[FULL] Interview of Luhan on Ming Weekly

Box Office Results of “Back to 20” breaks the 1.3 billion mark, Luhan watched his first movie shyly.

After the dramatic period of Luhan filing a lawsuit against SM Entertainment, Chinese Idol Luhan left the Korean group EXO and went solo. But his popularity did not drop because of that, instead, he became someone that every company is putting attention on, and his acting invitations are countless. His first movie “Back to 20” received RMB100,000,000 within 4 days, the entry ticket of the Taiwan Premiere Conference also sold out in seconds. He gave himself a 60 marks for his performance in his first movie, while Yang Zi Shan and Chen Bo Lin gave him the full marks-100 marks. No matter what marks he gets, he is still the most adorable Male God in his fans’ hearts.

The 24 years old Luhan was scouted by a talent agent when he was in high-school, he went to Korea for training, and debuted as a member of EXO. Because of his harmless and adorable appearance, he became one of the most popular members. Last October, he filed a lawsuit against SM Entertainment, using his health problems and his parents as his reasons, causing a scene. Many people were worried that his career might affected. In the beginning of the year, he released his first production “Back to 20” after becoming solo. It was estimated that they could only recover their expenses for the movie if the ticket sales exceeds RMB120million (around TWD620million), unexpectedly, just within 2 weeks, they have already passed the RMB250million mark (around TWD1.3billion), proving that he is still succeeding well in both singing and acting, 30-40 films are waiting for his approval.

"Using his talent to memorise the guitar chords"

First time acting in a movie, Luhan confessed that he was very nervous, his body would turn cold, his palms would sweat, but when he is in front of the camera, he still shines as usual. Chen Bo Lin also complimented on his acting, "He is much better compared to me when I acted for the first time, maybe because he had stage experiences previously, and also had professional training, he is talented and also earnest." Yang Zi Shan said jokingly, "I should learn from him. He is very smart, he remembers many things that the director teachers him, I probably need to learn how to do aegyo from him." His sunbaes kept on praising him, Luhan quickly begged for their mercy while blushing.

Actually, Luhan was born to be an artist, he acted as a passionate teenager with a dream of becoming a rock star, scenes with him playing the guitar is a must, from not knowing how to play guitar to learning the guitar chords for the whole song, he would only take 40 minutes to do so. He stated modestly: "When I was young I went for one lesson, but it was too painful for my hands, so I gave up. This time I had to memorise the chords because it was required by the movie." Yang Zi Shan praised him and said: “He can really play it out loud, he can sing while playing the guitar.”

After all he is a singer, sometimes Luhan would get too into playing the guitar that he forgot he was supposed to act. When the director says ‘action’, he would lower his hand and focus on playing the guitar. Chen Bo Lin also had to remind him to put some attention on his face expressions during filming and exhibit his charisma during the right time, or not he would have this habit of always staring at the camera, when he acts he would always search where the focus of the camera is, resulting to NGs. He laughed and said: “As singers, when we film MVs, we have to act cool and sometimes smile, we must look at the camera. When I’m acting, I am not supposed to look at the camera but I still have the habit of searching for the cameras, haha.”

"Doing aegyo to Yang Zi Shan to get 90 marks"

That working habit is not the only thing that Luhan couldn’t change, he still pays a great deal of attention to the concept of seniority because he went for training in Korea for a long period of time. There was a scene where he and Yang Zi Shan had to drink alcohol, he drank it in a way as if he was in Korea, he naturally turn his head to the side and drank it in order to show respect. Of course, the scene had to be refilmed, Yang Zi Shan comforted Luhan and said: "It’s alright, you’re now in China, turn your head back and drink, Granny is here to protect you (She acted as Luhan’s granny who turned young in Back to 20!)." The drinking scene where they sat in the BBQ Restaurant and Luhan had to tease Yang Zi Shan, to make Luhan feel more relaxed, at the end, the director wanted him to drink real beer, and use the alcohol to boost his courage in order to let him get into the movie easier, "But after drinking, he started to forget his lines, haha."

When we talked about his acting experience, he stated that everything was fresh for him, just like how he had to put in emotions even when dubbing the film, it took some time for him to get used to it. "Sometimes I have to dub the laughing voices, I feel that my laugh is very dry/fake." He even revealed that he was really worried when he watched himself on the cinema screen, “When the other actors appeared, I watched very comfortably, but when I appeared, I started to freak out, I’ll somehow get nervous and critical, I just don’t want to look at myself.” Even his parents didn’t watch his movie. "They are quite cool, they want to watch it at home when the official DVD is out, they don’t want to reveal themselves to the public."

After the movie is screened, the box office results continued to rise, the movie critics have also made unbiased positive reviews about Luhan’s acting. When he was asked to rate himself, he first said 6 marks, Yang Zi Shan and Chen Bo Lin got a shock and asked him "What’s the full mark for that?", only then he realised what was happening and said "60 marks, I thought the full mark was 10." The interesting part is- when it was Yang Zi Shan’s turn to rate his acting, he nervously went next to her ears and whispered "90 marks, 90 marks." Yang Zi Shan laughed and said: "The director gave him 100 marks because being able to have such an effective acting was considered difficult for someone acting for the first time. This 100 mark is also given to encourage him to continue his acting career properly, I agree with what our director said."

"He refuses to lip sync even if his voice cracks"

Other than acting, Luhan also sang the movie’s OST “Our Tomorrow”, in the past when he was still in EXO, all of them were given a number of lines. This was considered his first complete solo song, he stated "Being able to record the full song for the first time, anyone would feel excited, because suddenly, because the number of singing lines have increased. And one more thing, last time, everyone would sing one after the another, the emotions might not be there, this time I had to sing with emotions from the beginning till the end, it was quite difficult."

This time, he came to Taiwan for his movie promotions, he feels that there is a big difference compared to when he came here with EXO members for the concert. When we asked him whether he feels lonely without other peoples’ accompany, he paused for a while and said, although he left Korea, he still remembers Korean, he would occasionally watch Korean dramas, listen to Korean music. "(My) mood will definitely not be that great, but how do I say it? Fans are still as enthusiastic as before, so I feel relieved/steady."

When he was filming for “Back to 20”, Luhan hadn’t filed a lawsuit against SM, now, he’s on his own. Yang Zi Shan witnessed his growth, she said sincerely, "I have some mother-like love for Luhan, maybe it’s because he acted as my grandson in the movie. I remember when we were filming, all the staffs were still Korean, I was like aww that’s so pitiful, it must be difficult for him to be alone overseas. Now seeing that he has return, becoming better, and he always says that he got chubbier, I feel very happy." She also said that everyone finds Luhan very adorable, but when you get close to him, he is a strong-minded, persistent and thoughtful person. "Sometimes his throat would feel uncomfortable, but then we would need to film the singing scene, so I told him that he could lip sync, but he said no, he wants to sing for real, he said that he would insist on singing even if his voice cracks."

"Rebuked crazy sasaeng fans who followed his car"

Luhan doesn’t really like to be called adorable, he is actually manly, he likes to play football, watch anime, he also imitates the funny videos trending on the Internet, "I am a manly man, I’m quite humorous in private." He exhibited his manliness when he was protecting his family. Fans followed him every day during the filming period, there was once when the fans’ cars were too close to the car he was in and almost led to danger, he couldn’t hold himself in, he got out of the car and spoke to them. "At the time my parents came over, we wanted to get a meal, so I told her ‘You can stop following now/ Please stop following’ and she replied ‘who said I am following you?’. I said ‘Don’t film me’. She replied ‘Who said I’m filming you?’, then I wanted to film her, she said ‘Don’t film me, I have portrait right’ , I didn’t want to care about it, so I just left."

With Luhan’s presence, fans remain crazy every moment, no matter it is the hotel lobby or underground parking, fans wait for him 24/7. Some fans even bought the staff pass for RMB20,000 (Around TWD10,0000) to enter the press conference that he was in. Some crazy fans who went overboard would even call his house's phone number, "My parents would occasionally pick up the calls, and they will be asked: ‘Are you Luhan’s parents?’" Luhan feels bad for their parents, he said helplessly, "When I first debuted I asked my parents: ‘Do you want to come over and watch my showcase performance?’, they said ‘it’s alright, we’ll just look at pictures’. I was really stressed when I was about to debut, I called them and told them about my hardships, they just said ‘well who told you to become a singer in the first place?’". He emphasized that his parents are very low-profiled, he doesn’t hope that their lives will be disturbed/affected because of him.

Luhan said that his parents respected his decision of becoming an artist, they told him that he shouldn’t regret the decision he makes, because of that, in the beginning of 2013, when he gave his parents the first salary he had received, the satisfaction he felt was simply indescribable. This year’s Chinese New Year, he specially did not accept any schedules, because after he debuted in Korea, it has been 6 and a half years since he has returned to his hometown, he lived outside since high-school. Now he finally has the opportunity to return home, of course he would want to unite with his family and give red packets to the elders to show love and respect. He now knows how to treasure everything even more, especially after he filmed “Back to 20” - where the granny became young  and lived her youth once again, a production which emphasized on the family relationships. "I know that I need to spend  more time with my parents within this limited time, I’m too shy to say out  these 3 words ‘I love you’, but we do hug each other."

Source: http://www.weibo.com/2074659133/C0LL1w9Sr?type=comment#_rnd1421923673852

Luhan - ELLE Interview (WeChat)

Who is Luhan? I know, the moment I read out his name, thousands and thousands of hearts are already getting excited. And to those who are still asking that question, after reading the ELLE cover story of this issue, perhaps you would understand why this boy makes people feel this way. We spent time with Luhan for two full days at home, do you know that?

The photo shoot for the cover of ELLE this week is a little special. In the past, the tables in the photo shoot venue are usually filled with blinding jewelleries, but this time, surprisingly there was a row of socks, there was a bed, pillows, sofa, wooden dinner table, toaster, louvers, and a dog. To help fulfil the ELLE readers’ wishes- to spend a day with Luhan at home, we provided the most ordinary day of Luhan’s life in a photo shoot studio located in the suburbs of Beijing.

Luhan in the eyes of ELLE:

Before the photoshoot started, which part of Luhan left the deepest impression on you? Let’s take a look at what ELLE’s photoshoot team (people who got the opportunity to have close contact with Luhan) said:

Lively straight man! He is energetic/positive, confident, but sometimes a little shy. —Fashion Director STEPHANIE ZHUGE

Simple, adorable, good working attitude. — Fashion Editor FANGFANG C.

He never does skincare, but his skin is still so nice. —Makeup Artist鑫淼

He looks really good when he eats! —Interviewer YANNI

He always looks into people’s eyes and bow at every stranger. To be honest, it seems like he has been bowing continuously for these two days….—Assistant Video Editor GABRIELLE

Luhan - ELLE Interview

Luhan, when you read out his name, you will never know how many people's hearts are beating fast for him. If you ask him how he feels being supported and loved by thousands and thousands of fans, he won't know how to answer you too.

His shyness and quietness makes it seems like it is his first day being an artist, he remains unmoved by honour or disgrace, as if the story of his life was already written beforehand.

When he was 18, he was scouted by the talent agent on the streets of Seoul. When he was 20, he stepped into the magnificent and busy entertainment world. When he was 22, he become the lead dancer, singer and the visual of a popular group. When he was 24, he was determined to cut off all the links with his past, return to his home in Beijing, and begin anew. 

It was difficult for him to explain everything clearly, not only to people like us who he has just met, even to his close friends. His friends who have been hanging out with him since middle-school talked about him studying overseas in Korea, joining the entertainment industry etc, but they had no idea about the hardships he went through. We could only predict how he was able to become the Luhan of today.

On a cold day in Beijing, we called Luhan out. After two days of observations and interactions, he is honest, generous, warm-hearted, easy-going. Everyone was touched by his care, at the end you would probably start to imagine, if you could see him every time you open your eyes in the morning, there's no point fearing the unending changes of the world.

A "Simple Beijing Man"

When we first met him, he stopped whatever he was doing, he personally stood up from his seat, bowed, and greeted us with a handshake. Nothing has even happened but he already started to thank everyone.

The room was decorated in a way that it seemed like an ordinary winter morning with warm light shining into the room. He lied on the bed, looked up with anxiety and curiosity. The things that were going to happen were all new to him, with no preparations, he laughed.

Exclusive Interview of Luhan in HK's Apple Daily Magazine

The ex-Chinese member of Korea's hottest male group EXO -Luhan, after he went solo, his work schedule remains to be packed, and recently he was invited to guest star in Sandra Ng's new CNY (Chinese New Year) movie "12 Golden Ducks". He is playing the role of a dancer in the movie, dancing to Kpop hot songs along with Wyman and Sandra Ng who cross dressed as a man. Luhan worked in Korea for quite some time,  it was his first time acting in a Hong Kong movie, he praised the movie crew. When he had the exclusive interview with the magazine few days ago, he also revealed that he thinks the Hong Kong lunch boxes are really delicious, and he also revealed that he secretly went to the Avenue of Stars at night.

Last year, Luhan filed a lawsuit against SM to nullify his contract due to their unfair treatment to the Chinese members, but his popularity continued to rise, Sandra Ng invited Luhan because of his high popularity, she invited this "Kpop Star" sincerely to guest star as a dancer in  "12 Golden Ducks", and have a Kpop dance battle in the movie. When Luhan was asked why he decided to act in a film that would not screen in China, he said: "Because it is very honourable to work with Sandra Ng sunbae, and I always like to watch HK-produced movies." Luhan laughed and stated that he didn't know much about his role, he went to Hong Kong in a hurry. He also stated that he couldn't perform well due to his anxiety, but Sandra Ng greatly praised Luhan: "Although Luhan is a little shy in front of the camera, but I think out of 20, he gets 19." Sandra also revealed that the shy Luhan is very friendly in private, all the crew members love him. She said that having a newbie in the movie will definitely add a new element to the traditional CNY films.

He loves Hong Kong style Curry Chicken

When Luhan was asked whether his appearance in "12 Golden Ducks" would bring a huge impact on the box-office results, he laughed and skipped the question. When the interviewer continued to ask him whether he will film bed scenes in the future, Luhan shyly stated that he does not have any plan about that yet, probably because there are still many underage student fans. When asked if he was going to sing any songs in the movie, he said teasingly:"It is a secret, I hope to give everyone a surprise." And Luhan who barely reveals anything gave a small preview to Hong Kong fans: "I am currently planning to release my solo album, I hope that everyone will look forward to it." When he was asked whether he will continue to act in HK movies, he turned into a little fanboy immediately and said: "Of course, I hope that I can work with different sunbaes, including Andy Lau, Donald Chow and Stephen Chow, they are my idols."

Mediation with SM was unsuccessful

Although this was Luhan's first time coming to Hong Kong for a solo schedule, he did not seem like he was not used to it. He revealed that he feels very excited to be able to walk on the streets freely and said: " During New Year, I secretly went to the Avenue of Stars when there were not many people at night. I feel very touched and excited as it has been a long time since I've last walked on the street like this". He laughed and said that the food preparation was very well done, the most unforgettable meals were HK style Curry Chicken and Tomato Pork Chop Rice. He also complimented the HK staff crews, saying that they are very friendly and the ambience at the filming site is very relaxed.

Other than that, Luhan and another ex-Chinese member of EXO- Kris had mediations with SM yesterday at Seoul Central District Court, but they have still failed to reach an agreement. Their legal rep stated that they will set another mediation date, but they didn't reveal any specific details. EXO received the Daesang at the Golden Disk Awards the night before, yesterday, they have also announced that they will begin their tour in Korea in March.

[FULL] Luhan - SEweekly Interview

Journey to becoming an idol - An amateur football player who wants to become a singer

Luhan has a beautiful name, he looks like someone who has come out from the comic, a character that is only present in dramas, it seems like he is perfectly tailor-made just for the entertainment industry. But the reality is—”Luhan is my real name, 鹿(Lu) is my family name,晗(Han) means the arrival of dawn because I was born during midnight.” Luhan explained the meaning behind his name. When the interviewer was amazed at how his name suits this entertainment industry perfectly, your adorable Luhan continued to explain:”These two words have a total of 22 strokes!” “Um…is there anything particular about it?” “It’s because the number ‘4’ and I are fated, 22 strokes, 2 + 2 = 4. I first signed my contract on April 14, Thursday, and if I randomly on my phone, it would either be 4:44 am or 4pm” He talked about all these coincidences which sounded quite like some fated fantasy, the straight-faced Luhan somehow looked adorable, “Believing these occasionally is ok, life will become more interesting.”

Born in 1990 in Beijing, Luhan was brought up by his parents like any of the ordinary kids, “When I was young I didn’t have any dreams, I thought that doing anything was alright for me, until I watched World Cup in 2002”, he said. That year, Bora Milutinović who coached the China football team went into the World Cup, it became part of everyone’s memory. In the same year, the 12 years old Luhan started to like David Beckham, and because of him, he started liking Manchester United. He never expected himself to become a dedicated fan of Manchester United. Luhan looked back at his old days and said: “Actually when I was first into football, I messed up a little, I once thought that Arsenal’s Henry was a member of Manchester United because their jerseys looked alike, hahaha…..”. Sounds like a foolish yet adorable thing.

Teenager Luhan was dedicated to football, he worked hard for many years, trying to achieve his goal of becoming a professional football player . After school, he would go for training, the word 'artistic' does not even go along with him. “My classmates had their own music bands, but for a sports person like me, I wasn’t quite interested in that, I felt the things I did were more manly, hahaha” But unfortunately, he was unable to become a professional football player due to his parent’s rejection, “They think that it is too dangerous being an athlete, will get injured and leave a lot of illnesses. They just want to send me to college, let me find a good job and make a living.”

10 Facts About Luhan

#1 Parents "I am currently living with my parents, my parents hope that I can return home early, they always want me to sleep early, it is best to go to bed at 11pm, they think that it’s healthier."

#2 Shopping "I like to buy things and get them immediately, I don’t like to wait, I’ll buy on the spot. Usually I would check the websites which have the things I want, call them and ask "Is it available?", if it is, I would go to the shop, buy it and leave immediately, I’ll leave very quickly."

#3 Alcohol "Not that bad in drinking, but not that good either, I’m more casual (laughs)"

#4 Eating "Eating at the street stalls? Actually I don’t do it that often now, used to do that frequently when I was in high school."

#5 Picky Eater "When I was young I basically don’t eat meat, don’t touch meat, unless it is lean meat, I just love vegetables."

#6 Post-credits scene "I actually didn’t know what was post-credits scene before, I thought those were just behind the scenes of the movie"

#7 Listening to Songs "When I was young I only knew about Wang Lihom, Jay Chou, Wilber Pan, JJ Lin and David Tao, I didn’t know much about the others, for female singers, I knew Jolin Cai. I like songs that are nice, doesn’t matter if it is Chinese, English, Korean or Japanese. Girl groups? Don’t really listen to their songs"

#8 Football "I watch the England Premier League, Italian Serie A, Primera Liga, German Bunds Liga, I know all those but I don’t watch it, after watching the Premier League, I don’t really like to watch the others, because the pace is quicker. If I have free time I would watch the live match during midnight, but most of my friends aren’t into football, so I would get high alone at home and drink some beer."

#9 Sports "I played rugby when I was in middle school, Beijing inter-school tournament. Our school didn’t have any football or basketball teams, they strangely formed a rugby team (laughs), the one I played was the non-contact rugby for students below 15 y/o, which is tag rugby/flag rugby, we just have to pull of the tag from the belt. I remember I was the best player that time, our team was the second or third, I forgot, but anyways we received awards and I also won a pair of shoes."

#10 Driving "I took the driving test in Korea as well as in Beijing, I guess people can’t experience the feeling of speeding up here in Beijing, the traffic jam continues from the day til night. But we still need to take care of our safety while on the road, if you want to race, I guess you should go to professional racing circuits."