Cycling is a time when Wu Lei can be himself. At this time, he does not have to become another character in the ups and downs story, nor does he have to bear the public spotlight. In his words, he is like a falcon, flying close to the ground, and the wind in front of him is also free. Growth has never been an earth-shattering event like shouting slogans. Wu Lei, who no longer claims that his “mental age is 35 years old,” understands that at this moment, it is happening silently in his body.
Wu Lei seemed to grow up overnight. Perhaps because he was standing in the spotlight at a very young age, whether ordinary viewers or fans, watching him grow up a little bit, it is always difficult to detect the silent moisturizing (润物无声)*. Until “The Long Ballad” aired, more and more people said that he “grew up”. “I think it’s a good thing, at least it proves that this role is a success in a certain sense, because Ah Sun is a mature man who gives people a sense of security. If one day he’s starred in another role, it will be another kind of success.” For a character, everyone said how Wu Lei is still a three-year-old child! I think that last year Wu Lei published a book “Flying on the Ground”, which was a commemoration of his 20-year-old. He talked about “self” in it, and disassembled the word into “freedom and me”. Balancing them is the process of self- shaping.
*Explanation: refers to those who have a big mind, who have made contributions without publicity, and silently contribute.
Riding a bike happened to let him find the existence of “freedom and me”. “I really like (this) one sentence. If you want to see the scenery, drive too fast and walk too far to complete all kinds of shooting. At night, you can finally have your own time and you can ride home.” In Beijing, sometimes working till late night, if the place of work happens to be in the west, he will choose to ride back alone.
Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro tells the story of a smart solar-powered robot Klara accompanying the young master Josie in his new book “Klara and the Sun”. Josie was poor in health due to genetic modification and was eventually cured by the sun (Klara thinks so) and Klara completed her mission after Josie entered the university. It seems to have a science fiction shell, as if it is depicting people’s minds, with no distance from reality. Every child who is under the pressure of parents and class, the one who needs a companionship is Josie. And Wu Lei, right next to his fans, sometimes plays Klara and sometimes plays the Sun.
Is he Klara or the Sun?
In 2002, 3-year-old Wu Lei was invited to perform in the first commercial “Golden Partner”. In two years, he performed more than 50 commercials in succession, and his talent was discovered at the same time. From 2005 until now, he has produced film and television dramas every year. There are various counts of how many celebrities he has been the son of and which celebrities he has been embraced by. In 2018, he was admitted to the Beijing Film Academy with the first place in the professional course. From cute to good-looking to handsome, from talented to acting to acting professional, from childish to sensible and comprehensive, these are all with him. If “Wu Lei” is entered on the search engine, these descriptions can be seen everywhere. The little baby gradually grew into a graceful youth and a sunny youth in everyone’s sight. It’s not the kind of child star who was suddenly discovered to grow up. He grew up little by little on TV and on the screen.
Everyone’s requirements for “child stars” have always been harsh, and they often compare the appearance of child stars when they were young with the present time. Wu Lei has never been attacked. He has grown into a model that an idol should have. Everyone likes to use magnifiers to show off “bad deeds” and make a fuss on these self-named children. Wu Lei did not give them a chance, and was wrapped up by the compliments of the predecessors all the way. Qin Hao said, “I like Wu Lei’s performance very much. The performance is very sincere”; Hu Ge said, “I am far inferior to him at his age”; Zhang Yimou said that Wu Lei is modest, low-key, conscientious, and promising…
At the entrance ceremony of Beijing Film University, as a representative of the freshmen, his speech was simple and sincere. He wanted to “keep his feet on the ground (down-to-earth), work with the most modest attitude, and the most authentic enthusiasm for artistic creation, and become a true art professional”. He is determined to professionalize his passion and improve his profession in practice while studying.
Bite down on the green hills and do not relax, the roots of the original in the broken rock. A thousand strokes but still strong, regardless of the east and west winds.
Zheng Xie, “Bamboo and Stone
When you walk into Lianquanxianggu (濂泉响谷) in summer, the lush greenery comes to you in no time, and as you look around, the trees are shaded, birds are singing, clear water is flowing over the strange rocks, and the sunlight is reflecting through the staggered leaves of the trees. It took nearly an hour of climbing to get here. We found a secluded corner in the middle of the mountain, and here, Wu Lei shared his recent insights with us.
After the busy shooting, I like to ride my bike through the streets and alleys, the breeze fields, when I ride I usually do not think about anything, just listen to the sound of the wind blowing past my ears, that feeling is particularly calm.
At this time, I am just a wanderer, looking at the scenery along the road, looking at the people along the road. I will enjoy this feeling of being treated as a passerby, in this kind of dusty (travel-worn) situation, people will not have a defensive mentality towards you, the randomness of life will make us feel happy, I also always believe that we must have our own life, if you can not find your own life, there is no way to act in a particularly good state.
When I was about 13 or 14 years old, I established my life’s goal – becoming an actor, then I thought acting was very good and wanted to keep acting. I will try to squeeze in more time to read some scripts, and sometimes people will say, “You are so busy filming every day, how can you have time to read the script? What if you miss one (script)?” I said I missed it is not destiny, it all depends on fate. I will keep myself in good shape, when the opportunity comes to seize it, so it is enough.
I usually talk to my friends in my circle and ask them what is good and what is bad about my performance. I think actors must be objective, because if you live in your own world and don’t care about the opinions of others, then you are arrogant, and you can’t make progress. After all, an actor’s performance is for the audience, and the audience represents the aesthetics of different groups of people today. After we have achieved what we want to achieve and what we want to convey, we have to consider the view of the receiver in both directions, that is, the audience’s thoughts and feedback, so that the character we perform is like a real person.
We, as a special group of people who are often selected, everyone is looking at you, and inevitably will be compared. Going to the show/audition is also a comparison. But my mind is actually very calm, now the film industry is always moving forward. We, as young people, competition is a good thing and will promote the whole industry together to progress. My idea is to keep myself in a good state, not think about competing with others, and do a good job. I just want to be myself, it’s useless to think more.
The way I do well for myself is to enrich myself, live well, act well, and improve my acting skills.
I think actors have a special happiness, that is not to think about promotion and other issues, we just need to act well, which is very simple. But if people ask me if I have any pressure, my answer is yes. I always say that I have to put in more effort, to work harder, because we are protected by many people, so when we encounter difficulties, we have to bear these pressures and stand up, which is also a responsibility.
Knowing that the theme of our shooting is “Good Men of China”, it reminds me of my role as Ma Chengfeng in “My Country, My Parents”, as an anti-Japanese fighter, it is a great thing to fight to protect our family and country. Although our parents were sacrificed during the war of resistance, their lives are carried on in us, which is a kind of life heritage. This is true of the soldiers, all walks of life, we actors are also the same, the film and television industry is now left for us by our predecessors, we have to protect it well.
The so-called “Good Men of China” are not only the “strong youth makes a strong country”, but also the courage to face the difficulties encountered. The character I played in “Our Times”, Xiao Chuang, is a boy with a lot of courage, and his name has the word “Chuang (to venture out into the world)” in it, and the most important thing is the courage to get back up after a fall. He only did one thing in the whole drama, that is, fall, get up, fall again, get up again, and the adversity he encountered became more serious and desperate every time, and I felt heartbroken/distressed when I read the script, but he would get up again every time and tell everyone with his most energetic spirit: “I, Xiao Chuang, have not fallen!” This kind of bravery has been passed on to me, and I hope that this kind of strength can be passed on to everyone. In my opinion, we young people should do our best to contribute to our country and not forget our roots. Act well, be a good person, and strive to be stronger are the most important things in my opinion.
Wu Lei has always liked the term “Ground-based Flight”. He used this word to describe an ideal state of life in his mind, “moving forward at a constant speed on his own life path”, like walking against the wind. He seems to follow his heart, no matter where the goal is, the direction is firmly in his hands, and the traces left when flying gradually lay the foundation for the meaning of his life.
At the age of 20, Wu Lei published his first book, “Ground-Based Flight”. He wants to keep the past time and the once-in-a-lifetime 20-year-old as a souvenir. He defines this book as “a landing in flight” – leaving a temporary stop in the constantly superimposed life experiences, review the past transit points, pack your luggage and storage before setting sail again. In the concluding chapter of the book, he describes the process of landing and taking off countless times in his life as “ground-based flight”. “Flying is to keep moving forward on the chosen path; and constantly touching the ground is to accumulate stronger take-off boost.”
This sentence he wrote when he was twenty years old became the yardstick in his heart. So, the cycle started over and over again. Even though the flight was bumpy most of the time, he always crossed the sea of clouds and flying slowly on that flight path.
01. Learning is Learning
Recently, in order to promote the Beijing Winter Olympics, Wu Lei went to the original “Water Cube” venue to experience curling – during the conversation, he seriously corrected me, “Now it has been renamed the ‘Ice Cube’ – in In the arena where fierce competitions will soon be presented one after another, for the first time in his life, he tried this sport that he could only see on TV in the past. “I used to think that only national athletes could enter it (the Water Cube). This rare experience made me feel so sacred. After actually experiencing curling, I was much more tired than I imagined.”
GQ: He completed the work with careful and comprehensive thinking, and after repeated polishing, he created a character with unique charm, which left a deep impression on people. He worked steadily all the way, honed his acting skills carefully, and continued to use his works to cultivate himself. The characters he created illuminate the sea like beacons and give people strength. He is the 2023 Young Actor of the Year, Wu Lei.
At the end of last year, Wu Lei came to Ulan Butong, a six-hour drive from Beijing, and welcomed the first ray of dawn when he was 22 years old in the ice and snow. In the next three days, he walked through the grasslands, woods, rivers, and canyons there. Crossed glaciers, looked for the Milky Way, and battled wits and courage with thirty horses. It was a journey that “doesn’t exist in daily life.”
Wu Lei took it as a challenge at first. Especially on the first day of camping in the snowfield, “No one supports it.” It was his first time to go to Ulan Butong, and it was also his first time camping in his life. It was also during the winter fire prevention period, so no fires were allowed. The temperature at night was as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius. If you are not careful, you will suffer from hypothermia. The vehicle was always on standby, and everyone felt that he would return to the hotel soon. In the end, Wu Lei wrapped himself in a freezing sleeping bag, covered his body with warm patches, and slept in a tent in the wilderness.
Wu Lei: Growing like the wind, heading towards the future
As the first cover character of the first issue of “Esquire FineUP” e-magazine, we invited Wu Lei, a big boy who is passionate and thoughtful. Youth embodies endless creativity in him, “one section after another, one thousand branches and ten thousand leaves*.” In his most prosperous age, he went to snowy mountains and swam mountains and rivers, polished himself in his works, and explored the most consistent way of acting in life.
Note:*this saying come from a poem. The poem describes the integrity of the bamboo, which does not compete with the flowers for beauty and fragrance. It also refers to the author's own clean, self-contained, detached and close-to-nature way of life.
As we hope this magazine can convey to readers – the most interesting thing in life must be every moment now.
Actor Wu Lei
Become a “partner” with the character
When asked if he was worried about his acting career being restricted, Wu Lei replied without hesitation: “I’m worried”.
For many good-looking young actors, transition is always one of the biggest problems. But under the still youthful face, 22-year-old Wu Lei has a rationality and calmness that is rare among his peers.
Compared with pure anxiety, he feels that it is more important to find a solution, that is, to not presuppose the future and to perform every drama well in the present.
“Although I want to try all different types of roles, being an actor is a career that is choosen. I can’t act whatever I want. It often depends on fate.”
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.
Wu Lei Galaxy 