Editorial Content for Making a Scene
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Reviewer (text)
These days, it seems that a rite of passage in Hollywood is to write a memoir sometime in the middle of your career when people are very much aware of you and interested in what you have to say. Some of them are vapid, full of jokes and tell us nothing about the life the celebrity actually has led or currently leads.
But every once in a while, someone (usually an actress) writes a book that feels as if you are sitting down with her and hearing her story, in her own words, with her own real emotions. Constance Wu’s MAKING A SCENE is that book. And not just because she calls out the man responsible for assaulting her while filming the first two seasons of ABC's “Fresh Off the Boat.”
"I can’t recall reading a memoir by anyone other than a literary writer that felt as friendly, feminist and complex. Wu's quiet, lyrical voice is a joy to experience."
It is clear from Wu’s story that she worked hard as a theater actor for much of her career, and starring on a sitcom like “Fresh Off the Boat” was an opportunity to start a whole new trajectory. (If you haven’t seen the show or her performances in Crazy Rich Asians or Hustlers, be sure to check them out.) The producer who sexually harassed her is never named. In fact, she writes the episodes about him in a script format, giving clarity to the situation in a way that really drives home both how oppressive and ugly the behavior was and how she tried hard to play games with him to protect herself. We see her struggle, but she is not begging us for sympathy. She is telling her truth, the real truth.
MAKING A SCENE is a beautiful memoir as well. The recollections of her growing up in Virginia, her relationship with her family and her decision to become an actress are written in a conversational yet steady and engaging tone. The chapter about her mom is a literary highlight, written with such honesty and care (even the uncomfortable spots) that I dare you not to tear up.
In this day and age, when “stars” are showing their true colors (some quite uncomplimentary), it is refreshing to read a story where we can genuinely champion the celebrity at the heart of the book. Wu puts herself out there, discussing the cultural milestones of her work with as much aplomb and sincerity as her foibles in love and her search for her true self. I can’t recall reading a memoir by anyone other than a literary writer that felt as friendly, feminist and complex. Wu's quiet, lyrical voice is a joy to experience.
Teaser
Growing up in the friendly suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, Constance Wu was often scolded for having big feelings or strong reactions. “Good girls don’t make scenes,” people warned her. And while she spent most of her childhood suppressing her bold, emotional nature, she found an early outlet in local community theater. At 18 she moved to New York, where she’d spend the next 10 years of her life auditioning, waiting tables and struggling to make rent before her two big breaks: the TV sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat” and the hit film Crazy Rich Asians. Through raw and relatable essays, Constance shares private memories of childhood, young love and heartbreak, sexual assault and harassment, and how she “made it” in Hollywood.
Promo
Growing up in the friendly suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, Constance Wu was often scolded for having big feelings or strong reactions. “Good girls don’t make scenes,” people warned her. And while she spent most of her childhood suppressing her bold, emotional nature, she found an early outlet in local community theater. At 18 she moved to New York, where she’d spend the next 10 years of her life auditioning, waiting tables and struggling to make rent before her two big breaks: the TV sitcom “Fresh Off the Boat” and the hit film Crazy Rich Asians. Through raw and relatable essays, Constance shares private memories of childhood, young love and heartbreak, sexual assault and harassment, and how she “made it” in Hollywood.
About the Book
From actor Constance Wu, a powerful and poignant memoir-in-essays.
Growing up in the friendly suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, Constance Wu was often scolded for having big feelings or strong reactions. “Good girls don’t make scenes,” people warned her. And while she spent most of her childhood suppressing her bold, emotional nature, she found an early outlet in local community theater --- it was the one place where big feelings were okay --- were good, even. Acting became her refuge, her touchstone and eventually her vocation. At 18 she moved to New York, where she’d spend the next 10 years of her life auditioning, waiting tables and struggling to make rent before her two big breaks: the TV sitcom "Fresh Off the Boat" and the hit film Crazy Rich Asians.
Here Constance shares private memories of childhood, young love and heartbreak, sexual assault and harassment, and how she “made it” in Hollywood. Raw, relatable and enthralling, MAKING A SCENE is an intimate portrait of the pressures and pleasures of existing in today’s world.
Audiobook available, read by Constance Wu
