Greetings, good people of the internet. It is time, once again, to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Constance Wu.
Who are you?
Constance Wu.
When I read this question my very first instinct was: "Who Am I? Can I condemn this man to slavery, pretend I do not see his agony? This innocent who bears my face who goes to judgement in my place, who am I?" and YES I sang it. (Musical theatre folks you get me.
What are you?
Friend, Actor, Bookworm, Bunny lady
Where are you?
In my apartment in Silver Lake.
Where are you from?
Richmond, Virginia. Which is not Northern Virginia (I have to say that because people always ask/assume) It's about two hours south. I'm very proud to be from Richmond. Richmonders are thoughtful and intelligent and kind. Good public schools and the trees are wonderful in the fall.
I also lived in New York City for several years and it definitely shaped me: Harlem/UES/EastVillage/BrooklynHeights/Astoria/LES/Bushwick/WashingtonHeights. Not in that order. I was a bit of a wanderer.
What do you do?
I act in a TV show called Fresh Off the Boat. That takes up most of my year. When I have personal free time I read novels and I write letters. My childhood best friend and I have been writing letters to each other since we both left Richmond for college at 18 years old. We're not so old fashioned that we don't also talk on the phone for hours at a time (we do)... But thoughts just come out differently when you write them by hand. And you process your friend's thoughts in a different way when you read her handwritten correspondence. I usually write on plain legal pads. Occasionally I'll splurge on a beautiful piece of stationery. I highly recommend letter writing.
What are you all about?
Well, letter writing. My one-eyed pet bunny, Lida-Rose. Really fantastic novels. Books, books, books!! People who cultivate their actions more than their physical appearance. The importance of daydreaming/private introspection. The last two paragraphs of Middlemarch by George Eliot (she really gets it). Marilynne Robinson's interview in The Paris Review -- whenever I feel overwhelmed by the Total Noise, I go back and read that interview. Actually, everything by Marilynne Robinson: her novels, books, essays, interviews. The way she thinks and expresses is, like, GOALS for me. The Poetry of Jack Gilbert. The essays of David Foster Wallace. Anything that Jenny Zhang writes, she's so great. Recently, this novel called A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara (brutal in such a satisfying way) oh and also Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. LOVED those books. The paintings of Edward Hopper, especially ones of barns and houses. My friend Eddie Huang. That BET awards speech by Jesse Williams a couple months ago. Theatre (I grew up with it; I miss it so much!). Daniel Johnston's music. The best friends I've had since grade school in Virginia. Oh and I'm ALL ABOUT potato chips because savory, salty, crunchy stuff yaaaasss...
You know that quote from Almost Famous... "The only real currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." I'm all about the uncool.
What makes you angry?
Hmm. I really get mad when bicyclists don't wear helmets. It's the easiest thing. Also, when people litter. It's the easiest thing!
