There is no winning or losing in life

Keep going to the next stage of your journey

The high-spirited and unrestrained young man is vividly reflected in Wu Lei. Even if it is an unconstrained idea, he will try it vigorously and vigorously. Experience life in his own unique way, live to the fullest, enjoy life, and then give back everything you gain to the career you love. For him, youth is a bargaining chip, it doesn’t matter who wins, as long as he has the courage to start, it grand enough.

01. Pass

If you search Wu Lei’s name in real time recently, you will find that netizens are sighing: Wu Lei has grown up. Whether it’s in “The Long Ballad” or “Love Like The Galaxy”, Wu Lei’s characters have experienced an image change compared to before, losing their childishness and becoming mature. Some people say that watching Wu Lei’s growth has made them “experience the power of transformation”, while others have not yet recovered from the visual impact of his dazzlingly good figure.

Actors who started acting when they were young may face a stage where the audience is so impressed with their childhood that they need a long adaptation period to accept the changes in the actor’s character image. However, Wu Lei is very open-minded about this issue, “Everyone has an ‘inherent impression’ of me, which is at least an impression. As long as there is an “impression”, it is a good thing for an actor. The biggest fear is that people have no impression of the characters you have played, right?” he asked. “I accept all the impressions everyone has of me. I’m an actor, I’m still young, I can do everything I can to perform every role well, and then do my best to make each role vivid, so that the image of each role is independent, and everyone can gradually feel the different me.”

Read more: [Interview] Wu Lei Interview for Esquire Magazine (August 2022)

In addition to carefully studying the script and discussing the plot with the director, Wu Lei described his way of thinking about acting skills in one sentence, that is: living with the character . “Actually, every time I play a character, I really live the same life as the character. I try to live his life every day to experience his inner fluctuations.”

The young general Ling Buyi in “Love Like The Galaxy” is actually not an easy role to play. Even Wu Lei himself said that this is one of the “most tiring” roles in recent years. It does not refer to physical suffering, but to inner “torture”. “There is nothing sloppy about him, and he does everything to the extreme. If you love someone, you must love it to the extreme, and revenge must be done to the extreme. It is black and white, and there is no in-between. He is suspicious, scheming, and scheming every day. He obviously has many ways to seek revenge, but he always chooses the one that feels the most satisfying in his heart, and forces himself to do everything to the extreme.”

In Wu Lei’s words, this is a somewhat “crazy” character. He was afraid that such an “emotional” character will be interpreted in a hollow and superficial manner by himself, so he hopes thope that through some performance details, the audience can intuitively feel Ling Buyi’s subtielty and gloom. “Ling Buyi did a lot of unexpected actions. As for me, I hope to rationalize it all. Everything has a cause and effect, and everything has a trace. So I studied a lot on the script and original work, and the director also gave me a lot of help.”

In order to experience Ling Buyi’s feeling of carrying a blood feud, and thus tempering his character and clarifying his own feelings every day, Wu Lei put a lot of effort into himself in order to resonate with the character’s heart. “I saw a lot of people on the Internet saying that I was too thin. In fact, I did it myself. You know, right? When I was filming this movie, I worked out almost every day. For example, when I finished work at 11 o’clock and went back, I would be 12 I will go to the gym at 12 o’clock, so I will start working out at 12:30. If it is too late, I will also do a set of simple aerobics. I also eat vegetarian diet, to keep myself in a capable and lean state, in order to find a little bit of Ling Buyi’s real sense of life in my own life.”

When talking about the topic of breakthroughs in acting, Wu Lei bluntly said that in fact, every role will encounter various difficulties, and he will use different methods to get close to the inner world of each character. In the eyes of the audience, the contrast between his characters in a certain drama may be particularly great, but for Wu Lei himself, these are all works that require hard work to achieve. “The most important thing is that I need to understand life more and enrich my experience and inner qualities, so that I can deal with different scenes more freely.”

At this moment, you seem to feel that the young man Wu Lei and the character Ling Buyi overlap to some extent, and they use their own way to overcome the obstacles.

02. Call

“As many roles as I have played, there are as many past lives as I have played.” Wu Lei himself said this. When we mentioned his “famous saying” again, Wu Lei was a little embarrassed and said that he actually wanted to take it back. “This is all said before, but now it always sounds a bit unconventional.” He said frankly with a smile: “But there is indeed nothing wrong with the truth. An actor is like a modern person walking around in the world with memories of past lives. Those “past events” will more or less produce “body memories” for the actor himself.” Wu Lei also feels that every time he plays a drama, his whole state will be affected by the character.

“A friend of mine once said that every time I play a different role in a movie, my whole state will change. For example, when I played Xiao Chuang in <Our Times>, I was laughing and carefree, but when we met again when I was filming “Love Like The Galaxy”, he felt like I was a bit fiercer. The characters will indeed have an impact on me. This impact will gradually weaken after the filming is completed, but they will still affect me to some extent.” Whenever he encounter difficulties, Wu Lei will ask himself: What would Xiao Chuang do? What would Ling Buyi do? Ling Buyi had to overcome so many difficulties to achieve his goal. What would he think of his minor injuries and pains? “For example, when I’m working out,” Wu Lei gave me an example, “the last one or two super sets are too demanding on the body. Sometimes I’m too tired and can’t push, so I’ll yell Ling Buyi name in my head, and then it seemed like he would really come out and help me push up.”

Wu Lei often uses a similar method to “summon” Xiao Yan in <Fights Break Sphere>, “Because he is a different type of male protagonist and he is very cool.” He gave me boyish answer. Maybe every boy has a heroic dream in his heart: “Whenever you encounter something that you can’t handle in life, you will wish that you are Xiao Yan.”

What’s interesting is that he often feels that although each of his characters is different, they all have similar qualities: persistance and perseverance . He hopes that both the energy inherent in the character and his own hard work and enthusiasm when playing the role can always be maintained and preserved. “Like elves,” he defined these spiritual companions who had been with him for several months. “When I need help in my heart, I will call them out, accompany me on a journey, and cheer me up.”

Filming also gave Wu Lei a lot of new skills to hone. His big data recommendations on the homepage will be changed every three months on average, and the content will always change according to the needs of the work being filmed. When he was filming <Upcoming Summer>, the screen was filled with electronic audio and video, and when he was filming <Dwelling By The West Lake>, everything was replaced by plants. When he accepted this interview, he was in the filming period of <Nothing But You>. There is no doubt that the recommendations on his homepage will become tennis-related.

“In <Nothing But You> I played a tennis player. Although the filming has not been completed yet, I have a hunch that I will play tennis often in the future.” These new skills acquired have also become interests and hobbies in Wu Lei’s private life. A pot of flowers, a starry sky, a horse… Everywhere posted on Weibo is a trace of Wu Lei’s filming, and every place is a trace of Wu Lei’s life.

Young people always have endless energy and are full of freshness and curiosity. “These skills are firstly really interesting, secondly they are necessary for shooting, and thirdly, after you learn them, you find that they are indeed worthy of liking and persevering.” Perhaps it is precisely because of his youth that he isn’t afraid of trial and error, have no worries, and want to try everything. He said, “when you like it in your heart, nothing is really difficult.” 

The movie <All Ears> also unlocked another “achievement” for him, which was his third time collaboration with Hu Ge. “I was still young at that time and knew little about acting, but now that I have had time and experience to polish it, I can now try to talk about acting with Lao Hu!” Talking about this cooperation, he sounded a little happy: “I have changed a little bit, and I am no longer a child in terms of age. But the feeling of Teacher Hu Ge has really not changed at all, he is still the same as before, he has always been so gentle and elegant, and has never changed.”

In fact, it’s not just Hu Ge. In other reports, we often see comparison photos of Wu Lei and other senior actors “before and now” on the hot search. He used to play a son, but now he plays a younger brother; the boy who used to play a cute little boy now has his own love interest in the drama. For Wu Lei, this is just a gradual growth process, but from the perspective of the audience, it is accompanying him through growth and transformation.

Wu Lei, who has been long-awaited and is famous in the audience’s list of “young boyfriends”, finally has a mature woman-younger man relationship in <Nothing But You>, fulfilling the dreams of many netizens. When asked what he thought about love with an age gap, he seriously replied: “All love is equal.”

03. Grow

Halfway through the interview, we realized that we shouldn’t try to guess or pry into his heart. Young people’s minds are always free and unconstrained. When asked if there was anything special about choosing a script, he unexpectedly replied: “It depends on how you feel.” As if he was afraid that we would take it as a joke, he added: “You can just write it in the original words.”

Whether it is netizens, people around him or colleagues, they often give him various suggestions, be it dramas or comedies, movies or TV series. The incoming opinions sometimes even contradict each other, but he thinks clearly, “Because being an actor is a chosen profession, I don’t deliberately pursue any type of script or type of role. I don’t set any standards. If you encounter it, you’ll encounter it. Just let it happen.” Choosing a script is a bit like an exam for him. No one can choose the question type. Don’t think too much, just pick up the pen and answer them one by one.

“So you don’t care much about the outside world’s opinions?” I couldn’t help but ask. Wu Lei denied it, “as an actor, it’s impossible not to care about the outside world’s opinions, because to put it bluntly, being an actor is a profession that relies on the outside world for survival, so I definitely care.” Then he changed the topic: “Everyone gets good or bad comments. I read the good ones and the bad ones. I don’t necessarily agree with them all, but I won’t rest on my laurels and listen selectively. I think I still have to face myself objectively. We must also face others objectively.”

Using “become famous since he was a young teenager ” to describe Wu Lei is not appropriate enough. It should be said that he is “become famous since he was a kid.” As a young actor who has attracted public attention, he has been filming for more than ten years since he entered everyone’s field of vision at the age of five. It is particularly important to maintain his original intention and not to follow what others say. Not only when dealing with external voices, but also when dealing with people around him, Wu Lei will retain some of his own thoughts, “Because I think actors must have their own opinions and attitudes, otherwise they will lose themselves. If you don’t have your own thoughts, then the character you perform may be soulless and lifeless.”

“Where do you think you will be in ten years?” we asked him. “Myself in ten years… I think I should still be acting.” He added humorously: “But maybe my hair won’t be so lush anymore.” ​​”In this industry, we often need to style your hair and use various glues every day. When I take care of my hair, I feel that it is not as obedient as it used to be.” Wu Lei said with a smile: “Actually, I have not set any special goals for myself in ten years. As an actor, everyone hopes to create a particularly good and shocking work that can bring more touching and positive energy to people, or produce some value. But this is not something I can get just because I want it. I can only take one step at a time, work with a normal heart, enrich my life, and play every role to the fullest. Sooner or later, that moment will come. I still have some confidence in this.”

During the interview, I was amused by his quirky answers from time to time, and I was often impressed by his candor. Perhaps Wu Lei’s personality just confirms his name, which is upright, solid and magnanimous. The young and flamboyant talent and charm are like the spreading grass, growing wantonly on this sturdy stone.

04. Encounter

Wu Lei has recently been watching a TV Series called “Severance” in his spare time: “The setting is very exciting and unexpected.” He likes things that are unexpected, and his life often does not follow the routine. One moment he can sit upright, and the next moment he have a sudden thought. Once, while lying in bed in the middle of the night, he had a whim, and for some unknown reason, he came up with the idea of buying a trumpet. But when the express delivery arrived, he completely forgot about it. “”But I still really studied on my own. For the first three days, I didn’t even blow a sound. I thought: Look, everything is difficult at the beginning, and it is also difficult to play a trumpet. When I blow a sound for the first sound, I felt very accomplished. Xiaobei (my pet dog) was a little surprised when he heard the sound of the trumpet for the first time and ran away.”

When he mentioned his pet dog Xiaobei, he started talking endlessly. Xiaobei’s arrival was also an unplanned event. At Shenzhen North Railway Station in 2020, he accidentally encountered this stray puppy while passing by. The special fate made Wu Lei decide to adopt it. Because they met at Shenzhen North Railway Station, she was named “Xiaobei”. “But her surname was Ling recently,” he said. “Whatever my surname in the play I am playing, she will follow that surname.”

When filming, Xiaobei would follow in Wu Lei’s footsteps and travel with him. She has an easy-going personality and is not afraid of meeting people. She gets along well with everyone and is extremely happy. “I also let her appear in this series of films. It went very smoothly and turned out very well. I am very satisfied.” He praised three times in a row with excitement.

Out of interest, Wu Lei has traveled to many places over the years. He would ride a bicycle for dozens of kilometers from one city to another. He can also ride a horse galloping, and enjoy a happy life on the snowy fields of a foreign lands with fresh clothes and vigorous horses.

The romantic feelings of young people are reflected in the setting sun when they reach the other shore, in the misty mountains and rivers, and in the night when they look up at the Milky Way. “When I went to Ulan Butong, I saw the most unforgettable scene in my life. When I rode up to the highest mountain in the snowy field, I saw the sun pouring on the earth and connecting with the sky. It was so shocking. I will never forget it in my life. When I wait for other seasons in the future, I want to go there again.” When describing the past experiences of witnessing the wonders, his voice was filled with uncontrollable excitement.

He will also make these experiences into Vlogs or personal micro-variety shows as part of his experience of life, recording the beautiful scenery he encounters to share with everyone. Whether it’s “Men’s Riding Club” or “Riding for a Reason”, the vitality that coming upon you demonstrate his smart and true youth.

“Why haven’t you updated your Vlog recently?” we asked curiously. “I don’t have a clue right now.” He seemed a little hesitant. “I mainly hope that my Vlog can continue to be upgraded and bring different freshness and happiness to the audience. I don’t like to do boring things. In fact, everyone should feel it too. My Vlog needs to be upgraded every time. For example, from cycling to horseback riding, I have been trying to record it in more interesting ways and find inspiration along the way.” But sometimes, young people don’t need too much advance planning. “Waiting for fate, maybe one day my big data will push me a beautiful place, then let’s go, let’s go here!”

From these video clips during the journey, people can also get a hint of Wu Lei’s potential in photography and creativity. When we asked him if he had any ambition to develop into producing and directing, he still insisted that he should be an actor first: “I feel that it is not easy to do one thing well, and acting requires technical skills. But it is true that many people have told me that I can try multiple identities. I am still young and may have other ideas in the future, but I am not in a hurry. I will talk about the future later. I need to be an actor first. “

After chatting with Wu Lei, inadvertently you will be infected by his action. You can’t help but have an impulse in your heart, and things that you once wanted to do but didn’t dare to do come to mind. “Has anyone told you that you are a typical Capricorn?” we asked him. He was noncommittal, thought for a while and replied: “I like to use zodiac signs to define a character and grasp the character’s personality. Sometimes when I’m unsure of a character, I will decide on his zodiac sign first.”

“So what do you think is the zodiac sign of Ling Buyi, the character that you played this time?” we asked. “Scorpio!” Wu Lei blurted out without hesitation.

After the interview, Wu Lei had to rush to the next work schedule. Finally, he did not forget to give us a recommendation: “I’m going to the online interactive event of “Love Like The Galaxy” in a few days. Come and watch it when you have time! There will be an update tonight!”

I watched the entire interaction between Wu Lei and the heroine Zhao Lusi. As expected, the audience loved this pairing. There is also good news on the Douban platform. “Love Like The Galaxy” scored 7.4 points upon its launch (*note: the douban score is 7.6 now), which is a good result among domestic dramas. I don’t know if Wu Lei himself is satisfied, but I think he has happily gone to his next trip.

Source: Esquire