Wu Lei , a veteran young actor who has been in the acting industry for nearly two decades, has been invited as the Youth Publicity and Promotion Ambassador of this year’s Beijing International Film Festival (BJIFF). His growth has followed the continuous evolution of Chinese cinema. It is believed that he will continue to remain true to his original aspiration to move forward with Chinese cinema.

　　Wu Lei, Youth Publicity and Promotion Ambassador of the 13th BJIFF

In terms of popularity and career potential, Wu is one of the leading young actors in China. From his debut as a popular “Nation’s Little Brother” in China, he has been making every effort to make his performance perfect in each of his film and television works with a serious and down-to-earth attitude, and allows the audience to witness his growth by getting deep into a rich variety of characters.

　　VCR of the 13th BJIFF Youth Publicity and Promotion Ambassador Wu Lei

　　Fledgling

In 2005, at the age of 6, Wu Lei made his debut in acting as Nezha in The Legend and the Hero, where he brought a quick-witted, likable mythical child to life through his deep acting, and thus cut a dashing figure.

In his later works such as Home with Aliens and Mo’s Mischief, Wu also continued his image as a smart and witty little brother. Especially in the sitcom Mo’s Mischief with more than 100 episodes, he has begun to play a pivotal role, through which he showed the potential of youth with vigor while getting more recognition from viewers.

　　Still of Mo’s Mischief

In the teenage years, Wu tried a more diverse range of movie genres. Whether it is the dojo disciple Hu Yifeng in the youth inspirational drama The Whirlwind Girl, or Fei Liu, a mentally immature guard who’s highly skilled in martial arts, in the historical drama Nirvana in Fire, all of these roles he played in this period let us see youthful spirit and vigor.

　　

　　Still of Nirvana in Fire

　　Transformation

Just entering adulthood, Wu Lei proclaimed with Shadow that he’s well positioned to take on any challenge of the big screen. From the film, viewers can see nothing related to his boyishness in the public mind but heroism and high-spiritedness in young general Yang Ping. The director Zhang Yimou spoke highly of Wu Lei and praised that Wu Lei was conscientious and did his best in the set, cooperated well with the crew, and completed each and every action personally, “This guy will surely have the world before him.” 

Later in Upcoming Summer, Wu interpreted a young man full of contradictions inside of him who wants to grow up quickly, and this role also seems to convey Wu’s vision to keep chasing dreams and forge ahead.

　　Still of Upcoming Summer

In My Country, My Parents, a main melody film that narrates a deep love for the country and people and tells the stories of lifetime struggle of the parents’ generation, Wu Lei and Wu Jing developed a strong, loving father-son relationship. In order to accurately create the character of a young soldier named Ma Chengfeng, Wu went to the training ground early to practice horse riding together with Wu Jing, and even when falling off his horse during filming, he quickly stood up and went on with the scene, a powerful sign of the enthusiasm and resilience of a true young actor.

　　

　　Still of My Country, My Parents

In 2023, All Ears directed by Liu Jiayin, Dwelling by the West Lake by Gu Xiaogang, and other films starring Wu Lei will hit the silver screen. In the midst of continuous experimentation, challenges, progress and breakthroughs, Wu Lei, who is now a representative of young actors, has not only completed a stunning transformation from inexperience to maturity through a series of his works, but also highlighted the vigorous energy and brave and fearless spirit of contemporary youth through a range of his roles.

　　

　　Still of All Ears

　　Future

A true actor always seems to have strong faith in shaping their roles, not only to use the body image to imitate and perform, but to tap inwards into the core vitality of the character. In this process, there is some kind of overlap between the actor himself and the character image. This is particularly evident in Wu Lei, since he’s an actor who grew up in front of the audience, who in turn seems to keep him company to grow in his film and television works.

When it comes to his ultimate goal, Wu once said his dream is to be a good actor, hoping to appear in works that are meaningful to society and make contributions.

Although more than ten years have passed since he started out in the industry, Wu Lei is just 23 years old. The possibilities of his future career as an actor are there for him. As long as he stays true to his original aspiration and keeps his love for acting, it is believed that he will live his dream and dream his life in a broader world of cinema.

At the same time, the BJIFF is also going into its 13th year, an eventful, extraordinary youthful period. As one of the most important film festivals in China, the BJIFF has been committed to enhancing international exchanges and cooperation in film culture, discovering and supporting new filmmakers and new works, and contributing to the prosperity of film creation and the development of the film industry. 

　　

　　Wu Lei, Youth Publicity and Promotion Ambassador of the 13th BJIFF

This April, the BJIFF sincerely invites more filmmakers, audiences and people from all walks of life to join the Youth Publicity and Promotion Ambassador Wu Lei in its various activities, in a hope to envision a bright future of Chinese cinema.