Making a Scene

Written by Constance Wu

Narrated by Constance Wu

“Illuminating.” —The Washington Post * “Candid and relatable.” —Time *“Riveting and personal.” —Mindy Kaling * “Captivatingly immediate.” —The Skimm *

A “poignant, frank, and intimate” (The New York Times) memoir by actress Constance Wu about family, love, sex, shame, trauma, and how she found her voice.

Growing up in the friendly suburbs of Richmond, Virginia, Constance Wu was often scolded for having big feelings or strong reactions. “Good girls don’t make scenes,” people warned her. And while she spent most of her childhood suppressing her bold, emotional nature, she found an early outlet in community theater—it was the one place where big feelings were okay—were good, even. Acting became her refuge, and eventually her vocation. At eighteen she moved to New York, where she’d spend the next ten years of her life auditioning, waiting tables, and struggling to make rent before her two big breaks: the TV sitcom Fresh Off the Boat and the hit film Crazy Rich Asians.

Here Constance shares private memories of childhood, young love and heartbreak, sexual assault and harassment, and how she “made it” in Hollywood. Raw, relatable, and enthralling, Making a Scene is an intimate portrait of the pressures and pleasures of existing in today’s world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: Oct 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781797147161

Constance Wu

Constance Wu is the Golden Globe Award–nominated star of Crazy Rich Asians and Hustlers. Her breakthrough role was starring as Jessica Huang in the television comedy Fresh Off the Boat (2015–2020). She has been nominated for the Screen Actors Guild award, two Television Critics Association awards, and four Critics Choice awards. Time has honored her as one of the 100 Most Influential People of the Year. She lives on the east side of Los Angeles with her partner, Ryan Kattner, their daughter, and their pet bunny rabbit, Lida-Rose.

Reviews for Making a Scene

[Shantal Marshall · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There’s something about Constance Wu’s voice that makes her writing even better than if I were reading it myself. I loved learning about her life and maybe it’s because we’re close in age, seeing how our lives were similar and yet so different. She knows how to tell a really good story and to make herself come across as a real person just trying to figure things out. It’s incredibly refreshing. I hope she continues writing.

[Betty Bennett · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author is a gifted writer whose descriptions of events are so colorful they bring the reader into the scene. I found her description of the bakery so real I could almost smell the bread baking. Her love affairs with automobiles was engaging. Some of the content would not be suitable for young or sensitive readers

[Jinky Inciong · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this audiobook. I appreciated the author’s honesty about herself, her thoughts, her decisions, her actions, and her stand in life. More often than not, there’s a stereotype about Asians. Women being timid, rule followers, having no voice or what not…she just proved that wrong. I enjoyed her way of reading her book, with passion and character. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading/listening to autobiographies.

[clararosamartinezherrera · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It reads like a diary and is so honest and intimate

[Jen Nie · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

At the very least, she admits that she’s a terrible human being. But the book is extremely boring. There is a chapter dedicated to making bread. That’s how boring this woman’s life is.

[Kay · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I just love reading about other peoples love especially when they are from a different background from myself. It’s so interesting to read about the trials and tribulations that got someone to where they are.

[Mary · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really resonated so much with Constance’s strained adult relationship with her sister.

A very well written book about her childhood, parents, acing experience, and very vulnerable dating life details.

[Deepa Budhoo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is just me personally, but I had a hard time enjoying this, I don’t like to go on the rollercoaster of emotions. I know most books like these aren’t roses and sunshine, I read Viola Davis. Maybe because I recognised some things and situations of myself in her story. Bullying is not normal, even though a lot of kids go through it. I also had a hard time following what happened and when. The story doesn’t follow a chronological timeline. And yes I went to Twitter to find M and leave a comment.