"Crazy Rich Asians" star Constance Wu criticized the new male lead of the Broadway smash "Maybe Happy Ending," whose landing of the role atop a predominantly Asian cast has been met with scorn in some corners of the theater community.
Show producers raised eyebrows over the summer when they announced that Andrew Barth Feldman would take the lead from Tony winner Darren Criss during a nine-week run in September and October.
Wu appeared to question whether Feldman fully understands the implications of him, as a white actor, playing a role that has been so closely associated with Korean culture and other Asian players.
Wu said she is "so disappointed in him” in a lengthy Instagram post Wednesday.
The show is set in a futuristic Seoul, and before Feldman was cast, nearly every minute of stage time was occupied by co-lead helper robots Criss and Helen Shen. Shen is a New Jersey native and the daughter of Chinese immigrants, while Criss grew up in San Francisco with his mother, who is from the Philippines.
Using a white actor in Criss' former part drew allegations of whitewashing, with respected Broadway veteran and onetime "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" star BD Wong leading the charge. Wong said Feldman's casting "totally mocks a marginalized community’s struggle for opportunities."
Wu, who rose to fame on the ABC sitcom "Fresh off the Boat" and then played a key role in the mega-hit rom-com "Crazy Rich Asians," said Feldman had recently reached out to her, leading to lengthy phone calls, texts and emails, she said in her Instagram post.
They chatted "about Asian American representation" in talks that "made me hopeful," Wu said. But that goodwill appeared to have vanished by Wednesday.
"But after a recent voice memo he sent me, all I can say is that I am so disappointed in him," Wu wrote.
"And feeling pretty discouraged. It’s hard to keep speaking up when it feels like no one is listening anymore in this new era. It’s exhausting and increasingly lonely. Once again, Asian Americans are left unheard, unacknowledged, invisible. Sadly, we’re used to this.”
Wu's post did not include details of the voice memo purported to have been sent to her by Feldman, who is the real-life offstage boyfriend of Shen, his "Maybe" co-star.
A publicist for Feldman could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday.
"Maybe" dominated the Tony Awards in June, taking home six awards, including best musical and best leading actor in a musical for Criss.
