Actor Daniel Wu discusses his road to acting, background in Architecture, meeting Jackie Chan, love for cars, extensive car collection, SEMA builds, thoughts on EVs, and his company Student Driver with Sung Kang.
Daniel Wu transitioned from architecture to acting and proved himself as a talented actor.
Daniel Wu's fluency in Cantonese improved through practice and left a strong impression on the industry.
Daniel Wu's background in martial arts allowed him to excel in action-packed films.
Daniel Wu's talent as an actor gained respect within the Hong Kong film industry.
The podcast episode explores Daniel Wu's personal experiences and thoughts related to cars.
Deep dives
Introduction to Acting: From Architecture to Film
Daniel Wu, an architecture graduate, unexpectedly transitions into acting after being scouted for a TV commercial. Despite his initial hesitation and lack of experience, he accepts an offer to play the lead role in a movie and proves himself as a talented actor.
Learning Cantonese and Exploring the Hong Kong Film Industry
Daniel Wu's fluency in Cantonese was limited when he started acting, but he dedicated three months to prepare for his first film, relying on recordings to practice the dialogue. Despite not being fully comfortable with the language at the beginning, his performance left a strong impression on the industry and attracted the attention of directors and film producers.
From Martial Arts to Action Films
Daniel Wu's background in martial arts, including Shaolin Kung Fu and Wushu, along with his athleticism and flexibility, allowed him to seamlessly transition into action-packed films. His skills and dedication to martial arts impressed the directors, opening doors for exciting projects in the Hong Kong film industry.
Continued Success and Recognition
Daniel Wu's talent as an actor led to numerous nominations and awards, including a Golden Horse Award. His passion and commitment to his craft gained respect within the industry, making him a sought-after actor and director in Hong Kong film.
Summary of Podcast Episode
The podcast episode features a discussion about various topics, including car choices, car colors, and driving experiences. The speaker shares anecdotes about choosing unique car colors and the challenges he faced in finding the desired car. Additionally, the episode delves into the speaker's family's car preferences and how they influenced his own car choices. The conversation also touches upon topics like learning to drive and the driving experiences of the speaker's father and sisters. Overall, the episode offers an entertaining glimpse into the speaker's personal experiences and thoughts related to cars.
Personal Driving Experiences and Preferences
The speaker discusses driving experiences with different car models and shares preferences for specific car colors and features. He also mentions the joy of driving his father's retirement gift, a Porsche 911, and the adjustments he made to enhance its performance and appearance. Moreover, the speaker highlights the significance of his family's car choices and their impact on his own preferences. By sharing personal anecdotes and experiences, the episode provides insight into the speaker's passion and enthusiasm for driving.
Transition to US Film and TV Industry
The speaker describes his transition from the Asian film industry to the US film and TV landscape. He reveals his involvement in various film projects, such as the sci-fi movie 'Europa Report' and the action film 'Geostorm'. Additionally, the speaker recounts his role in producing and starring in a martial arts TV series called 'Into the Badlands'. This decision was initially driven by the desire to showcase Hong Kong-style martial arts in American television. The episode portrays the speaker's successful integration into the US film and TV industry and highlights his commitment to bridging different cinematic practices.
Podcast Episode Summary
In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses various topics related to his experiences and interests. He shares anecdotes about his car collection, including a Cobra kit car he bought in Hong Kong and how it attracted too much attention. He also mentions his love for the coupe version of the E-Type Jaguar. The speaker briefly talks about being a part of the magazine Giant Robot and how he met the co-founder Eric Nakamura. He also touches on his involvement in the American Born Chinese series and his work with Student Driver, a company focused on car culture. The speaker highlights the importance of language and shares his decision to have his daughter learn Mandarin. He concludes by mentioning future projects, such as the release of American Born Chinese on Disney Plus.
Engaging the Community and Sharing Car Culture
The speaker discusses his efforts to engage the car community and share car culture through initiatives like rallies organized during the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. He explains that these events provided a platform for people to express themselves and show their unity. The speaker also mentions Student Driver, a company he is working on with Eric Nakamura, which not only offers products but also aims to provide access to car culture content. He talks about their plans to release documentaries about his racing journey and other car-related content on their YouTube channel. The speaker emphasizes the importance of knowing multiple languages and shares his personal experiences with language learning and heritage preservation.
MotorTrend's Ed Loh & Jonny Lieberman chat with actor Daniel Wu! Daniel discusses his road to acting, his background in Architecture, his early film projects, the Hong Kong film scene, meeting his idol Jackie Chan & getting signed to his team, his lifelong love for cars, his extensive car collection over the years, taking over his dad's 1988 Porsche 911, car projects he's worked on, his SEMA builds, his thoughts on EVs, his company Student Driver with Sung Kang, and so much more!
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