What is Constance Wu's Net Worth and Salary?
Constance Wu is an American actress who has a net worth of $6 million. Constance Wu had her breakthrough starring as Jessica Huang on the ABC television sitcom "Fresh Off the Boat," which ran from 2015 to 2020. Her profile grew in 2018 when she starred in the hit film "Crazy Rich Asians," for which she earned a Golden Globe Award nomination. Wu's other credits include the Amazon Prime Video series "The Terminal List" and the films "The Feels," "Hustlers," and "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile."
Early Life and Education
Constance Wu was born on March 22, 1982 in Richmond, Virginia as the third of four daughters of immigrant parents from Taiwan. Her mother is a computer programmer, and her father is a biology and genetics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Wu was educated at Douglas S. Freeman High School. While there, she participated in a six-month program at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York. Wu went on to attend the State University of New York at Purchase, from which she graduated with her BFA in 2005. After that, she considered getting a graduate degree in speech pathology, but ultimately decided to pursue her acting career.
Television Career
Wu made her television debut in 2006 in an episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit." The year after that, she had a recurring role on the soap opera "One Life to Live." After appearing in an episode of "Torchwood: Miracle Day" in 2011, Wu had her first main role in the comedy web series "EastSiders," which premiered in late 2012 on YouTube. She starred as Kathy, the best friend of Kit Williamson's character Cal, for the show's first three seasons. Other main cast members were Van Hansis, Matthew McKelligon, John Halbach, and Brianna Brown. While she was still on "EastSiders," Wu made guest appearances on the shows "Covert Affairs," "Franklin & Bash," and "Children's Hospital," and starred in a pair of unsold television pilots.
In 2015, Wu landed her breakthrough role on the ABC sitcom "Fresh Off the Boat," loosely based on the memoir of celebrity chef Eddie Huang. She starred as Jessica Huang, the mother of a Taiwanese-American family in 1990s Florida. The show, which ran for six seasons until 2020, also starred Randall Park, Hudson Yang, Forrest Wheeler, and Ian Chen. In 2017, Wu appeared in an episode of the Hulu anthology series "Dimension 404," and in 2021 starred in an episode of another anthology series, "Solos." She had her next main role, as war correspondent Katie Buranek, in the Amazon Prime Video series "The Terminal List." Based on the Jack Carr novel, it premiered in the summer of 2022. The following year, Wu began voicing Daphne Blake in the adult animated series "Velma," based on the eponymous "Scooby-Doo" character.
Film Career
On the big screen, Wu made her debut in the 2006 film "Stephanie Daley," starring Amber Tamblyn and Tilda Swinton. The same year, she appeared in "The Architect," based on the play by David Greig. Wu next lent her voice to the 2007 animated film "Year of the Fish." After a break from the big screen, she returned in 2011 with a role in Zal Batmanglij's psychological thriller "Sound of My Voice." Wu subsequently appeared in some short films, including "Ties" and "Taylor Manifest." In 2015, she starred in the science-fiction adventure film "Parallels" and the indie comedy "Low Budget Ethnic Movie." A couple years later, Wu starred in the lesbian dramedy "The Feels" and voiced the Mayor of Ninjago in the animated martial arts comedy film "The Lego Ninjago Movie."
Wu gave one of her most acclaimed performances in 2018, starring as the lead female character Rachel Chu in the romantic dramedy "Crazy Rich Asians." Based on the bestselling novel by Kevin Kwan, the film was the first major Hollywood studio film in 25 years to feature an all-Asian cast. For her performance, Wu earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical. Also in 2018, she lent her voice to the Netflix animated film "Next Gen." Wu subsequently starred in the hit crime dramedy "Hustlers," playing one of a group of Manhattan strippers who rob wealthy clients. She followed that with a voice role in the animated film "Wish Dragon" and a starring role in the family drama "I Was a Simple Man." In 2022, Wu played Katie Primm in the musical fantasy comedy "Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile," based on the children's story.
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Activism and Advocacy
Wu has been outspoken in her support of increased Chinese representation in American media. In 2016, she became the face of a Twitter meme that saw her image inserted into film promotional materials to highlight the lack of actors of Chinese descent starring in major Hollywood films. A little later, Wu began working with Miry's List, an organization that provides essential resources to newly arrived immigrants and refugee families in Southern California.
Cyberbullying
Wu has been the subject of cyberbullying. After expressing displeasure that her show "Fresh Off the Boat" was renewed in 2019, she received backlash on social media for being ungrateful. In the summer of 2022, Wu revealed that the backlash, which had taken on a racist tenor, caused her to attempt suicide. She consequently abstained from social media and entered psychotherapy. Wu later stated that her negative reaction to the renewal of "Fresh Off the Boat" partly had to do with the fact that she was sexually harassed by one of the show's producers.
Personal Life
From 2011 to 2018, Wu dated actor Ben Hethcoat. After that relationship ended, she started dating Ryan Kattner, the frontman of the experimental rock band Man Man. Together, they have two children. In 2022, Wu released her first book, "Making a Scene."
