Constance Wu in The Terminal List.
Courtesy of Prime Video/Amazon Studios
Constance Wu is back.
The actress returned July 14 to Twitter after a three-year absence to reveal that she attempted suicide following an online backlash to “careless tweets” she wrote lamenting the renewal of her ABC sitcom, Fresh Off the Boat. Wu, coming off a high-profile run with Hustlers and Crazy Rich Asians, retreated from the public eye. After a brief appearance in Amazon’s Solos, she’s emerged as one of the stars of the streamer’s new series The Terminal List.
At that show’s premiere, she told THR that the transition back to work was not an easy one — especially as a new mother. “My first day on set was hard,” said Wu, who welcomed a daughter with musician Ryan Kattner in August 2020. “I missed my baby. It was the hardest day to stay at work because it was so emotional, something so many moms go through on their first day back at work.”
Wu said she found a friendly shoulder to lean on courtesy of co-star Chris Pratt. “He has another newborn now, but around the same time back then, Katherine [Schwarzenegger] and I had our babies around the same time. Talk about someone who really understood what I was going through — Chris was so supportive and kind and caring on set. I’m really fortunate to have had him as my partner.”
Now that she’s back to work and fully stepping back into the spotlight — in Wu’s tweet, she teased an upcoming memoir, Making a Scene, that debuts Oct. 4 from Scribner — the actress said motherhood not only influences her career choices but has also allowed her to fully embrace who she is. “I actually feel like I’m more myself than I’ve ever been because [motherhood] really makes you enjoy the present moment rather than always hustling to be someone or get somewhere or do something. You get to enjoy your daughter trying a strawberry for the first time and truly it’s beautiful.”
A version of this story first appeared in the July 20 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.