American actor and filmmaker Daniel Wu used the recent Chinese New Year holiday to catch up with an old mentor and good friend, Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan.
Wu, 50, who first made his name in the Hong Kong film industry, said in an Instagram post on Jan 31 that he managed to catch up with his “dai gor” – Cantonese for big brother – over the festive period.
He posted a photo of himself with Chan, 70, and wrote: “After not seeing each other for around six years, it was nice to spend Chinese New Year with one of my most influential mentors, the legendary dai gor Jackie Chan.
“(Way) back in 1997, I was introduced to him at a party and, within 30 seconds, he asked me for my phone number. The next day, his manager Willie Chan called and the rest is history.”
Wu then spent the next 11 years being managed by the entertainment company Chan founded, JC Group. The pair worked on four movies together, with action thriller New Police Story (2004) being one of Wu’s “most iconic roles playing the villain” and crime drama Shinjuku Incident (2009) being “the most memorable”.
Wu played a murderous gang leader in New Police Story and an illegal immigrant trying to make a living in Japan in Shinjuku Incident. He also appeared in the romantic comedy Gorgeous (1999) co-starring Chan, and had a lead role in martial arts comedy House Of Fury (2005), which was produced by Chan.
Born in Califonia, Wu travelled to Hong Kong to try modelling in the late 1990s, and later made his silver screen debut with romantic drama Bishonen (1998). He was discovered around that time by Chan at a restaurant opening.
He said of Chan: “I learnt so much from this man and barely any of it was how to fight or do action. I am so grateful to have had dai gor in my life.”
Chan and Wu were supposed to appear in New Police Story 2, a reboot slated to be directed by Hong Kong singer-actor Nicholas Tse. But the project was reportedly halted after investors pulled out in 2024.
Wu’s new film is the upcoming action-romantic comedy Love Hurts, led by Everything Everywhere All At Once’s (2022) breakout star Ke Huy Quan. Wu plays an antagonist and Quan’s brother in the movie. – The Straits Times/Asia News Network
