ago, when I made careless tweets about the renewal of my TV show, it ignited outrage and internet shaming that got pretty severe,” Wu wrote in a statement. “I felt awful about what I’d said, and when a few DMs from a fellow Asian actress told me I’d become a blight on the Asian American community, I started feeling like I didn’t even deserve to live anymore. That I was a disgrace to AsAms, and they’d be better off without me. Looking back, it’s surreal that a few DMs convinced me to end my own life, but that’s what happened. Luckily, a friend found me and rushed me to the ER.”
What Really Happened To Wu?
Back in 2019, Wu was frustrated over the news that her ABC sitcom ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ had been renewed for another season. The actor tweeted at the time: “So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh. F—-” and “F—ing hell.” When a user congratulated her on the renewal, calling it “Great news,” Wu commented, “No it’s not.”
But later, Wu clarified that, it’s not like she doesn’t like to play her role, but felt that her role in ‘Fresh Off the Boat’ had become “easy and pleasant”. She wanted to challenge herself for a few more complex roles.
“It was a scary moment that made me reassess a lot in my life,” Wu added about her suicide attempt. “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. 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.”
Wu concluded, “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.”
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