Crazy Rich Asians star Constance Wu has been nominated for the Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical award at this year's Golden Globes, making her the first woman of Asian descent to get a shot at the prize since 1974.
Read more: Hollywood wanted 'Crazy Rich Asians' to star a white actress
The last woman of Asian descent nominated for the award was Yvonne Elliman, who was recognized for her role as Mary Magdalene in 1973's Jesus Christ Superstar, CNN reported.
On Twitter Thursday, Wu said she was overjoyed by the nomination, writing: "What a morning to have had my phone on Do Not Disturb Mode till now...I'm ecstatic but also in shock! Thank you @goldenglobes !!!"
What a morning to have had my phone on Do Not Disturb Mode till now... I’m ecstatic but also in shock! Thank you @goldenglobes !!!
— Constance Wu (@ConstanceWu) December 6, 2018
"I didn't [think this would happen] because I'd never seen it happen to an Asian-American woman before. I saw it happen to Zhang Ziyi, but she's not American, you know?" Wu told Entertainment Tonight.
Chinese actress Ziyi was previously nominated for the Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama award for her starring role in 2005's Memoirs of a Geisha.
Although being proud of one's work is more important than awards recognition, "it's super fucking cool" to be nominated, said Wu, who also stars in the critically acclaimed ABC comedy Fresh Off the Boat.
Crazy Rich Asians is up for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. Lauded by critics, the film depicted the lavish lives of rich families in Singapore through the eyes of a economics professor raised in the U.S. by a Chinese single mother. Notably, it was the first Hollywood movie released with an all-Asian cast since 1993's The Joy Luck Club.
Director Jon M. Chu called the nomination the "proudest moment of [his] career," on Twitter. "'Look at the stars look how they shine for you and everything you do…'" he wrote, referencing Coldplay's song "Yellow," a cover version of which appeared on the film's soundtrack.
“Look at the stars look how they shine for you and everything you do...” Proudest moment of my career. https://t.co/bs09wuz4CX
— Jon M. Chu (@jonmchu) December 6, 2018
Chinese singer and university student Katherine Ho recorded a Chinese-language version of the song for the movie. "[Chu] asked if I could sing in Mandarin and whether I was interested in submitting a demo for an unnamed film project," Ho previously told Newsweek. "I jumped at the opportunity to fuse my love of music with my Mandarin background."
Wu faces stiff competition from Emily Blunt (Mary Poppins Returns), Olivia Colman (The Favourite), Elsie Fisher (Eighth Grade) and Charlize Theron (Tully).
Wu and the Crazy Rich Asians team will have to wait until January 6, 2019, awards show to find out if they won.
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