The North Fork TV Festival celebrated Golden Globe nominee Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians, Fresh Off The Boat) as 2019’s Ambassador for the Arts in Greenport, NY. Mayor George Hubbard Jr. presented the award to Wu in a ceremony this past Saturday, October 5th at the event.
The two-day festival, which boasts four impressive pilot episodes to a panel of both mainstream and independent television showrunners, provides the pilot creators with the opportunity to turn their episode into an on-air hit.
Amongst the talented competitors, Wu was recognized for her impressive dedication to promoting and championing the arts in North Fork, and primarily for younger members of the community. The Knockturnal had a chance to speak with Constance before the ceremony. Check out what she had to say below!
The Knockturnal: Congratulations on winning the Ambassador for the Arts Award tonight. Take me through what you’re feeling leading into the night?
Constance Wu: I’m feeling great. It’s such a lovely feeling when somebody recognizes your work and the things that matter to you, and it’s even better when you can do it in a place as beautiful as this.
The Knockturnal: Absolutely. You’re an inspiring multi-hyphenate, from Golden Globe nominee to Executive Producer, and especially for women and Asian-American women for that matter. What does this mean to you in your various roles as an industry professional?
Constance Wu: I feel like I’m very much the same person, I just don’t have to worry as much about making rent! That’s something I’m still grappling with: the extreme privilege and responsibility of having that voice and how to best utilize it, but also sort of take care of myself and be authentic to myself. It’s just a constant process of figuring out who you are, who you want to be, and how to be it.
The Knockturnal: What personally keeps you motivated?
Constance Wu: If you just make sure that your work and acting work isn’t results oriented, and you learn to enjoy the process, that’s very helpful. And I think if you connect to a meaning for your craft that is deeper than employment, deeper than attention, or fame, or accolades, I think that’s a type of wealth. A type of wealth of meaning that can never be taken away from you. So just identifying what makes you tick as an artist and holding fast to that. If you do that, there is no such thing as a setback, because everything is an evolution.
The Knockturnal: As an artist voted as into the top 100 influential people, what advice do you have for younger generations hoping to follow in your footsteps?
Constance Wu: Yeah! Don’t listen to me; that’s my advice. Don’t listen to anybody! Listen to your own heart.
The Knockturnal: With everything you’re doing and being recognized for, can you tell me a little more about what else you have in store?
Constance Wu: I’m going to my home-state of Virginia and am planning on doing some campaigning for the Democratic Party. We have an election coming up. I’m planning on championing more directors of color and female directors, and I hope to start doing theatre again, because that’s sort of my home and it’s where I came from and it’s always nice to go home.
