Update!!!

CONVERSATIONS With Ricky Lo
Sunday, July 13, 2008

His princely looks have won him quite a following, first in the chinovela Hana Kimi The Original and now Romantic Princess, both aired on ABS-CBN. In the latter, Wu Chun plays one of the four successors to the owner-manager of a business empire whose granddaughter, played by Angela Zhang, falls head-over-heels for Wu Chun.

Beyond that, not much is known about Wu Chun.

Here’s what Conversations dug up about Wu Chun:

His real name is Goh Kiat Chun, of Chinese descent, born on Oct. 10, 1979 (a Libran), in Brunei, the youngest of three (one sister and one brother). Wu Chun comes from a wealthy family which owns Goh Hock Kee, the distributor of Mitsubishi in Brunei. He stands 5’10”, weighs 160 lbs., with type O blood and lists “actor, singer and model” as his profession.

A Business Administration major from RMIT University in Melbourne, Wu Chun speaks English, Malay (Bruneian) and three Chinese dialects (Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien). He drives a Blue Subaru Impreza Hatchback which he himself customized from the engine to the rims, including the exterior and the interior, with a license plate that bears his birthdate.

He has three tattoos, two around his upper right arm and one on his lower leg. He’s a big fan of Michael Jordan and he even flew to the US purposely to watch Jordan’s last game, with a courtside seat, after which he caught a glimpse of Jordan at his hotel.

“I love food,” he once said. “I love to eat.”

Wu Chun was a model in Singapore before he went to Taiwan where he was asked to play the main character in the Taiwanese drama Tokyo Juliet. Hello, stardom! He later joined the popular Taiwanese boyband Fahrenheit, the oldest of the four members who also include Wu Chun’s Romantic Princess co-star Calvin Chen. Prior to joining showbiz, he was a fitness instructor at his own gym, Fitness Zone, in Brunei.

Does Wu Chun really have three children as he was quoted in an interview, one of whom was shown with him in a picture posted on-line? It was a joke. The kid in the picture was his nephew and the “three children” were actually his Fahrenheit co-members whom he treats as “my children,” being younger than he is.

A sad note: Wu Chun lost his mother a few years ago. He’s often seen wearing a necklace with a ring on it; the ring is said to have been given to him by his mother on her deathbed.

Here are excerpts from yesterday’s Conversations with Wu Chun and Calvin Chen (also a member of the Fahrenheit band, along with two other guys) who are here to promote Romantic Princess (watch them today on the ABS-CBN noontime show ASAP 08 and on The Buzz):

What does your name mean in Chinese?

“I have to ask my father. (Laughs) Actually, my full name is Wu Chi Chun but they asked me to drop the ‘Chi’ when I joined showbiz. Chi means fortune and Chun means respect.”

You were born and grew up in Brunei, a very rich country. Did you live like a prince?

(Laughs some more) “No, no, no! Many people have a misunderstanding about Brunei. Yes, Brunei is a very rich country but it’s the King who is very rich. Our family belongs to the middle class. We are okay.”

What was your childhood ambition?

“Kids in Brunei all want to have a business and that was also what I wanted to have — a business of my own. They want to do something related to business. That’s why when I went to Melbourne, I took up Business Administration. After I graduated, I went back to Brunei and opened a health club. I really love challenging myself in the world of business.”

How was it growing up without your mom?

“Actually, I was about 24 when I lost my mom. She was the reason why I entered showbiz. When my mom passed away, I learned a very good lesson — not to be afraid of anything. That’s why I faced the challenge of entering showbiz, something I was very afraid to do before my mom died. I didn’t have confidence in myself. Now, I have self-confidence.”

What are your fond memories of your mom?

“My mom always took good care of me. She always reminded me to be a useful and good person.”

I’m sure she’s very happy that you have turned out to be a useful and good person.

“Yes. I’m sure she is.”

Are you wearing the ring that your mom has given to you?

“No, I’m not.”

Why? Where is it?

“I’m keeping it in a safe because I’m afraid of losing it.”

Having come from a privileged family....

...(Laughs)...”I don’t come from a privileged family...”

But your family is the distributor of Mitsubishi cars in Brunei, isn’t it?

“It’s my uncle who is the distributor. He’s quite rich. My family is more into another business, not really that rich.”

Oh, you’re very humble!

“No. That’s the truth. We are trying hard to make our business a success.”

If not money, what motivates you in your career?

“I think that everything I do now in showbiz is a good experience for me. Whether I succeed or not is not important to me. What’s important is the experience.”

With an uncle who distributes cars, you must be a car-lover.

“Yes, I am.”

Do you race?

“When I was in Melbourne, I did. I had a racing car.”

As a fitness buff, how do you take care of your body?

“Actually, the most important thing is that you must have the heart in whatever you do, including taking care of your health. Whatever you do, wherther working out, you have to put your 100 percent. You must be careful with what you eat. You must have focus; that’s very important.”

Aside from Michael Jordan, do you have any other role model?

“No. Only Michael Jordan. He’s the one who really influenced me. From the time I was a kid, he has influenced me a lot. I admire his attitude toward his game; he’s a good role model not only for me but for anybody.”

What’s your ideal girl?

“Somebody who is very simple, who is willing to share everything with me, somebody who is understanding, somebody who is happy to be with me and with whom I can be happy. Looks is not important. If you want to have a happy, lasting relationship, the feeling is more important than looks.”

Do you want to have a Filipina girlfriend? You still have time to look for one before you fly back to Taipei tomorrow.

“Let me see...Hahahahaha!”

Describe Calvin in three words.

“Very playboy. No, no, no, no, no! That’s a joke. He is clever, hard-working and responsible.”

Up close with Calvin Chen

Also a member of the Fahrenheit band, Calvin Chen’s Chinese name is Chen Yi Ru, born in Taiwan in Nov. 10, 1980 (Scorpion). He’s six-footer, weighs 143 lbs., with type A blood. He finished high school at Jianguo High School (one of the top schools in Taiwan) and college at the Simon Fraser University in Canada, and earned his M.A. in Economics at the University of Victoria.

While in Canada, Calvin competed in Sunshine Boyz, a pageant-like competiton, in Vancouver, emerging a winner. Among his prizes was a free ticket to Taiwan, a contract with a music company and a role in a drama. Currently enrolled at the National Chengchi University in Taipei, taking up Public Finance, Calvin speaks English and two Chinese dialects (Mandarin and Hokkien; he understands conversational Cantonese).

In Romantic Princess, he also plays one of the four successors to a big business empire.

Your Chinese name is Chen Yi Ru. What does it mean?

“Ru means scholar. My mom wants me to study hard. Yi means polite. My mom also wants me to be polite with people.”

How has your life been in Vancouver?

“Good. Very good! I went there when I was 18 and I lived by myself for seven years. I learned to be independent. It made my world wider and bigger.”

How many brothers and sisters do you have?

“I have one sister, two years older than I am. She’s getting married at the end of this year. I’m happy for her.”

What made you live in Vancouver by yourself?

“My dad wanted me to be independent. And I also wanted to be. For half a year, I stayed with my friends and then I lived by myself for more than six years. I was a student. I did everything by myself, including the laundry, cleaning the house, going to the grocery and doing the dishes — and paying all the bills.”

You took up Economics in college. Did you also want to put up your own business?

“If I did not become a model and an actor, I would have ended up in a financial institution, such as one dealing in stocks. Even now, I always read the business section when I get hold of a newspaper.”

You’ve been in Vancouver for seven years. Didn’t you experience any culture shock?

“Canada is a multi-cultural country. There are so many people from different countries — Japan, Korea, India, Philippines, etc....so many different races there. I’ve gotten to know so many people from different countries and I’ve learned how to respect their cultures and their traditions. I’ve learned how to adjust to any new culture and new environment.”

What are your hobbies?

(Joked Wu Chun, “Looking at the stocks. Hahahaha!”)

“Watching movies, going out with friends. Nothing much.”

How do you take care of your body?

“I don’t eat late. I learned from Chun what food is nutritious and what is junk food. He always tells me to eat and eat because he thinks I’m too skinny.”

(Wu Chun: “He was very skinny before. But now he’s okay. He also sometimes goes to the gym and that’s good.”)

Who’s your role model?

“My dad. He’s the vice president of a company. He takes good care of our family and that’s the most important thing. He gave me a good education, including sending me to Vancouver to be independent. He’s 58, getting old, and his heart is not so good so I worry about him. I can’t spend so much time with him. And when I do, I go out to dinner with him.”

What’s your ideal girl?

“Same with Chun’s — simple and a happy girl. The feeling is important. Somebody who can be a friend and a family to me. Somebody with the same values as I have and who can work together with me.”

Is nationality a factor?

“Not really. I had a Korean girlfriend before.”

(Wu Chun: “You want a Bruneian girlfriend? Hahahaha.”)

Do you want a Filipina girlfriend?

“Why not?”

You still have time to look for one before you fly back to Taipei tomorrow.

“Hahahahaha!”

Describe Wu Chun in three words.

“Mature. Responsible. Hard-working.”

weeee i like this performance better not to mention the subs too! hehe. Wu ZUn is looking bomb! haha i like it when he just dresses normal with a pull over =] haha. but haha i laugh! cause it kinda seems like he lets Calvin do all the talking and then he adds in YA! LOL. it's ok i still love him! haha =p. I like how calvin is always cheesing haha. way adorable =]. But dang am i jelly at those who got to shake their hands with zunnie and calvin *hmp* lol. but dude if i was there and was in the front roll i think i would just climb on the stage! LOL >.<

o and thanks for the info/interview? trustno1_2328 =]. got a lil more info on Wu Zun since i'm pretty familiar of him haha XD. but learned alot more about Calvin =] haha. and oooo he had a korean gf?! =o he's cool! lol

You're Beautiful, You're Handsome!

lol i think Wu was still shy especially in front of many fans, ive noticed that too, but geez, he really likes to eat

but yep yep he's an eatting machine trustno1_2328. =D

gumshu stop spamming or you end up being banned.....-___-.

sorrie but as a mod. i deleted all your spamming. plus this is a thread that check up on alot. so please stop with the spamming and follow the forums rules.

You're Beautiful, You're Handsome!

Oh my,
I want to go.

Thank tn1 for the Ricky Lo article The by-invite press con is an event that fans are not privy about... so that article is a cornucopia of info...

Oh! I've subbed the arrival/pre-interview in Entertainment Live! last Saturday... Here it is:



... I'll be subbing the rest... just be patient please

Credits to javabeans for the animated gif

Thanks for another video 4jpz rawr will have to see this when i get home from class today >.< .

You're Beautiful, You're Handsome!

That's okay viet... I love doing it!
... and here's the interview proper of Entertainment Live *with subs*:

Part 2 - Interview proper 1st half:



Part 3 - Interview proper 2nd half: http://youtube.com/watch?v=03HZPDWkDxY&fmt=18


edit:
... and here's The Buzz interview *with subs*:
Part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=NB8YqDiEbRM
Part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=uAO6niSkKkw

Credits to javabeans for the animated gif

thanks 4jpz for the videos

Handsome Chun Was Also Unlucky Chun Once
June 14, 2008, Taiwan

Looking at that practically flawless face of Wu Chun, terms that most people used in books to describe looks that were beautiful but soulless, such as “ruby-red lips, bright dark eyes and jade-like face” automatically came to mind. When seeing him for the first time, he looked like a typical new matinee idol. Slowly, his family background came to light. There were more opportunities for him to appear in front of the audience. Is this “beauty” truly “all looks but no inner substance”? From being cheated by friends in business to running two large fitness centers all by himself, despite coming from a rich family background and yet preferred to leave that all behind to be an actor and suffer endless rebukes from directors, how to break through the language barrier and from an idol lead man evolved into a martial actor…This person who was crowned by his fans as the Prince Charming of their dreams, his personal life was not perfect like a fairy tale. Through understanding his real life, perhaps we can tell whether the tranquility and subtlety he demonstrated was natural or intentionally suppressed.

Unlucky Event #1
Cheated by Friend in Business Venture
Between the time of being an excellent student and basking in the glory after becoming famous, Wu Chun actually experienced several obstacles and blows. Speaking of the first labor pain in his life, it would be his first experience with going into business after his return to Brunei: “Before I opened the fitness center, I had opened an auto body shop with a very good friend. Because at that time, I was also working as a model, I was not involved in the shop. My friend had the full running of it. Through it all, I trusted him very much and so never asked him how many money was made. I felt embarrassed to ask and I was also afraid that he would thought I don’t trust him. One day, I did ask and only then I realized he had not been honest and had squandered all the money had the business had made. He said he would return the money to me at a later date. I was very angry, utterly disappointed in him. I withdrew all my investment, reclaimed everything that belonged to me and decided to go our separate ways. It is later that I decided to open a business on my own.” Pausing for a moment, Wu Chun said meaningfully: “So I tell you, if you go into a business with someone, don’t trust them too much. In a business, there are lots of questions that everyone must be cleared on. It is not to say that you should not trust your friends, it is just a better way of running a business together. This is one point that I only realized later.”

Unlucky Event #2
Mother Passing Away Too Soon
If betrayed by a friend was only the first obstacle in Wu Chun’s career, the passing of his mother from illness when he was in school was a much bigger blow. “Since the start, there were even more times when I was away from home. I did not have to time to be with my mother when I was in school. By the time I wanted to be with her, it was too late. This type of regret is not something money or anything else can buy back. It was smooth sailing for many little things but it is things that I placed the most importance on, the biggest things that have not been smooth.” The regret of “the child wanting to care but the parent is no longer around” led to Wu Chun spending more time with his family whenever he can. However faced with the opportunity of entering the business and becoming an artist, Wu Chun had struggled in his heart: “No matter how others discuss my family background, I know that I gave up and sacrificed a lot to enter into the business. Actually even now, I still have inner struggles. Is that worth it for me to leave home, enter the business and sacrifice the time that I can spend with my father? But it is also because the passing of my mother that made me wanting to challenge myself. I had always been afraid of performing. When I was young, going on stage to accept a trophy for winning basketball games, I was afraid. The more I was like that, the more I wanted to challenge the feeling of fear. It is this type of thinking that upheld my decision to enter the business and become an artist.”

Unlucky Event #3
Encountering Language Barrier
When first arrived in Taipei, Wu Chun who was not very familiar with the language must face yet another difficult barrier in his career. Although he was fluent in Malay and English but when it came to Minan and Mandarin, he must start afresh. “Before coming to Taiwan, I already have not spoken Chinese in 15 years. I also cannot understand when someone speaks too fast. I only know simple phrases like eating or drinking. In my first drama [Tokyo Juliet], I am already playing the male lead. There was great pressure. You know, there is a big difference between the leading role and a supporting role. In a supporter role, once you finish uttering your own lines, you are done. As the male lead, you are in almost every scene. There were many lines of dialogue. It was very difficult to act. At that time, I would even cry in secret. The first year was so tough that I did not want continue.” Because of the cultural and language differences, Wu Chun must work several times harder than others in acting performances.

Earlier when he was filming [Hana-Kimi], he saw Ella bind the loose pages of the script together into one book and he copied her method. To make reading it easier, he even printed out a script outline in English using his computer and taped it on the cover of the script. Everyone teased him about the thick book, saying that it looked more like a textbook than a drama script. When filming [Tokyo Juliet], in addition to attending pronunciation class, he even went into the office to practice reading newspaper and scripts aloud. All these efforts paid off as his Chinese, both spoken and reading, had improve tremendously.

Unlucky Event #4
Gruelling Training in Martial Arts Movie
After appearing in three dramas, [Toyko Juliet], [Hana-Kimi] and [Romantic Princess], Wu Chun invaded the big silver screen and gave his first Martial Arts performance in [Butterfly Lovers]. This is very different from idol drama which consisted of going to the beach to shoot the breeze and engage in love talks. For this movie, Wu Chun underwent intense training two months before the movie start shooting. Everyday, from basic stretching, boxing, swordplay to holding a stance, Wu Chun practiced non-stop and would cause Wu Chun to scream in pain and start tearing up. He also needed to practice the motion of swinging the sword 100 times daily, to the point that his hands would shake holding chopsticks at mealtimes. “This is my first Martial Arts movie and I really care about my performance in it. Each day I had to practice swordplay and martial moves. Each fighting scene took a week to film. It was me against a lot of people so I had to keep up my condition and also had to remember moves. It was very difficult. But the hardest thing was that this movie is a tragedy. Filming like this on a daily basis really affects the mood. In Shanghai, it was very hot in the daytime and very cold at night. That also made it difficult to adjust.

As filming officially started, he insisted against using a stunt double. The experience of one scene in which he was to jumped down from a three storey height still gave him the shivers in recollection. “Originally the director arranged a stunt double for me but I did not want that. So I asked the stuntman to demonstrate it once. Later when I climbed up and got into position, I then realized that it really was very high. I had never been afraid of games such as bugee jumping or roller coaster riding. In Las Vegas, there was a ride in which one spins around at the height of 70 storey and that did not scare me. But the feeling of falling face down during a fight scene was very different. You don’t know what would happen when you jump. I was a little scared at the time. In the end, I forced myself to jump.” Although doing a martial arts movie made Wu Chun exclaimed “I don’t want to do a costumed Martial Arts movie next time”, but “upon seeing the result after editing, it felt pretty awesome. Maybe I should make an attempt towards this direction.”

So Many Unlucky Events
Regarding Going Sole and Relying Only on Looks
Within FRH, the track record of Wu Chun is obviously not on the same level as the other three members. The rumor of “going solo” had never stopped. Wu Chun no longer insisted on “will not go solo”, instead he left a lot of leeway: “Actually right from the beginning, we all do acting job individually and come together to release albums. So there is never any talk of going solo. Each person has his own opportunities and direction focus.” Wu Chun had confirmed that he will not be doing any dramas this year in order to concentrate on preparing for concerts and doing movies. He denied that he will not be doing dramas because his asking price had increased dramatically. His words did not hide his plan of putting the focus of his work on making movies. “It really is because there is no time available in the second part of the year that I won’t be doing any dramas although I am very interested in doing action martial arts movies. As for TV dramas, if there is a good script, I still would do it.” When he first started, some audience described Wu Chun as “relying only on looks” because of his immature acting skills and overly handsome looks, how does he view himself today? Wu Chun went silent for a moment and then said: “Actually all along, I feel that I am not as what others think. I worked very hard to improve, to upgrade my acting skills, I have tried my best.”

Unlucky Event Turned Into A Good Thing
Described by Ah Sa as Having the Appetite of An Ox
In [Butterfly Lovers], Wu Chun collaborated with Ah Sa. The mandarin speaking ability of both of them is only so-so. This time, there is even classical Chinese and idioms. Wu Chun described that the most often used terms nowadays is “It is nothing” and “Well met, well met”. Wu Chun’s ferocious appetite is well known. Even Ah Sa, this female connoisseur of food, said that he has four stomachs like an ox. As soon as he stepped into a restaurant, his usual elegant manner disappeared. He would jumped up and chased after the waiters asking “where is the food, where is the food”. When the food arrived, he would then rush and make the waiter to bring rice, sometimes even went as far as going into the kitchen to help bring out the food. About this, Wu Chun said a bit shyly: “Actually it is not as exaggerated as that. I don’t have a big appetite but I can eat continuously. It is a hardship to go to different locations to film, so every city I go, I would find local dishes that are tasty and must try it all. This way I won’t have any regrets and won’t feel that I came to this city for nothing.” Wu Chun even revealed that he already planned to have a cooking competition with Ah Sa who loved to eat just as much. “Because the director also loved to eat, Ah Sa and I will compete cooking mash potato and the director will be the judge.” He even indicated confidently, “I think what I cook will taste better than hers.” How fancy can mash potato be? This Wu Chun would not elaborate. “That will depend on how you make it. I cannot tell you the recipe. What if she found out? Regardless, we will have a competition…this I insist.”

When Will the Blessed Event Happen
In Comparison Likes Ella More
In almost every drama, Wu Chun would have rumors with the female lead. From Ella, Angela Zhang to now Ah Sa who is “already spoken for”, each rumor was strong and intense, seemingly both real and illusory but Wu Chun had never let up and admit to any one of them, only insisted that they are all friends. “Ah Sa is a noisy and gregarious person. We both like to eat and thus became friends. Ella is also very outgoing and very approachable. Her type of no-big-deal personality makes it very easy for others to get along with her.” When asked further regarding Ella and Angela Zhang, these two different type of girls, which type he likes better, Wu Chun admitted indirectly with a bit of awkwardness that it would be Ella: “Her ability of becoming familiar within a few sentences, there is only one in a hundred.” Next, Wu Chun sighed in thought: “Having a relationship is not as easy as saying I want it, therefore I have it. If it comes out, perhaps we cannot even be friends. In that case, it is better to leave it at a safe distance.” What he said left a lot of room for the imagination.

Speaking of his opinion on love, Wu Chun said that he is like Liang Shan-Bo without any awkwardness, “I feel that love should be like that of Liang Shan-Bo and Zhu Ying-Tai. I can give up everything for her, even my life, because to find that someone you love is not easy.” As for the criteria for his future girlfriend, Wu Chu twice mentioned “sincere, unpretentious”, “I don’t have any requirement regarding appearance such as innocent looking type or hot chick type or whatever type. The most important is be unpretentious, has a kind heart, be sincere, make me willing to share everything with her. In the end, it is the feeling that is most important.”


translated by : wyn0602 of CEFC
credits : CEFC and dayoo.com

gahhh my labtop is being slow so i can't watch the last part of the interview nor the the buzz interview either...>.<. BUt woooo haha dang the fans are going craazy!!! haha that Zunnie had to say "Don't Push!" lol >.< he's so considerate =]. But omg! the fans started to yell Ella when Wu Zun was talking about Angela!!! oi.....kinda mean.....lol...>.< and haha are you guys enemies or friends? Calvin: "we are not to good friends we are ENEMIES!" Wu Zun: "no we are good friends." haha i'm surprise he didn't say Calvin is "my wife" LOL or the other way around since they joked about that somewhere haha. >.< goshies i love them! haha >.<

You're Beautiful, You're Handsome!