Constance Wu (born March 22, 1982) is a Taiwanese American actress. Wu is known for her role as Jessica Huang in the ABC comedy series Fresh Off the Boat, for which she received critical acclaim and was nominated for the TCA and Critics' Choice Television awards.

Life and career

Constance Tianming Wu was born and raised in a Taiwanese family in Richmond, Virginia, where she began performing in the theater. Her parents emigrated from Taipei City, the capital of Taiwan.

She moved to New York, where she began studying acting at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. She graduated from State University of New York at Purchase's Conservatory of Theatre Arts with a BFA in Acting in 2005. One of the directors she adores most is Ang Lee, a Taiwanese who has won the Academy Award for Best Director twice.

In New York, she had roles onstage and in independent movies. She made her screen debut with a supporting role in Stephanie Daley (2006). She also had later supporting roles in Year of the Fish and The Architect. On television, she appeared in episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Torchwood, and Covert Affairs, and also had a recurring role as Laudine Lee on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live in 2007. Wu moved to Los Angeles in 2010, where she was cast in Sound of My Voice.

In 2014, after landing a role in one unsuccessful comedy pilot, Wu won the leading role in the ABC comedy series Fresh Off the Boat alongside Randall Park. The series is loosely based on the life of chef and food personality Eddie Huang and his book Fresh Off the Boat: A Memoir. The series premiered in 2015, and Wu received critical acclaim for her performance. E! named her a breakout star of the 2014-15 television season.

In 2015, she has been nominated for Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series,[20] and TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy. In 2015, Wu plays a leading role in the 2015 science fiction movie Parallels.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2006 Stephanie Daley Jenn
2006 The Architect Michelle
2007 Year of the Fish Lucy
2011 Sound of My Voice Christine
2012 Watching TV with the Red Chinese Kimi Hu
2013 Best Friends Forever Melanie
2013 Ties Shannon O Short film
2013 Taylor Manifest Val Short film
2014 Electric Slide Mika Oh
2013 My Mother Is Not a Fish Director and writer
2015 Parallels Polly
2015 Low Budget Ethnic Movie Sara
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2006 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Candy Episode: "Underbelly"
2007 One Life to Live Laudine Lee Recurring role
2011 Torchwood Shawnie Yamaguchi Episode: "Miracle Day: End of the Road"
2012 EastSiders Krazy Kathy Web series
2013 Deadly Revenge Kym Movie
2013 Browsers Prudence Yu Pilot movie
2013 Covert Affairs Wendy Chen Episode: "Rock a My Soul"
2014 Franklin & Bash Caroline Chilton Episode: "Falcon's Nest"
2014 High Moon Mikiko Kobiyashi Movie
2015– Fresh Off the Boat Jessica Huang Series regular
Nominated – TCA Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy
Nominated – Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actress in a Comedy Series (2014, 2015)
Nominated – EWwy Award for Best Supporting Actress

Constance Wu at the Disney & ABC Television Group's TCA Winter Press Tour in Pasadena, January 15, 2015.