Constance Wu Biography

Constance Tianming Wu was born on March 22, 1982 in Richmond, USA, into a first-generation Taiwanese immigrant family. Her father, Fang-Sheng Wu, is a biology and genetics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University while her mother, whose name is not known, is a computer programmer. She has three sisters, two elder and one younger.

As a child, Constance very emotional and wanted to be taken seriously. A good and bright student, she was reciting Shakespeare by the time she was ten years old.

While she was studying in her sixth grade, she auditioned for a play at the Henrico Teen Theatre just because her friend was appearing for it and got selected. Thus, at the age of eleven or twelve, she debuted on stage, later appearing in plays at HATTheatre and Theatre IV.

In time, she entered Douglas S. Freeman High School, where she was more involved in chorus than in the theater. During this time, she developed a love for reading, slowly delving deeper into literature, trying to understand different characters from various perspectives. This, she believes motivated her to become an actor.

According to her former teacher Audrey Baylor, she was a good writer and good thinker and “a risk-taker in the best sense of the word”. She also added that Wu’s essays always had a fresh angle and that she was not afraid to follow the idea or discussion without any preconceived notions.

At sixteen, while studying at Douglas, she participated in a six-month program at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute and on graduation entered State University of New York at Purchase's Conservatory of Theatre Arts. Eventually she graduated from there in 2005 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting.

Constance Wu began her career with classical theatre in New York City; but quickly transitioned to the screen, appearing in side roles in films like Stephanie Daley and The Architect in 2006. Also in the same year, she debuted on television with the Underbelly episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

In 2007, she appeared as Lucy in her third film, Year of the Fish and in the recurring role of Laudine Lee in three episodes of One Life to Live.  Concurrently, she continued to support herself by doing odd jobs, toying with the idea of retraining as a speech therapist.

In 2010, after a breakup with her boyfriend, she moved to Los Angeles, where her theatre and film background helped her to get a role in Sound of My Voice, a psychological thriller film released in January 2011. Also in the same year, she guest starred in one episode of Torchwood.

In 2012, she landed a main role in EastSiders, a dark comedy web series, which ran for four seasons, first on You Tube and then on Netflix. Also in 2012, she appeared in her fourth film, as Kimi Hu in Watching TV with the Red Chinese.

In 2013, she debuted as a writer-director-composer with My Mother Is Not A Fish, concurrently serving as its music supervisor.  Also in the same year, she appeared in four films, out of which Best Friends Forever and Deadly Revenge were full length feature films while Ties and Taylor Manifest were shorts.

In February 2014, she got her real breakthrough when she won the leading role of Jessica Huang in the ABC comedy series Fresh Off the Boat. However, it took one full year to hit the screen, eventually premiering in February 2015, running for six full seasons before it closed on February 21, 2020.

Meanwhile, she continued to appear in other production, starring in films like Parallels (2015) and The Feels (2017), appearing in voice role in Crow: The Legend (2017) and The Lego Ninjago Movie (2017). Concurrently, she also continued to guest star in various television productions like Royal Pains (2016) and Dimension 404 (2017).

In 2018, Constance Wu got another boost in her career, when she played Rachel Chu in the romantic comedy drama film Crazy Rich Asians. It was followed in 2019 by another big success, starring as Destiny, a stripper, in the crime comedy-drama film, Hustlers.

In 2021, she had two more films, Wish Dragon (Voice role) and I Was a Simple Man, released. They were followed in 2022 by a documentary called Jennifer Lopez: Halftime and an action thriller television series called The Terminal List.

Her latest work, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, a live-action/animated musical comedy film, in which she has appeared in the lead role of Mrs. Primm, is in post-production stage. It is scheduled to be released in theaters by Sony Pictures Releasing on October 7, 2022.

Playing Jessica Huang in the ABC comedy series Fresh Off the Boat is probably one of Constance Wu’s best works so far.  In this series, she successfully portrayed a no-nonsense, pragmatic and highly competitive woman, who pushes her husband and three sons to be more successful, winning several nominations and awards.

She is equally known for her portrayal of Rachel Chu, the lead role, in Crazy Rich Asians. Made on a budget of $30 million, the film was eventually released in August 2018, earning $238.5 million at the box office.

In 2014 and 2016,Constance  Wu earned two Indie Series Awards for her role in EastSiders. Meanwhile in 2015, she also earned an Unforgettable Gala – Asian American Award for her role in Fresh Off the Boat.

For her role in Crazy Rich Asians, she earned the Hollywood Film Awards in 2018; 9th The Asian Awards and National Board of Review award in 2019.

Constance Wu is in relationship Ryan Kattner, with whom she has a baby girl, born in August 2020. He is a noted musician, composer and screenwriter, who fronts the rock band Man Man under the stage name Honus Honus.

Also an activist, Constance Wu has expressed her support for making the US film industry more inclusive. In 2017, she also worked with Miry's List, a nonprofit organization that helps newly arrived immigrants and refugees in Southern California.