![]() ![]() Asian parents are different, but not less."įor me, witnessing my own childhood pent-up frustrations - borne from feeling trapped in the corner of my family’s small restaurant while my parents mandated that I complete endlessly tedious stacks of extra algebra and reading homework - depicted on screen comedically was hilariously therapeutic. The way we grew up is not shameful, it's just another way. But having a show like Fresh Off the Boat on ABC like a shift. "As a kid, I often felt like the way my parents do things were awkward or embarrassing, and I still feel that way sometimes at 29. "I came here with my parents when I was 10," recounts Yvonne Su. FOTB is a fantasy, as most sitcoms are - and it resonated with many Asian Americans. Unlike Eddie’s memoir, the sitcom was never meant to be real life. FOTB tackled many of the same struggles I faced in childhood, but everything formed a neat resolution within the half-hour slot, tying up the ends of every episode with a glossy, Mickey Mouse worthy, happily-ever-after bow on top. The show was no longer an adaptation of his memoir, it became something altogether new. And my worries multiplied when Huang publicly lashed out against the show soon after its premiere, calling it "unrecognizable."Īs I watched and continued to enjoy the first season, however, I realized Huang’s point. So I was curious about how such dark and nuanced source material was going to be translated into a half-hour primetime sitcom. It was personal, specific, and it helped me heal. Huang’s raw depiction of domestic violence mirrored my own experiences. The book is dark and was lauded for being edgy and unflinching. Reading Eddie Huang’s 2013 memoir of the same name, which inspired the television series, had been a vital part of my personal reckoning, of facing my own past traumas while embracing my heritage. ![]() ![]() But from the beginning, for so many of us, FOTB was more than just a show. ![]() because being the first Asian American sitcom in decades is so much pressure."įive years ago, I counted down to the premiere of Fresh Off the Boat with unparalleled anticipation, feeling silly to be so excited about a network sitcom. Tria Chang, a 35-year-old fan, recalls how excited she was for the show to air, but admits, "I was also nervous. A few people knew was happening, and to go to work every day and see those people who knew that he was s*xually harassing me being ‘buddy-buddy’ with him felt like a betrayal every time,” she continued.Ĭonstance Wu then concluded, “I loved everybody on that crew, and I loved working on that show, but it had that history of abuse that it started with, and even though I handled it after two years, I was looking forward to a clean slate.”įor more updates on Hollywood news, tune into Koimoi.Fresh Off the Boat's potential to herald a new era of Asian American representation in entertainment left me breathless. “I wanted to have a fresh slate where I didn’t have to start a show with all these memories of abuse. Wu spoke about the controversy surrounding her tweets that bemoaned the show’s renewal during her presentation. It was the only show on network television in over 20 years to star Asian Americans, and I did not want to sully the reputation of the one show we had representing us,” she said. That show was historic for Asian Americans. “I eventually realized it was important to talk about. I don’t have to stain the reputation of the show,’” she said.Ĭonstance Wu alleges that the producer routinely asked her for images late at night and made crude jokes or comments that she would brush off. I don’t have to stain this Asian American producer’s reputation. And, so I thought: ‘You know what? I handled it. Because, after the first two seasons, once it was a success, once I was no longer scared of losing my job, that’s when I was able to start saying ‘no’ to the harassment, ‘no’ to the intimidation, from this particular producer. The Crazy Rich Asians actress then added, “I kept my mouth shut for a really long time about a lot of s*xual harassment and intimidation that I received the first two seasons of the show. It made me paranoid and embarrassed,” she said. And because I was 30, people thought I knew what I was doing. She said, “‘ Fresh Off the Boat’ was my first TV show ever. Constance Wu also revealed that the producer groped her thigh and touched her crotch during a sporting event in 2015. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |