Daniel Wu Scared of Societal Control

Revolving around a suspenseful plot line of eavesdropping and hacking into privacy, Daniel Wu’s (吳彥祖) futuristic thriller film, Control <控制>, was released in China in November 2013. As both the actor and producer, he was proud of the film’s intriguing story that deviated away from the usual movie themes. On the topic of control, Daniel believes it involves complex factors and can significantly affect people in various ways.

Subtle Yet Effective Control From Commercial Organizations

Even as a normal citizen, Daniel already feels pressure from the society’s control and being an artist only emphasizes the feeling. In fact, one is sometimes unaware of how the controlling exactly works. He expressed there are many different forms of control, “I’m not afraid of control from the government, but rather from commercial organizations. They’re like ghosts who are secretly controlling you, and that’s scarier.”

According to Daniel, government control is more direct and can be foreseen. However, commercial organizations use advertisements within the media, which slowly lets information seep into one’s subconscious. He explained, “Have you realized why online advertisements seem to show what you like? It’s because it keeps track of which sites you’ve visited before feeding you the information. If you watch Mad Men, you’ll see how ads control public actions.” Daniel added this is also why people were willing to queue in line extremely early for new iPhones. “Why must one buy an iPhone that day?” he questioned.

Daniel Wu: “Films Must Have Variety!”

The idea of a new storyline is extremely important for Daniel, and he believes films must vary in genre from time to time. As an example, he explained wuxia films were produced for a decade after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon <臥虎藏龍> became a success. Daniel shared a metaphor that compares watching films to eating at a buffet. “If everyone continuously eats steak after steak, seeing more of it will create the opposite effect. It’ll kill that type of genre, and you’ll have to wait for years to film it again.” Daniel added he also stopped watching films with too many installments, as they lacked new ideas.

Enjoys Freedom Away From Press

Since becoming a father, Daniel’s perspectives changed and he took a break for half a year in 2013. Spending his daily life feeding and changing his daughter, he was able to relive special moments watching her experience many of life’s firsts. Daniel revealed he will not spoil his daughter, but will also not place pressure on her.

Unlike typical Hong Kong parents who are super keen on getting their child the best education possible in hopes that they will find a good career, Daniel expressed, “It doesn’t have to be that way. I studied at a private high school and had smart friends who faced a lot of pressure from parents. They got into Harvard and quit after two years.” Daniel decided it is best to let things run on its own.

This year, Daniel plans to head to the United States to enjoy some freedom away from the Hong Kong media. He wishes to spend time with his wife’s family and roam around in parks with his daughter without having to worry about being followed by the paparazzi.

Source: Umagazine via kuangaitvb.com

This article is written by Shirley for JayneStars.com.