Crazy Rich Asians director Jon M. Chu responded to Brenda Song's allegations of being passed over for the film for not being "Asian enough."
In a response to tweeted stories from Entertainment Weekly and Perez Hilton, Chu said he would never say the things he was accused of saying while seeking out actresses for his hit movie.
"Would these words ever come out of my mouth? Nope makes no sense. I feel horrible she thinks this is the reason," he said. "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!"
For the uninitiated, Song told Teen Vogue that she was denied the opportunity to audition for a role. She said her agents told her the audition was a no-go because the folks behind the movie believed she wasn't "Asian enough."
“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,” Song said. “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 female leads of the movie ultimately went to Awkwafina and Constance Wu.
