A FULFILLING JOURNEYFORWU
WHO wouldn’t be thrilled to be part of the highlyanticipated Lara Croft film reboot? Daniel Wu definitely was. The California-born actor was so excited that in September last year, he mistakenly shared the film’s first trailer on Instagram a few hours earlier than planned. Whoops!
“I was told to post it at 9pm but I was in Ireland at the time. So I posted it at 9pm Irish time, a few hours earlier than American time,” the martial artist explains in a phone interview with Groove.
“I deleted it right away. I think some people were stressed out about it but it was a mistake, so I didn’t get in trouble.”
Now in cinemas, Tomb Raider is the third film adaptation of the action-adventure video game, following Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and its sequel, The Cradle Of Life (2003).
The first two films starred Angelina Jolie but taking over as the new Lara Croft is Academy Award-winning Swedish star Alicia Vikander.
Wu, 43, calls the reboot an origin story that describes Lara’s first ever expedition where she tries to solve the mystery of her father’s disappearance.
“The first two films featured the cool action and adventure element but the reboot is more about the main character and her growth. The storyline has more realism.”
Wu, whose extensive acting credits include Warcraft, Geostorm, New Police Story and Around The World In 80 Days, plays Lu Ren, a down-and-out drunken sailor.
“His life follows a similar storyline as Lara’s — his father also disappeared — but unlike Lara, he has given up on finding him,” says the father-of-one.
“Lu Ren didn’t look up to his father like Lara did. That’s the difference between their characters but they’re both looking for closure.”
Tomb Raider is directed by Roar Uthaug and also stars Dominic West, Walton Goggins and Kristin Scott Thomas. Wu and Vikander in a scene from the movie.
Meanwhile, Wu will reprise his lead role in the third season of the American martial arts series Into The Badlands next month.
Read more of the interview below. Having worked on Badlands , I was more muscular than normal so I tried to lose 4.5kg of muscle. Alicia was trying to build muscle but she’s petite and I didn’t want to appear too big next to her. Additionally, I did a lot of boat-riding in South Africa. I was also exploring the emotional side of Lu Ren. All the action sequences on the boat. In the middle of Lu Ren and Lara’s journey on water, they hit a major storm and crash onto an island. I’ve done many action scenes but this is the first time I’ve done something like this. It was amazing to see such level of artistry. We had the entire boat on this gimbal thing that can rock back and forth. And then we had rain and cold water splashed on us that it felt so realistic. We didn’t have to act like we’re panicking and scared. We were! It’s awesome to see her dedication, hard work and focus. She would get up at 4am to work out for 90 minutes before filming began every day. (Laughs) That takes a lot of motivation. And she had to do some crazy action sequences! All of her previous films are more dramatic than action-oriented but she really went for it. I wasn’t expecting her to do the stunts, which included giant leaps, but she did it all on her own. I found that quite impressive. I was scared for her sometimes! I was like, “Are you sure you want to do this?” (laughs) Yeah! Especially during her physical training process. It changes your mentality a bit. She became a warrior. You can see it in all of the details she wanted to express and the substance she wanted to add into her character. I’ve been travelling to South Africa every year for the past 15 years but I didn’t get to explore Cape Town much. This time, I got to stay there for four months and I got to check out its ocean life and do some shark-diving. Making the film was a great journey for me. Nowadays, I choose a movie not because of what it is but because of the process. Everyone involved in Tomb Raider is high-level people. It was fun to see their focus and dedication in making this film. Plus, everybody knew the legacy of the first two films, so we’re trying to maintain that spirit yet create something fresh for a new generation. I think this collective energy isn’t something you always see on set. I’ve yet to do a heist movie, but these days I don’t “look” for certain types of roles anymore. Instead, I look for new and unique opportunities that can make me grow as a person and an actor. Having done 70 movies in Asia, I’ve experienced a lot, so to find something fresh is hard. It may seem like I’m focusing on the West right now, but I still take part in Asian productions in between. There’s no bias whatsoever — it’s all about shooting the right projects and going to where the good work is, wherever that may be.