Brenda Song Claims She Wasn’t ‘Asian Enough’ for ‘Crazy Rich Asians’, Jon M. Chu Responds

In a new interview with Teen Vogue, the “Dollface” star revealed that while she is a fan of Kevin Kwan’s trilogy, she “never got to read” for its first movie adaptation.

 

Song reportedly asked her managers for a meeting or an audition for “any possible part,” but they returned to her with the news that she was “not right for a role in their [production’s] eyes.”

“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,” the 31-year-old actor told Teen Vogue.

Much of the movie’s cast reportedly signed on in the spring of 2017, with filming taking place from April to June in the same year.

“I said, ‘This character is in her late to mid-20s, 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?'” the former Disney Channel star lamented.

After the heartbreaking news, Song took some time off to travel and pull herself together. Within the week of her return to Los Angeles, she was offered the lead role in Netflix’s “Secret Obsession.”

“I got myself together and said, ‘Brenda, there is only one you, and you can’t change who you are. You can’t change your past.’ I am so grateful for every job that I’ve done,” she told Teen Vogue. “All I can do is continue to put good auditions out there, do the best that I can — that’s all I can ask for.”

After Song’s statement on Wednesday, “Crazy Rich Asians” director Jon M. Chu responded in apparent confusion on Twitter.

“Would these words ever come out of my mouth? Nope makes no sense,” the 40-year-old filmmaker wrote. “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!”

“Crazy Rich Asians” ultimately starred Henry Golding and Constance Wu in the lead roles of Nick Young and Rachel Chu, respectively, with Awkwafina becoming a breakout star as Goh Peik Lin.

Released in August 2018, the Warner Bros. movie grossed $174,532,921 in the U.S. box office ($238,532,921 worldwide), becoming the most successful Hollywood rom-com in nine years.

 

This is not the first time “Crazy Rich Asians” has sparked controversy. In September, screenwriter Adele Lim made headlines after revealing that she had left the project over a massive pay disparity, with Chu expressing support for her decision.

Song has yet to respond to Chu’s statement. Twitter users weighed in on the story:

Feature Images via brendasong (Left), jonmchu (Right)