How much do you know about Wu Lei’s “little secret”?

Wu Lei is like a carrier wave with instantaneous frequency changes. When you first come into contact with it, it seems that you need to turn the knob carefully to accurately correspond to his frequency. However, once exposed, all the information unfolds in a straightforward way in front of the ears and eyes, making people pause for a moment, like waking up from a dream and realizing that there is no need to beat around the bush, the world can be so simple and magnanimous.

During this time, Wu Lei was filming “Nothing But You” in Shenzhen. In the evening, the afterglow of the setting sun has not completely sunk into the sea. In the dusk, the modern buildings as dense as a jungle have just been lit up. This is Wu Lei’s favorite time of the day.

“If you happen to be at a high place, it’s best for overlooking the entire city, such as watching the traffic jam downstairs.”

With just one sentence, the soft atmosphere just now cracked crisply, making people feel convinced: it was Wu Lei who was speaking.

This was of course a naughty joke from Wu Lei. He said it in his trademark scrolling voice and a pretending-to-be-serious tone. The staff on the side couldn’t help being amused. The atmosphere, which had not yet fully relaxed due to getting up early to start work, immediately began to flow.

In fact, Wu Lei, who started filming at the age of 5 and now has 18 years of “artistic experience” and more than 70 works and counting, is already a mature and comprehensive young actor. Facing the outside world, he responds and controls it with an astonishing ease. He always sincerely shares his feelings about roles, works and sports hobbies, without hiding his ambition to become a better actor. What’s more important is that while many people weigh the ideas in their minds and assemble them back and forth in their mouths, he never hesitates and speaks out directly what comes to mind.

Around him, the camera seems to have erased its presence. In Gutongjing in “Tomb of the Sea”, he “breathed out a ounce of sand, smelled of wine, and lay down on the ground”, killed everyone behind the screen on “Cross Fire” , and galloped on the grassland of “The Long Ballad” , behind the deck in “Upcoming Summer” , he hung up his headphones thoughtfully, then covered his ears with his hands, pretending to just support his head… Or in the summer of 2022, he looked back, laughed, and several times he climbed up the tree, and then held the water pipe up to the sky and Xiaobei (Guangxi native hound) by the swimming pool, which provoke the “female star” Xiaobei’s dislike. Every moment in the image is a part of himself.

He is also willing to further extend himself for the role. During the filming of “Love Like The Galaxy” , Ling Buyi’s sinister, machiavellian and self-willed behavior was beyond ordinary life experience. During the few months that Wu Lei was in the group, he insisted on exercising for 1.5 hours a day no matter how late he finished work. “That was when I had the strongest willpower.” He wanted to maintain a tight state and directly experience the life of “pushing yourself very hard every day and never allowing yourself to live a serious life” from the body.

He gets infinitely closer to the character by reshaping himself, and the character also leaves some unconscious traces on him. But in the end, he is still himself.

British playwright Oscar Wilde once joked, “Keeping truth is really a difficult position to maintain.” However, 23-year-old Wu Lei did a pretty good job. He has no baggage and unleashes his qualities unscrupulously, yet he respects everyone just right. On “self”, perhaps the most secretive research topic in the world, Wu Lei is making great strides. After all, nothing can stop electromagnetic waves from moving forward.

Q&A

SuperELLE  : “Love Like The Galaxy” that everyone has been waiting for is finally here. Are the scenes from that time still vivid in your mind?
Wu Lei  : When I was dubbing, I reviewed the state during filming, and I was shocked. Ling Buyi may be the coldest character I have ever played. If the temperature of Song Sanchuan I’m filming now is 50℃, Buyi may only be minus 50℃.

SuperELLE  : Did you have such a strong sense of self-awareness when you were filming?
Wu Lei  : I didn’t feel it at the moment. I just felt like I taking a challenge, so I went. I don’t know what kind of challenge I will face. Ling Buyi is a person with a flawed character. He is very capable, but also very stubborn. I’ve been thinking about how to express that flaw, rather than covering up the shortcomings because he has an omniscient perspective, or because he is good at strategic decision-making or other aspects. This time when I went back to do dubbing, I found that he was indeed sinister and cold, and many of his expressions had never appeared in me before. How did I act? It confused me (laughs). I’m not bragging.

SuperELLE  : Will the roles you have played stay with you for a long time?
Wu Lei  : I will miss certain moments of the characters just like I miss my friends. They also bring me strength in different aspects. Now when I go to the gym and reach exhaustion, for example, when I’m still short of the last push, and I really can’t push halfway through it, I will shout in my heart: “Ling Buyi!”

SuperELLE  : Thank you Coach Wu for sharing. Looking back at your unsuspecting state of mind now, do you still feel any lingering fear? Is performing it lonely?
 Wu Lei  : When filming a lonely character, your mental state during that period is very lonely, and you are lonely in public, because no one else can help you. But it is difficult to complete the work of “actor” alone. It requires a lot of people to work together smoothly, from makeup to costumes, from props, photography to director. If you want to hear more voices and get some help, there are others to turn to.

SuperELLE  : What kind of performance do you think is ideal or of a high level?
Wu Lei  : I don’t know. If an actor can give a standard answer for an ideal performance very accurately, I think his (growth) is about the same.

 SuperELLE  : What dramas or programs do you usually follow?
 Wu Lei  : I like talk shows so much. I have watched every scene of the actors I like. Just a while ago, I watched a show about people who always like to forcefully change other people’s minds in life, and I felt very much in agreement. Nowadays, many people are easily led away or incited by other people’s voices. In this era of so advanced information, I think it is very important to have independent thoughts in judgment and cognition.

SuperELLE  : What about yourself in private?
Wu Lei  : I can quite perceive other people’s emotions. On a scale of 0-100, my sensitivity is probably 60-80 points. But my emotions and thoughts are quite stable, such as watching the news or dealing with many things in life. No matter what others say, although I am not indifferent, I will still keep my own thoughts . I never think that one person’s words can change another person’s thinking, or that other people’s opinions can change mine. If we disagree, we can have a chat, but there is no point in wanting the world to have only one unified voice.

SuperELLE  : Have you ever thought about doing a talk show yourself to express your thoughts?
Wu Lei  : I don’t have such ability, people still have to make a clear judgment about their own abilities. It’s hard to be a comedian.

SuperELLE  : Do you have a favorite type of music or video works?
Wu Lei  : When I was a headphone enthusiast, I especially liked listening to classical music, and later I also liked electronic music for a while. I’ve been listening to pure drums and pure electric guitar lately. I have mixed tastes and I really watch all kinds of movies.

SuperELLE  : Can you reveal the most recent viewing record at Station B?
Wu Lei  : It’s about how to develop abdominal muscles (laughs). I have been working hard recently. In addition to achieving great success in acting, I also want to reach a new level in my fitness and e-sports career. I have watched a lot of instructional videos in my spare time. Benefited a lot!

SuperELLE  : If you go out to play, are you the one who helps everyone, or are you willing to accept arrangements from other friends?
Wu Lei  : I know how to make things happen. I know what my close friends like. And when we go out together, there will always be friends who “all is ok for me”, so I don’t really discussing details with other people. I will arrange things to make myself and everyone comfortable, including Xiaobei.

SuperELLE  : Xiaobei accompanied you on many sets and groups. Did she bring you the companionship you longed for before?
Wu Lei  : I think it would be good if we were together. To be honest, Xiaobei doesn’t see me every day. I think many relationships are equal, and it doesn’t mean that Xiaobei is the one who brings companionship. What is truly precious may be that we live together for a long time, just live a life together.

SuperELLE  : Do you think your personality will be slightly different when you face different people?
Wu Lei  : Everyone has it to some extent, but I try to reduce it in my life. The world is already very complicated. I hope my life will be simpler and I just want to be well with everyone.

SuperELLE  : Do you remember any dreams you had recently?
Wu Lei  : To be honest, I have one a few nights ago, and I really still remember it. In the dream, I was still dubbing. The dubbing director was wearing a very strange outfit and was sternly instructing me: “What are you talking about!” I’m also very strange, I’m dubbing while hanging on a wire.

SuperELLE  : If when you are 30 years old and should choose between having the mind or body of a 30-year-old for the next 60 years, which one will you choose?
Wu Lei  : I won’t choose. Choice is a punishment for me, haha. I think “young” means that you don’t want to stop, and you don’t want to keep anything.

Source: Super ELLE