Hope representation becomes the norm: Constance Wu

Actor Constance Wu hopes her series "Fresh of the Boat", which is the first primetime show featuring an Asian family, contributes in making the entertainment industry more welcoming towards the stories and talent of people from across the globe.

Created by Nahnatchka Khan, the show, fronted by Wu and Randall Park, depicts the life of a Taiwanese-American family in Florida in the 1990s. It is based on Eddie Huang's autobiographical "Fresh off the Boat: A Memoir".

Wu, who plays Jessica Huang in the comedy series, said she felt the team was creating something historical when she started working on the project.

"I hope the representation becomes the norm. When we first started, it felt like such a historical thing. Bringing something new to the audience that they will appreciate.

"One day, I want people who are leading a normal life to look back and say, oh, that was historic! It is like a dream for me to hear that and I think that it is actually happening slowly. Progress is definitely taking its shape," she said in a statement.

The 37-year-old actor revealed in the initial stage of her career, no lead roles were being written for artistes of Asian descent.

"Being an Asian-American, there was zero per cent of any leading roles. That was the moment where I had to decide whether getting a job was a measure of my self-worth or not and I asked myself if I would be okay waiting tables in my 50s in order to survive and I said yeah, that's alright because there are many people out there doing a regular job without being passionate about it and trying to chase their dreams side by side.

"I hear people saying they are glad not being a waitress, but for me it is not a matter of shame, there's nothing wrong being an actor and working as a waitress to pay the bills... All I have to say is the choices that we make for ourselves should suit our needs ad comfort," Wu said.

"Fresh Off the Boat", which is currently in its final season, airs in India every Sunday at 7pm on Star World. The show also stars Forrest Wheeler, Ian Chen, Lucille Soong, Chelsey Crisp and Ray Wise.