By Laura Harman
Copyright metro
Constance Wu calls out Andrew Barth Feldman after he was cast in an Asian lead role (Picture: Getty)
Constance Wu has called out Andrew Barth Feldman directly after the actor was cast in the Korean play Maybe Happy Ending.
Andrew, 23, is currently starring in Maybe Happy Ending on Broadway, taking over for Darren Criss, who is of Asian descent, in the role of Oliver.
The actor is playing the role opposite his real-life girlfriend, Helen J Shen, who has continued her role as the female lead Claire.
The roles in the South Korean play have been played by Asian actors in the Broadway production thus far, as has the original production in Seoul. As a white Jewish actor, Feldman’s casting marks a departure from the convention of the play, something Constance Wu has been vocally against.
In a lengthy post on social media, the Crazy Rich Asians actress called out Feldman for accepting a role that could have gone to an Asian actor.
The star explained that she had spoken to the actor at length about the issue recently, but was now very ‘disappointed in him’.
Constance shared the long post on social media (Picture: Instagram/ @constancewu)
The star said she is now feeling ‘discouraged’ (Picture: Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Prime Video)
Andrew Barth Feldman is playing Oliver on stage in Maybe Happy Ending (Picture: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images for World Class Canada & Diageo)
‘After a recent voice memo he sent me, all I can say is that I am so disappointed in him. And feeling pretty discouraged.’
She added: ‘Once again, Asian Americans are left unheard, unacknowledged, invisible. Sadly, we’re used to this.’
She then called out Maybe Happy Ending for burying their heads in the sand and not addressing the situation or publicly acknowledging the petition that is calling out Feldman’s casting.
She then apologised to Feldman: ‘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. So the question that remains is: what are you choosing to do with it? Silence is a choice.’
Feldman is best known for his on-stage performance in Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway and for starring alongside Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings.
Constance led the 2018 blockbuster Crazy Rich Asiana (Picture: Sanja Bucko/Warner Bros/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock)
After accepting the role in the summer, Andrew spoke about his pride at being involved in the production.
‘I am so in love with this show and with Helen J Shen,’ he said in a statement.
‘I’ve been a plus one on this Broadway journey from the beginning, and this brilliant team and beautiful company have already become such a big part of my life. That they trust me with this role, and are giving me the ridiculous gift of sharing it with Helen, is an honour beyond words.’
There was immediate backlash to his casting, with writers Hue Park and Will Aronson responding with a lengthy statement explaining the role wasn’t created to only be played by an Asian actor.
Feldman starred opposite Jennifer Lawrence in No Hard Feelings (Picture: AP)
https://www.instagram.com/p/DMwmoq_NxMv/
‘With Maybe Happy Ending, we wanted to write a show in which every role could be played by an Asian performer, but without the intention that the robot roles always would be.
‘We’re extremely saddened that the show, a decade-long labor of love for us, could ever become a source of confusion, anger or pain,’ they said in one part of the statement.
BD Wong’s open letter about Asian representation on screen has more than 2,400 signatures from a variety of people calling out the casting.
Feldman has yet to respond to the backlash about his role in this production.
Metro has reached out to Andrew Barth Feldman and Maybe Happy Ending for comment.
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