Interview with TODAY Paper – Singapore
China Rush
Allan Wu revels in his new life in a new place
We don’t mean that in the sense that he collects terracotta teapots and spouts Tang poetry – in fact, the prospect of reading a novel in Chinese still daunts the American-born son of first-generation immigrants from Taiwan. Rather, his recent relocation to Shanghai marks his attainment of a longtime dream.
Besides hosting The Amazing Race Asia, Wu is also the host of The Amazing Race: China Rush, which has its production based in Shanghai and has given him an inroad to the city’s television scene. “China Rush” seems a terribly appropriate label for how, much like the gold rushes of the 19th century, the whole world is looking to China. Not to be left out, Wu is also going prospecting in the brave new world.
Since they packed up and moved there “shotgun style” three weeks ago, it’s been a mad rush for the family – wife Wong Li Lin, daughter Sage, 7, and son Jonas, 5 – to find a place to live and schools to attend. Meanwhile, Wu still has projects going on in Singapore, and so we managed to catch up with him on Monday at the Park Regis hotel.
Besides asking about how Wu is finding life in a new city, we also wanted to know: Is China really the new land of opportunity, even where the entertainment industry is concerned?
China dreaming
It’s an emphatic yes. “My dream has always been to go to China,” said the 36-year-old California native. “I took the scenic tour through Singapore… I wouldn’t say it was an accident – it was destiny.”
Ten years ago, Wu, who had modelled in the States, acted in Hong Kong and VJ’d for MTV in Taiwan, came here to host an event. His “angmoh model friends” introduced him to his agency, Fly Entertainment, and he landed a five-year contract with MediaCorp. Then, in 2003, he married Wong Li Lin.
“It’s given me a foundation here, with an identity, especially now that I’m a father and also a husband,” Wu said. “I met my wife here and I had kids here. That was probably another reason that I ended up staying here longer than – I won’t say should have, but maybe than I had wanted to, I think – because life is so comfortable here. Things are safe, we get a lot of privileges, we’re – I wouldn’t say popular or famous – people might not like me, but at least they know who I am.”
Due in part to considerations for the family’s welfare, it has taken all this time for Wu to finally take the plunge and leave his comfort zone in hopes of furthering his career. “In Singapore, I feel that I’ve done essentially all that I can do in the entertainment industry,” he said. “I need a bigger market or a bigger platform. So that’s why my dream has always been to go to China… because of the size of the market and the movie industry, and how closely Hollywood’s watching them, too.”
World domination
Yes, Wu is unabashedly aiming high. “My dream, or my plan, has always been to go back to the States, go back to California, go back to Hollywood, and work there. And hopefully work to a level where I’m not that token Asian guy,” he said. Here in Singapore, added Wu, “we’re a little bit further away. No matter how big you are here with what you do, it doesn’t mean anything up there. There’s no currency value.”
“And it seems like it’s working!” he said. “Last week I just went to go read for a very big Hollywood movie.” Wu is adhering to the terms of his confidentiality agreement, but “if I said one word, you would know what the movie is”. With the casting director flying to Shanghai just to meet with him, Wu said: “It’s exciting. I’d rather try for that type of opportunity than rest on my laurels in a market that I’m more familiar with.”
I like Chinese
Wu’s rapid-fire American accent is familiar to us, but does he have the Mandarin skills to act and host in China?
“A lot of people think I don’t speak any Chinese at all. Expectations are very, very low,” mused Wu, who only began to learn the language intensively when he worked on his first Channel 8 drama, Bukit Ho Swee. “I could barely speak and I couldn’t read any Chinese,” he said.
He is proficient now, although there’s room for improvement: “I’m on Weibo and sometimes when I write, I use the wrong characters. Some (of my followers) get really offended, but some are like, ‘Oh, you’re so cute’, or ‘Wow, you didn’t get a single character wrong in this sentence!’ It’s exciting, it’s stressful, but I feel alive when I speak Chinese.”
The big question: Is the missus as enthusiastic about China? “Honestly, she’s not a big fan of China,” Wu chuckled. Specifically, Li Lin isn’t a fan of cigarette smoke-filled taxis and gobs of spit on the street. “But I think she’s actually warming up to it a lot, now that we have a place to stay.”
Every strategic operation needs a headquarters. Now, how do you say that in Chinese?
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