December 2008

the wu factor

There’s more to Allan Wu than just buffed good looks. Believe it or not, the host of The Amazing Race Asia keeps his eye on the prize

the wu factor

WORDS LYN YIP

Allan Wu strikes a formidable figure. Climbing off his sports bike as it expels a loud rumble and the ignition is turned ?off, he stands up straight to show off his huge 1.83m-tall frame.

The Singapore-based Fly Entertainment artiste ?is best known today as the heartthrob host of ?the phenomenal television show on cable channel AXN, The Amazing Race Asia. If it weren’t for ?the immediate warmth he exudes, he would be quite intimidating.

I ask him about his monster of a bike and all he says is: “Oh, the Honda?” He offers no precise model number or engine specifications, and there is no gushing about how fast it goes or the thrills it may offer. But that’s Allan Wu for you. He makes a formidable impression and seems pleasantly unaffected by his fame and success.

There is also an endearing casualness to his Californian accent, which is peppered with Americanisms including “just” and “like” and “you know”. His hometown is San Marino in Los Angeles, and he graduated from the University of California Berkeley with a degree in integrative biology — a pre-med qualification.

Still, he lacks any airs or graces. If anything, his wealth of experience — modelling stints in Los Angeles and New York, acting roles in Hong Kong and Singapore, and hosting MTV Asia in Taipei for two years — has left him grounded, in a pleasantly wholesome way.

He describes his path to stardom as slow and steady: “I’ve been really blessed in the sense that I haven’t really experienced that much hardship or [any major] difficulties.

“It’s not like I’m a huge superstar that everyone recognises, but I’ve been able to accumulate a body of work that I’m proud of. There’s some stuff I’m not [proud of], but that’s something you learn along the way too. It’s a reminder to [not get ahead of myself] … and it’s important to sometimes take a step back and appreciate what you have.”

Allan speaks quickly, but offers insightful, intelligent thoughts on his industry. He says he understands it sometimes takes others to help?realise the talent within — to uncover and channel it. And while it’s clear acting is his passion — Hollywood was his original plan and he says he’s still working on it — he also says he now knows not to take things too seriously. It was a serious snowboarding accident, which saw nine of the bones in his hand broken and all the ligaments in his wrist torn, that made him give up his “bio-tech desk job” to go looking for fame and fortune.

But unlike many others, the young star has found a way to stay focused and realistic about his chosen industry. “Modelling and hosting are by-products of this kind of work. I think modelling was a necessary step for me in terms of being comfortable in front of the camera.”

Fast-forward to today, and The Amazing Race Asia has seen Allan’s fame grow in leaps and bounds. “I think the reason it does so well,” he says, “is you’re actually paired with someone you already know, and you might discover something about this person you didn’t know before, because you’re both under so much stress ?and pressure.

“And that’s why I think people are so involved with the show. It’s ?the one show that ?I can watch over ?and over again. It’s ?so concentrated ?and I know these people personally, it’s really enthralling.”

Should there be a celebrity edition of The Amazing Race, Allan says he would probably choose the host of the US edition, Phil Keoghan, as his partner. “But Phil’s been looking kind of old lately,” he says with a mischievous laugh. “And I’m not sure he’d want to team up with me either.

“I wouldn’t mind doing the race with my wife, but she says there’s no way in hell she’d do it with me. I think we definitely complement each other, but she has a lot more patience and a lot more resilience for this type of work,” Allan admits.

“I’ve learned to be a lot more controlled in terms of my emotions but there are times when the testosterone just kicks in and I become this beast. I’m very impatient. I’m ultra-competitive and I have a very low threshold for incompetence.

“I don’t know if I would win it, but I think I’d do pretty well. I’d be shocked if I got eliminated in the first couple ?of rounds.”

Allan’s most recent project with the Singapore version of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not has allowed him some downtime away from the great outdoors. As the host for the television show, he has been working from the comfort of an air-conditioned studio. And even though the US version of the series fell rather flat, Allan remains typically positive and realistic about the Singapore version.

“I’m not nervous about it. I think the draw of Ripley’s is about the incredible, or even the freakish, and just the oddities in life. I have tried to be natural and to explain or sell the story without being too over the top.”

If he’d had his way with the show, however, Allan says he would have tried to make it lighter, more humorous. “They wanted it very dark, serious and very dramatic … but you’ll always have these creative differences, so it’s okay.”

Well aware of the criticisms that surround the Ripley’s, Allan says ?he’s also aware of the value of playing ?the host of a franchised show.

“In the beginning [of a career in entertainment], it’s normal to be more open because you just want to get exposure. Now, you have to be thankful to have the opportunity to choose, because the industry is a very dog-eat-dog, very fickle market. One day you’re hot, one day you’re not.”

 

Allan’s Fave Places:

Allan and Li-Lin most love holidaying in Bali with their two children, Sage and Jonas. Here are his top picks for top breaks:

Bali: "We go bodyboarding, whitewater rafting, or goof around on the beach. Kids and the young at heart will love the waterslides ?at Waterbomb.”

Bangkok: “We use it as a base to explore the rest of Thailand. We love Thailand’s beaches.”

Hong Kong: "Eat, shop, hang ?out with friends and go to ?HK Disneyland.”

Taipei: "It’s a must to try the street food and hot springs.”

MAIN PHOTO AXN
MAGAZINE LISTINGS PHOTO ALLAN TAN, FLOWERCHILD PROJEKTS






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