When last we heard from Constance Wu, she was back peddling on a series of tweets in which she seemingly trashed her sitcom, Fresh Off the Boat. When she repeatedly expressed her disappointment that her relatively successful TV show was *check notes* picked up for another season, she admitted there was another project she wanted to do, and the show would limit her availability. After all, that’s what had happened to her role in Crazy Rich Asians, but she was able to talk the director into waiting for her. Does the announcement on Monday that Constance will star in the lead role of the film adaption of Goodbye, Vitamin mean she got another film to wait for her, or is this a different project?
Universal Pictures has optioned the rights to “Goodbye, Vitamin,” the 2017 debut novel from Rachel Khong, with Constance Wu attached to star, sources tell Variety.
Dylan Clark will produce for his Universal-based Dylan Clark Productions with Jennifer Yee McDevitt adapting the novel. Wu will also executive produce.
“Goodbye, Vitamin” follows Wu’s character, Ruth Young, who discovers that her father, a renowned history professor, has lost his job after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She decides to return home and work with her father’s former student to stage a fake class so he can continue to teach.
I’ve not read Goodbye, Vitamin but it got a bunch of awards and recognition. The story sounds like a real feel-good, tear-jerker so it’ll probably make for great cinema. I can see why Constance would want this role. I’m about to make myself very unpopular but as much as I loved Crazy Rich Asians, I felt Constance was the weakest link. Her performance kept me from being invested in her character. And I only ever watched FOtB for Randall Park. I don’t wish her any ill will, I love that she’s forging a career, but if she did convince another project to wait for her to star in it, I guess I would be surprised.
And speaking of surprise, that’s what Randall used to defend Constance on her tweets about the show. He said that they all thought last season was their last and they were all just ‘surprised’ by its renewal for another season. I’m hard pressed to find her multiple tweets were mere “surprise,” but I think it’s kind of Randall to back up his co-star. I hope that act of goodwill will parlay into a pleasant working set for all.
Photo credit: WENN Photos
I kind of agree about her role in CRA. She was forgettable and actually kind of irritating. Out of the whole ensemble, she definetly didn’t bring the presence to her character, that the other actors brought to their roles. I get her wanting to capitalize while CRA is still new enough to still be a good stepping stone for her, but she’s kind of the Asian Jennifer Aniston…..great on tv, but kind of bland and one note in films.
This is so trivial, but I hated how they styled her in that movie. Her hair was so 90s, her clothes were just bad, etc. I didn’t think she was bad overall in the movie, she was sort of benign to me, definitely not my favorite part of the movie, but fine. But her hair and stuff were pretty bad.
I didn’t think she was right for Rachel, either. I wonder if what you point out–the difference in prescence, or whatever, because I doubt he wanted her to not act as well, but she was sending off a different vibe from everyone else–was purposeful to really set her apart from the other characters, who were all linked by being “crazy rich” and they all knew each other. (Except for Peik Lin, she didn’t really know them that well, but even she seemed to fit in better. Awkwafina was SOOOOO good in that role, she has another movie coming out soon and it looks really good too!) However, the scene in the mah jong parlor was great and Constance Wu did a very good job there. But yeah, I didn’t like her as Rachel; thankfully, it didn’t detract from the movie that much. And the later books expand away from Rachel. I personally adore Kitty Pong’s storyline, and really hope they make all the books into movies
@manda – I think they are going to (make all the books into movies.) I wonder how it will affect the plot since the ending was so different. (with Eleanor accepting Rachel etc.)
I did hear that they are going to film the next two movies at the same time though, and I don’t think they are starting for another year or two, since they have to get the cast together etc. But I read that they wanted to do that for continuity and just to make it easier, since that way they only have to coordinate schedules etc once.
Awkwafina and Ken Jeong. Love the movie! So fun.
@Becks1 I wonder too, and I can’t really remember the books that well, but I’m guessing they will just have gram keep on hating rachel and disowning (or disinheriting) nick. Because grandmother was not really a party to the mah jong pwning of Eleanor, so maybe that’s how they’ll do it. And that would give them a chance to make Eleanor a tiny bit nicer. I look forward to seeing Nick’s father. Their relationship is a little bit odd, for sure. I hope the music and fashion is as good in the sequels! I’m really looking forward to them
Constance is a talented actress. I pictured her as Rachel. It’s just that Akwafina was such a scene stealer and Gemma Chan’s (Astrid) storyline was much more intense. Rachel was an everyday Asian American woman not a socialite so her styling was just right.
Akwafina and Ken Jeong made the movie more watchable.
Hope the film set is super size so it can fit her ego in.
I liked CRA as a movie, but then read the book. Constance Wu was good but the other actors did outshine her in their immense talent. The book was problematic, as there were hints of racism towards brown and black people and comments that came across as anti-semitic. The screenplay cleaned a lot of that up, but I was disappointed after reading the book. Some critics feel the movie was not representative enough https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/aug/21/where-are-the-brown-people-crazy-rich-asians-draws-tepid-response-in-singapore
The movie is definitely better. I was expecting the book to be as fun, but it’s not. Like you said, racism ,Cousin Eddie being emotionally abusive, etc., and the sheer materialism was oppressive.
She can crawl into a career coffin with that attitude of hers.
It’s an absolutely amazing book that I would recommend to anyone, regardless of how you feel or don’t feel about Constance Wu! Glad that it’s headed to the big screen.
Ok she made a mistake, a BIG mistake. I’m not going to stop rooting for her.
100%. I root for her and all who are paving the way for increased diversity in film. She didn’t put her hands on anybody, didn’t try to get everyone on the FOtB cast and crew fired- just had an embarrassing and tone-deaf public reaction. Hardly unforgivable.
I think she’s amazing on FOtB. I find her character very compelling.
Me neither.
I loved CRA and saw it twice. She was definitely the weakest link in terms of her acting ability, but then again her part was more bland than most of the others who were so much more intense or colorful.
I would not cancel someone for making a mistake (her tweets). However, I would cancel someone for treating others poorly on set.
The more I think about it the more I kind of have to agree. But I also think that has to do with the fact that there wasn’t much personality written into that character in the first place. I haven’t read the book so I don’t know if her character is written that way but in the film I feel like her character was a bit of a cardboard cut out of what a leading lady is. Everyone around her got to have a more fully drawn character than she did. The same gies for Henry Golding’s character. They both were the most boring characters in the film.
Constance is a good actress – she can play broad comedy and quirky characters. It’s what she does on Fresh off the Boat and why she got cast in that film in the first place
“I hope that act of goodwill will parlay into a pleasant working set for all.”
*dead* 😂
A few weeks ago I’ve read Marvel was casting an Asian actress between 30-40 yes old. I totally believe that was the part Constance wanted, because it is a carreer changing part and there aren’t many Asian actresses around (at least not Asian-Americans and Gemma Chan was in Captain Marvel, so she can’t be in it for this).
she said she doesn’t want to do a superhero movie though
It was a good book in that it talked about the monies history of China and Singapore. So yes there will always be elements of classism and racism in a book about that. Honestly the characterization of Rachel in the book was so bland and made you wonder what this eligible bachelor saw in her. I do think based on the books characterization, that Constance breathed some life into that character.
I didn’t love how they changed the character of Astrid from the book but loved the casting of Gemma Chan.
I agree! I really couldn’t warm to the Rachel in the book and thought Constance Wu made her more relatable/real. I like Gemma Chan, but disliked her in the role of Astrid, but then maybe that’s because movie Astrid seemed so much less vibrant than book Astrid. But overall I really liked CRA. Michelle Yeoh is phenomenal and Henry Golding is my new celeb crush. He’s dreamy! *le sigh*
I thought CRA was actually kind of a dreadful movie… What it did well was allow underrated superstars like Michelle Yeoh, Gemma Chan, and Awkwafina a chance to shine and show their star power. But from a plot, script, and character perspective, I thought it left a lot to be desired. It reminded me of a mediocre episode of The OC with an Asian cast.
Gorgeous woman, but I am so sick of the celebrity entitled mentality.
Hijacking this because this has bugged me since I saw CRA.
I honestly do not understand this criticism even 1%. Constance Wu was by far the second best actress in that movie (Awkwafina smashed it). What exactly was so bad about her acting? She was the only remotely believable character in the entire thing, but the writing did just plain suck.
I thought everyone else (except maybe Ken Jeong and Ronnie Chieng) was appalling, and I love Michelle Yeoh. But if you are given nothing, you cannot make diamonds.
I don’t understand how anyone can think she was the worst part of that film. Gemma Chan is one of the worst working actresses I can think of – great great celebrity but absolutely painful to watch attempt to emote – and Henry Golding is blander than the charisma vacuums that are Taylor Lautner or Hayden Christensen. But by far the worst thing about CRA is the plot and the writing, the worship of money and literally no substance to anyone. Literally no one I know enjoyed the film, the best thing ever said about it is Awkwafina was great.
Can someone explain how Constance Wu is the worst part of this trash?
I’m not mad about Hecate’s assessment. I found her character pretty meh as well. She was funny in FOTB the first couple of seasons but Randall Park’s deadpan delivery was pretty much it for me. I’ve watched the press run with Randall during the release of Always Be My Maybe. he was hysterical and he had such a great rapport with Ali Wong.
I think I saw that interview with Randall asking about Constance’s reaction. He was being polite and circumspect. Seriously Randall, let us know how you really feel!
I’m not watching her new movie. I find her acting sort of meh. Her unprofessional outburst didn’t help either.