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". This
film 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