Report: Constance Wu demanded top billing over Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B for 'Hustlers'
Constance Wu wants top pay over the star studded cast of 'Hustlers.'
In what is perhaps the most highly anticipated movie of the year, “Hustlers” is poised to shake up the box office with an all-star cast and eye-popping subject matter.
The film features some of Hollywood’s leading ladies acting out the real-life story of a group of strippers who took it upon themselves to go after some of Wall Street’s elite men in one of the most provocative scams in recent memory.
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Not only are there a lot of interesting things to know about the plot of the film, but the star-studded cast has been teasing their roles and dance moves for months. To help eager fans keep track of all the news coming out about “Hustlers” ahead of its release, below is a rundown of everything we know so far:
What is "Hustlers" about?
The movie is based on a 2015 article from New York magazine titled “The Hustlers At Scores.” It follows a group of Manhattan strippers as they discover they can make some serious money by turning the tables on their wealthy Wall Street clientele. In their minds, their marks are rich, gross, pathetic scam artists. The story has been compared to that of a “Robin Hood” tale in that the ladies would argue they were stealing from the rich and giving to the poor.
Constance Wu and Jennifer Lopez film "Hustlers" in West Nyack, N.Y. (Getty)
It just so happens that "the poor" in this scenario were the women themselves.
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Things were good for them for a long time before the police finally got wise to their antics.
Who is in "Hustlers"?
Topping the bill for “Hustlers” are Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Julia Stiles, Lili Reinhart, Keke Palmer, Lizzo, Madeline Brewer, Mette Towley, Mercedes Ruehl, Vanessa Aspillaga and Cardi B, making her feature film debut.
There are some celebrity names behind the camera, as well. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, known for a slew of comedies such as "Step Brothers" and "The Other Guys," are producing "Hustlers" with director Lorene Scafaria at the helm. Lopez also has a producer credit on the movie.
How did the cast prepare for their roles?
If you’re going to play a stripper, you’d better learn to pole dance. At least that’s the philosophy a lot of the cast has adopted to prepare for their role in “Hustlers.”
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Jennifer Lopez appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” to reveal that she’s been taking pole dancing lessons from a Cirque Du Soleil cast member. She noted that the rigorous training caused her many bumps and bruises. She later showed off a video of herself learning some moves for her upcoming role.
She’s not alone. "Riverdale" actress Lili Reinhart also shared images of herself learning to dance on a pole in high heels.
“Really nailing this whole pole thing,” she wrote over an image of her hanging upside down.
Palmer also shared a video with her followers on Instagram showing her learning some moves on the pole.
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“My first pole dancing lesson for my new gig hahahahaha not so bad but I can get into it. I ain’t no gymnast but I used to watch miss twerksum on YouTube back in the day so I got some booty movements for a gag,” she captioned the post.
In addition to learning to pole dance, JLo previously revealed that she took her fiance, Alex Rodriguez, to do some in-the-field research.
The movie's writer and director, Scafaria, revealed to Vulture, "She and Alex went and visited a strip club, and she was able to give me some… insights."
Behind-the-scenes drama
With a bevy of stars often comes a ton of behind-the-scenes drama.
According to Page Six, Constance Wu was the epicenter of a tiff regarding the promotion of “Hustlers.” The “Fresh Off the Boat” diva allegedly insisted on being top-billed in the cast despite major stars like Cardi B and Lopez being part of the flick as well.
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Wu famously caused a commotion when she tweeted, “F–king hell … Ugh. F–k” upon the renewal of her ABC comedy in May. As a result, rumors of her behavior permeated on the set of her latest film.
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 01: Actress/Singer Jennifer Lopez and Constance Wu are seen filming on location for 'Hustlers' on April 1, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Raymond Hall/GC Images)
However, Wu issued a statement to ET Online noting that those reports were exaggerated.
“We made this film with an incredible spirit of sisterhood and love," she said. "Any reports otherwise have felt like an age-old attempt to pit us against each other and knock us down when, in truth, we had the best time making this! We won’t be knocked down. We will continue to share and celebrate this story together, as sisters. Thank you to all the fans for believing in us and supporting this film."
Is there a trailer?
“Hustlers” dropped its first full-length trailer on July 17 featuring the all-star cast in action working both the pole and their marks.
The trailer opens on Wu’s character as she learns the basics of pole dancing from Lopez’s character, who seems like a seasoned stripping vet in the brief clip. Wu laments having to give a portion of her hard-earned dough to her bosses and notes that she’s having trouble taking care of her family.
Meanwhile, Lopez uses some fiery words to convince the cavalcade of exotic dancers that their lives will improve if they strip.
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“These Wall Street guys... do you see what they did to this country? They stole from everybody,” Lopez’s character says. “Hard-working people lost everything and not one of these d-----bags went to jail. The game is rigged and it does not reward people who play by the rules.”
When is it out?
After spending months shrouded in mystery, “Hustlers” revealed that it will hit theaters on September 13, 2019.
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