Crazy Rich Asians director denies claims he told actor she wasn’t ‘Asian enough’ to audition
Jon M Chu said he feels “horrible” about Brenda Song’s reaction
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M Chu has denied claims he told Brenda Song she was “not Asian enough” to star in the hit film.
Song, who is an American woman of Hmong and Thai heritage, claimed she had asked her managers to secure her a meeting or an audition for a role in the 2018 movie, only to be turned down by the creators of Crazy Rich Asians.
"Their reasoning behind that, what they said was that my image was basically not Asian enough, in not so many words. It broke my heart," said Song in an interview with Teen Vogue.
"I said, 'This character is in her late to mid-Twenties, an Asian American, and I can't even audition for it? I've auditioned for Caucasian roles my entire career, but this specific role, you're not going to let me do it? You're going to fault me for having worked my whole life?’ I was like, 'Where do I fit?'"
Director Chu responded to Song’s comments in a tweet, saying he felt “horrible” about what he claimed was a misunderstanding.
"Would these words ever come out of my mouth?’ he wrote. “Nope, makes no sense. I feel horrible she thinks this is the reason. The fact is I love Brenda Song and am a fan. I didn’t need her to audition because I already knew who she was!"
In another tweet, he added: "??Nope. I love @BrendaSong and that sucks if anything of that nature was ever communicated. It’s gross actually. The fact is, obviously I know who she is and didn’t need her to audition. I’m a fan of hers! Nothing more nothing less. Bums me out she thought it was anything but. [sic]"
Crazy Rich Asians starred Constance Wu and Henry Golding, and earned two Golden Globe nominations. A sequel is currently in development.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments