Randall Park was also kind of happy Fresh Off The Boat got canceled
Fresh Off The Boat star Constance Wu was criticized for wanting the show to end, but co-star Randall Park had similar feelings
Fresh Off The Boat had a good run, for all the troubling behind-the-scenes drama that came to light later. Six seasons is a perfectly respectable amount for a sitcom, but it became a controversial number when star Constance Wu publicly complained about what would be the show’s final renewal. It turned out there was more to that story than initially met the eye, but Wu was raked over the coals for her outburst—even while her on-screen husband Randall Park kind of felt the same way.
In a new profile for The Independent, Park says he wasn’t upset when Fresh Off The Boat was canceled. “He loved the show, but he was excited to pursue other things,” per the outlet. Of course, this under-the-radar reaction won’t get anywhere near the level of scrutiny that Wu’s Twitter declaration did. (Scrutiny which ultimately contributed to a mental health episode in which Wu attempted to take her own life, as she writes about in her new memoir Making A Scene.)
Back in 2019, Park actually provided an explanation for his co-star’s behavior on Variety‘s podcast The Big Ticket with Marc Malkin. “I thought that last [season] would be our last one. Because literally the season finale was a bookend to the pilot. So, I think everyone kind of thought that and we weren’t sure if we’d keep going.” He said he “for sure” understood why she was upset, adding, “I was prepared for it to not get picked up, and I was excited by these other things I could do. But if it did get picked up I was also like, that’s all I ever wanted.”
Park still has glowing things to say about Fresh Off The Boat’s “cultural moment,” but coming off of his directorial debut (Shortcomings), a new Netflix series (Blockbuster), and the return of a beloved MCU side character, he’s happy to have the ABC sitcom in his rearview. “I feel this magical kind of thing where I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m living,’” he tells The Independent. “I feel so fulfilled and so purposeful, and I feel like I’m using all my strengths and learning so much.”