What going to the movies mean to me. (frm the Official Daniel Wu Fan Newsletter)

Hi everybody!

So happy to have received so many of your mails in the past few months! I noticed that some of you have just only recently begun to follow my movies. That's great! Welcome and I hope that I continue getting all the great support that everyone has been giving me.

I also want to thank everyone for congratulating me on my second Golden Horse nomination! I was so happy to see that I have been recognized for my work in New Police Story. Let's see if I can win it! But even if I don't win, I will be just as happy because there are plenty of chances on the road ahead for me. I just have to keep on working hard on my craft!

Also thanks to those of you who have gone to see "Beyond Our Ken". It is a very interesting and different kind of movie. Also the character I play is quite different than what you might expect out me. If you haven't seen it, check it out!

This newsletter I want to talk about how going to the movies influenced my life.

Although I did not plan on becoming an actor I have been interested in films since a very young child. I remember as a child when my whole family would go to the town movie theater to watch movies. The theater was called THE ORINDA THEATER named after the town I grew up in. It was a beautiful large Art-Deco style theater designed in the 1940's. It had an old fashioned ticket booth in front. Inside the teeter there were large murals painted on the walls of Greek gods and goddesses. Covering the screen was a deep red velvet curtain and when the lights dimmed and the curtains parted a huge silver screen emerged. Once the projector started is when all the magic started. Stories of love, action and passion spoke to me through that screen. I loved going to the movies so much because movies allowed me to go into a fantasy world and have the time of my life. Growing up I spent a lot of time in The Orinda Theater. It is still there to this day and I still think it is one of the best theaters in the world! If any of you every go to the San Francisco Bay Area try and make a trip to the city of Orinda and go see a movie on big screen. If you can't make the trip take a look at this website:

http://www.renaissancerialto.com/masters/orinda/OrindaHistory.htm

I am sure all of you will agree it is a beautiful movie theater in the traditional sense.

I also remember going to Drive-In movies. I am sure a lot of you do not know what this is because they only existed in America up until the 80's now, I think it would be difficult to find one. These theaters were called Drive-In because you actually drove your car into a very large parking lot where there would be a giant screen in front of you where you world watch the movie from your car! Once you found a space to park the car, there would be a small speaker which you would then hang on your window. I remember going with my whole family in our old station wagon to watch movies. Drive Ins were a really fun way to watch a movie! If you want to know more about Drive-In theaters check out these links:

www.driveinmovie.com

http://www.americandrivein.com/

If you ever get a chance try it out!

As a child, going to the movies was a really great family event. My family would go eat dinner then go see a movie. It was a great way for my family to spend time together. As I got older I would go to movies, almost every weekend with my friends. Going to the movies became a social event for my friends and I. I remember my 15th, 16th, and 17th birthdays were spent in movie theaters. I also remember going to the movies when I began dating. It was a way to make a very nervous and embarrassing situation (going out with girls) easy. If I went to a movie with a girl then we would have something to talk about afterwards and we could avoid the "dead-air" that sometimes happens on dates. When I was in University I began taking some classes on film. These were fun because we got to watch movies in class and then we would spend the semester talking about film. I always got good grades in these classes just because I found them so interesting. Also when I was at the University of Oregon, there was a small theater called the Bijou.

(http://www.bijou-cinemas.com/)

(http://www.nwsource.com/travel/scr/tf_detail.cfm?dt=2993&cid=5&pageid=OR&cityid=68)

It was an old church that was converted into a movie theater. Tickets were very cheap and they always played an interesting selection of art-house films, indie movies and also Hong Kong movies! I lived just around the block from The Bijou so I was there all the time watching whatever movie that they showed.

So as you can see, movie have always played in important part of my life. They are more than just a hobby for me but more a part of my lifestyle. I find it interesting that this part of my life eventually became my job! Although I studied architecture and practiced kung-fu it seems that what I know best is movies. I feel so lucky that I now make movies and hopefully the movies I make will make just as strong an impression on the people who watch them as they did on me. I am also really lucky to have audiences like you who enjoy watching my films. It makes me work harder!

Next month I will be going Shanghai to film Stanly Kwan's "Chang Hen Ge". Thisfilm will be starring, Sammi Cheng, Tony Leung, Wu Kwun and Me. I am really looking forward to this project because I have been wanting to work with Stanly Kwan for many years.

OK. I hope this letter finds everyone well.

Take Care!

Daniel Wu