'Hustlers' the movie: Constance Wu sheds her 'Fresh Off the Boat' skin to turn on the sizzling sex appeal
Constance Wu has a knack for wooing her audience in whatever role she plays. We have seen her in various avatars, be it as the intimidating matriarch of the Huang family in 'Fresh Off the Boat' or the dove-eyed girlfriend of a millionaire in 'Crazy Rich Asians'.
In all the diverse roles she has taken up, there has been one thing in common — she is lovable and relatable. There is an earnestness in every role that she takes and in every dialogue that she delivers, you cannot help but fall a little in love with her.
She is bound to repeat history in the upcoming movie 'Hustlers' which stars Jennifer Lopez, Keke Palmer, and Lili Reinhart, along with Wu.
At least a decade before she got superstardom with 'Fresh Off the Boat', Wu had been hustling in the movie business, and has been in shows such as 'Law and Order: SVU', 'Childrens Hospital' and 'Sound of My Voice'. However, it is the three-season-long dark comedy series called 'EastSiders', which aired sporadically from 2012 to 2017, that put her on the map.
In it, she played Kathy, a woman who is generally distrustful of men and is wary of relationships. Her longest relationship lasted six months. Her character definitely stood out for most fans of the show, but it wasn't until Jessica Huang came along in 'Fresh Off the Boat' that the world truly got to see her talent.
Playing a young mother-of-three, Wu nailed the perfect balance of scary, unreasonable, adorable, well-meaning, and oftentimes ridiculously Type A Jessica. 'Fresh Off the Boat' narrates the life story of celebrity chef Eddie Huang but deviated quite a bit from what the real-life Eddie had envisioned for the show, oftentimes tapping into stereotypes to land a joke. However, even the critics of the show, including Huang himself, have spoken about Wu's Jessica being the perfect Asian American mother.
Even as we were celebrating Wu in this very specific, niche character, she went ahead and broke free of that mold by starring as an economics professor at New York University, who falls in love with a man she doesn't realize is one of wealthiest Asians in the world. 'Crazy Rich Asians' saw her fighting for her love, pursuing the approval of his family.
In it, we see her embody the starry-eyed Rachel who is a stark contrast to everything we know Jessica to be. A little after Wu proved that she can play two ends of a spectrum with equal ease and charm, she got into a little bit of controversy. When ABC renewed 'Fresh Off the Boat' for season six, Wu made her displeasure extremely clear.
In a series of tweets she posted following the announcements, she said, "So upset right now that I’m literally crying. Ugh." She later clarified that it was out of sadness for having to give up on other interesting and amazing projects that had her so upset, and that she is grateful to have a show that she loves and fans that love her.
This incident shines a light on her ambition and drive to do more as an actress. Soon enough, she gets a chance to portray a woman so far off from who Jessica and Rachel are – Destiny. Now, this is a woman who is willing to do whatever it takes to survive, and she finds the right mentor in JLo's Ramona Vega. In the trailer for 'Hustlers', we get to see Wu's acting range, and we cannot help but marvel at it.
Destiny is a single mom who starts stripping to support her family but eventually becomes a member of Ramona's scam team, where the women rob wealthy men. One scene in particular, from the trailer, sees Wu crying for help as her "husband" lies unconscious, and walks away with intent clear in her eyes as soon as the paramedics take him away. One cannot help but appreciate the raw talent that goes into making that scene seem as seamless and it does.
'Hustlers' will hit theatres on Friday, September 13. You can also look forward to her return as Jessica on 'Fresh Off the Boat' when season 6 premieres on Friday, September 27.