Wu Lei: 21 years old, a young man breaking the wind

Child stars who become famous too early often leave the audience feels that there is a lack of surprises because they are exposed to the camera all the time, but Wu Lei does not – spending most of the day with 21-year-old Wu Lei, we also saw the liveliness and enthusiasm of a young man in him. The ambition of young actors and the calmness of mature artists

“I got hungry on the way. There was a restaurant on the national highway so I stopped to eat. There were workers at the next table who had just come from the construction site. I listened to them chatting about their girlfriends in dialect. I felt very happy.” – Wu Lei shared with us in the RV the last time he felt happy. One day when he was not on set, he rode more than 90 kilometers along the national highway in a different place.

On many occasions, Wu Lei has been asked what his mental age is. The last time he was interviewed by us, he said he was 35. This time, he told us that age is not that important. He just celebrated his 21st birthday at the end of last year. When asked about his age, he jokingly said, “I want to be 18 forever”. But he immediately added seriously that at the age of 21, he wanted to make himself better, “work, family, friends, emotions, you will indeed face more things.”

This boy, who entered the entertainment industry at the age of 5 and has been working for 15 years now, is clearly a mature artist. This is reflected in his speaking speed, which is almost 1.5 times that of ordinary people (supporting this constant speaking speed is his fast-running brain), standard Mandarin with even naturalized pronunciation (and he is from the south), clear control of each work content (during the interview, he spoke very quickly and mentioned to the staff his idea for the video script, which “should arouse the audience’s interest within 15 seconds”, and then seamlessly answer my previous question), and clear understanding and control of self-state ——He mentioned several times that when entering this stage of life, he wanted to slow down, reduce stress, and “lower desires.”

This must be different from peers who are accustomed to being glued to large and small screens in their work, academic and life. One day, Wu Lei was watching a talk show, and it was said that modern people live with more screens in front of them. “With mobile phones, iPads, computers, and Kindles, I wish I could have screens all over my face, taking in all the information in the world today into my brain.” In his own mind.” He realized that he was also talking about himself: after work, he always wanted to watch movies, read scripts, check Zhihu and Moments, and use various electronic products. At the same time, his mind was racing with various tasks, it seems to be spinning around like gyroscope.

“It’s already very complicated, too complicated.” He lamented.

Working and living in the hustle and bustle not only affects the mentality of the creator – “I know more and more that the more we’re anxious, complicated, and overthinking, the more it becomes an endless loop and a snowballing process. In fact, often there’s no way to do it well. Acting is a very pure thing. If you think too much and do too much, it will destroy this purity.” Moreover, the actor himself has carried the emotions, twists and fates of one character after another. “After all, interesting and complex roles are worthy of being portrayed, and this is already very complicated.” So after leaving the set, he hoped to say goodbye to complexity as much as possible.

“On the contrary, I want to live a more and more simple life recently.” One move is to simplify the apps on the phone and delete all the apps that can be deleted. Only the game I like to play is left. Other software is classified according to attributes, and the interface is refreshing.

Recently, cycling on a road bike is an effective way for Wu Lei to relieve stress after finishing work. You can see from this matter his extremely strong execution ability and the passion of a big boy. One night when he was in the hotel room, he suddenly wanted to ride a bicycle. When he searched, he found a store nearby that closed at half past ten. At 10:10, he appeared in front of the store, “I want a bicycle! A helmet! Gloves!” At 10:20, he pedaled out and rode fifteen kilometers.

“Being friends with a bicycle is very simple and freeing.” He said that riding a bike is like “breaking the wind”. He pedals forward with both feet in turn, without thinking about anything. After a while, he added, “It’s a bit artistic and a bit chicken soup.” Now he won’t complain no matter how steep the slope is when riding a bicycle, nor will he be upset when he encounters a speed bump “Why are you slowing down again?”. “If you don’t slow down, your bike will suffer permanent and irreversible damage. Just like in life, when you need to slow down, you should slow down.” Wu Lei is quite mature at this time. 

In the RV on the outskirts of Beijing, Wu Lei, who is half put on makeup, drinks water from time to time between interviews. In early March, in the windy wild mountains where the weather forecast stated that the maximum temperature was 12 degrees, but the actual measurement never exceeded 5 degrees, Wu Lei changed into spring-like clothes one by one, including a light jacket and sweatpants that exposed his calves. The big, bright black eyes and the lean young figure will remind people of his younger characters, such as Xiao Yan, Li Cu, Fei Liu, young Yang Guo, and even young Yang Liulang (*from drama The Young Warrior). It’s still Tang Buku’s cute face in “Home with Aliens”, but now the baby fat has faded and his facial bones are more three-dimensional.

A few years ago, Wu Lei rode a shared bicycle with his friends in Sanlitun, one of the most densely populated business districts in Beijing, without wearing a mask. For a celebrity with more than 40 million followers on Weibo, this is undoubtedly a brave move.

“Weren’t you recognized?”

Not really. He said that riding a bicycle is not like walking. The good thing is that everyone is riding, even if someone recognizes him, “‘Hey!'” He imitated the exclamation of a passerby, and before they could take out their mobile phone, “I will pass them or turned a corner.”

There is no one in the scenic area of ​​the shooting location. A few square stone pillars stand bleakly, and the dead grass in late winter cannot stop Wu Lei’s lively energy. He was like an innocent child who didn’t recognize life. Wearing unlined clothes, he chatted energetically with the photographer about how he fell down on Chaoyang North Road when he returned to Beijing the night before and rushed out to ride a bike. When he was riding bike, a phone call suddenly came. He tried to lock one foot on the ground. As a result “he watched helplessly as he fell and sat on the ground.” In the first set of looks, he needs to carry a pair of simple wings made of colorful paper pasted on cardboard, stand on a glass platform, constantly change the center of gravity of his body, and assume a stern posture. During the break, he played the commentary track, “Statue!” “I am Wonder Woman!” After being informed that he could change clothes, he jumped off the glass stage and ran towards the wild mountains with his hands dancing. Laughing loudly and shouting, “Big moth!”

The shoot lasted several hours and we went to a rice field where he had to sit on a wooden boat and pretend to paddle. He lifted the paddle and started playing with it. The photographer said, hey, this is good, let’s do whatever we want. He made a few serious poses, everyone closed the stall, and he stood up, waving the oar and pointing into the distance, like a young general: “I am the man who wants to become the Pirate King!”

I asked, “I feel like you have a desire to conquer, whether it’s pursuing the extreme limits of sports or performing.”

“Yes. Of course I want to challenge.”

He was riding a bicycle on the set of Xiamen. Unfortunately, he had to keep going uphill all the way. In the end, he was defeated by a huge steep slope. It was getting late, so he pushed the bike. When he returned to his residence, his colleagues saw that his legs were shaking. As he conquered the steep slopes, he thought, how annoying it is. But afterwards, he found that riding downhill didn’t bring much pleasure. “You will really feel a sense of accomplishment after conquering another uphill.”

Occasionally when he couldn’t ride a bike, he would run , “I couldn’t help but want to increase my speed.” During the 5 kilometers, he set himself a requirement to increase his speed for one minute at a time. “I couldn’t run under 35 (minutes) at first, but now it’s 26.” Friends said he worked too hard.

Wu Lei’s most recent TV series that has been aired is the well-received “Cross Fire”. He plays Lu Xiaobei, an e-sports genius in a wheelchair who is hit by life again and again, but never gives up tedious training. When cycling or running, Wu Lei will think of Lu Xiaobei when his physical fitness is at its peak. “He (seems) to be living in my body. He is so strong, perseverant, persistent, and never gives up. I will definitely be encouraged by him and want to grit my teeth like him.” Every time he gets together, he will order to play the song “Chasing Dreams”, “How can you see the sparkle of life if you don’t persist to the end?/It’s better to burn than to linger…” Wu Lei and several actor brothers will hugged each other and howled “ooooooooooo”.

He described his current state of mind as “strong desire”, “I just do one thing, and I want to do it well. If I don’t do it well, I will feel uncomfortable all over.” After discovering his condition recently, he tried to do subtraction outside of work to gain balance.

“It’s a good thing to be energetic, but it’s actually not very relaxing if you stay like this in life.” When he first entered the gym, he just wanted to sweat and exercise his cardiopulmonary function, not to push his limits. A voice in his heart would pull him back, telling him to slow down. “But when you get up there, once the adrenaline is secreted, you can’t help but want to speed up.”

So is the acting. “I want to act well. Nothing else, I just want to act well.” He said in a stubborn tone.

People who are familiar with Wu Lei must remember the story of his first successful audition: the crew failed to choose a suitable actor. He was not old enough and took the initiative to catch up and knocked the car door: Brother, I also shoot commercials, you can take two pictures of me too ?

He loved performing, there was no doubt about it. On the set, at school, at home, and even on the set of a magazine shoot, we can feel his unending enthusiasm.

In the penultimate costume shoot, he changed into a black top and sat on a chair, posing freely. The background is a patch of barren mountains. He put his hands behind his back. “It’s a bit like you’re being kidnapped,” one staff member joked. Wu Lei quickly opened his eyes wider in horror and looked around eagerly: “Mom! Mom! I’m in Fangshan, Beijing! I only have three hundred yuan!” In order to add a touch of spring to the photo, the staff handed him a handful of small daisy. “Hey, how much does this dish cost per pound?” he acted again.

He said that he determined the direction of his career earlier than most people. When he was in middle school, his family asked him if he should focus on his studies and stop filming. He said firmly, “If you let me shoot, I can study well and pass the exam.” Later facts proved that he was capable of doing both. At the age of 18, he was admitted to the acting department of Beijing Film Academy with the first place in the art examination.

Wu Lei’s childhood coincided with the rapid development of the domestic film and television industry. The vigorous, brutal and industrialized system had not yet been established. He has also witnessed irregular industry conditions. But on the set of “The Romance of the Condor Heroes”, he “felt for the first time that I was greatly encouraged and respected as an actor.” He played the role of Yang Guo who had just entered adolescence. The lifeline of the cocoon and his transformation produced a wonderful chemical reaction. His serious efforts on the set were also praised by the director. This was regarded by him as a turning point in his life: he knew that he wanted to be an actor.

We asked, after so many years as an actor, has the charm of acting remained the same for him? He described that scene as “the happiest thing in life”: After a scene, the director shouted “CUT!” Looking at the monitor, the director is very satisfied, and so is he; if the audience likes it after it is broadcast, “Nothing can compare to that kind of pleasure.” He simply compared himself to a cook who loves to cook. He puts all his efforts into making a table of dishes. Seeing everyone happy makes him very happy.

Of course, under the gaze of millions of netizens and large and small cameras, the performance of actors, whether good or bad, will be magnified. A good performance will be rewarded with applause and vice versa. “If the acting is not good, people will say ‘Pfft, yue*!’, right?” He smiled and made onomatopoeia, “So it’s very exciting and fun.”

*note: I think yue here come from 哕 which means "want to puke"

“There is never a time when you are satisfied with yourself.” Wu Lei said seriously. He plays a student in the movie “Upcoming Summer” to be released this summer. Netizens exclaim that they can finally see Wu Lei in a campus movie in their lifetime. He denied his aversion to campus movies, but said that his criterion for casting is that he must find a good script. “”Upcoming Summer” is not a simple campus theme. You can go and take a look when the time comes.” He said mysteriously.

Looking at one’s past works with a harsh eye is probably a common problem among all those who want to succeed in their career as actors. “For me, it is often a kind of regret for my own shortcomings.” Wu Lei will search the audience’s comments on his works. “In fact, I know in my heart whether I am better or whether I have worked hard. People around you sometimes give you candies and sticks, but people often forget those sticks and only eat those candies. So, you must learn to give yourself sticks.”

As for the actor’s ultimate goal, that is, his works can be fortunate enough to radiate to a wider latitude and have a positive impact on society. “There is still a long way to go,” Wu Lei said.

“What movies and TV series have you watched recently that you like?” is a routine question we usually ask when interviewing celebrities, and Wu Lei sincerely and excitedly shared with us his shock after watching “Dwelling in the Fuchun Mountains”, which won the best film at the FIRST Youth Film Festival the last year. The film, which tells the trivial life of three generations of a Fuyang family, has a cast mainly composed of non-professional actors. After the film was released online, he immediately watched it. “I questioned my own performance…” He smiled sheepishly, “A performance like that is really touching.” He also recently watched “The Reunions” directed by Dapeng, “It took me several breaths to catch my breath after watching it. How hard do actors have to work to achieve that kind of reality and naturalness? In fact, it is also something I need to explore and pursue.”

21 is the age when many actors first enter the industry. What is commendable is that Wu Lei, who has been immersed in the entertainment industry for more than ten years, still retains the excitement of entering the industry for the first time. But he also doesn’t shy away from his ambition to improve: he wants to try different genres of films, and he wants to challenge those charming roles that he can’t describe concretely yet. “Of course, the more challenging it is, the more you want to challenge it.” Wu Lei said. He has played children with various cute personalities; also a mentally retarded boy who is innocent and brave, a student who gradually grew up in conspiracy and challenges, a disabled but passionate e-sports genius… From Wu Lei who has been popular with audiences since childhood, he transformed into the lovable young man Wu Lei.

He is now Wu Lei as a young actor, and many years later he will become Wu Lei, a middle-aged actor – yes, acting is the career he is sure he wants to do most in his life. At the end of the interview, he talked about his “idol” Robert Downey Jr., a middle-aged actor with outstanding acting skills and a rough life. “He has his own acting style, which brings a lot of emotion to people; although some of his plays were not that successful, he has also been lost and still got up from a very bad state. He loves acting, so he can get up .”

“Create better characters, and more people will like my works. That’s all. What else can be done, right?” After finishing his makeup and hair, Wu Lei, wearing a hoodie, looked out the window. His eyes were bright, he was still the same kid.

Source: ELLE MEN New Youth.