Chun's Interview: The Romantic Prince

CONVERSATIONS With Ricky Lo
Sunday, July 13, 2008

His princely looks have won him quite a following, first in the chinovela Hana Kimi The Original and now Romantic Princess, both aired on ABS-CBN. In the latter, Wu Chun plays one of the four successors to the owner-manager of a business empire whose granddaughter, played by Angela Zhang, falls head-over-heels for Wu Chun.

Beyond that, not much is known about Wu Chun.

Here’s what Conversations dug up about Wu Chun:

His real name is Goh Kiat Chun, of Chinese descent, born on Oct. 10, 1979 (a Libran), in Brunei, the youngest of three (one sister and one brother). Wu Chun comes from a wealthy family which owns Goh Hock Kee, the distributor of Mitsubishi in Brunei. He stands 5’10”, weighs 160 lbs., with type O blood and lists “actor, singer and model” as his profession.

A Business Administration major from RMIT University in Melbourne, Wu Chun speaks English, Malay (Bruneian) and three Chinese dialects (Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien). He drives a Blue Subaru Impreza Hatchback which he himself customized from the engine to the rims, including the exterior and the interior, with a license plate that bears his birthdate.

He has three tattoos, two around his upper right arm and one on his lower leg. He’s a big fan of Michael Jordan and he even flew to the US purposely to watch Jordan’s last game, with a courtside seat, after which he caught a glimpse of Jordan at his hotel.

“I love food,” he once said. “I love to eat.”

Wu Chun was a model in Singapore before he went to Taiwan where he was asked to play the main character in the Taiwanese drama Tokyo Juliet. Hello, stardom! He later joined the popular Taiwanese boyband Fahrenheit, the oldest of the four members who also include Wu Chun’s Romantic Princess co-star Calvin Chen. Prior to joining showbiz, he was a fitness instructor at his own gym, Fitness Zone, in Brunei.

Does Wu Chun really have three children as he was quoted in an interview, one of whom was shown with him in a picture posted on-line? It was a joke. The kid in the picture was his nephew and the “three children” were actually his Fahrenheit co-members whom he treats as “my children,” being younger than he is.

A sad note: Wu Chun lost his mother a few years ago. He’s often seen wearing a necklace with a ring on it; the ring is said to have been given to him by his mother on her deathbed.

Here are excerpts from yesterday’s Conversations with Wu Chun and Calvin Chen (also a member of the Fahrenheit band, along with two other guys) who are here to promote Romantic Princess (watch them today on the ABS-CBN noontime show ASAP 08 and on The Buzz):

What does your name mean in Chinese?

“I have to ask my father. (Laughs) Actually, my full name is Wu Chi Chun but they asked me to drop the ‘Chi’ when I joined showbiz. Chi means fortune and Chun means respect.”

You were born and grew up in Brunei, a very rich country. Did you live like a prince?

(Laughs some more) “No, no, no! Many people have a misunderstanding about Brunei. Yes, Brunei is a very rich country but it’s the King who is very rich. Our family belongs to the middle class. We are okay.”

What was your childhood ambition?

“Kids in Brunei all want to have a business and that was also what I wanted to have — a business of my own. They want to do something related to business. That’s why when I went to Melbourne, I took up Business Administration. After I graduated, I went back to Brunei and opened a health club. I really love challenging myself in the world of business.”

How was it growing up without your mom?

“Actually, I was about 24 when I lost my mom. She was the reason why I entered showbiz. When my mom passed away, I learned a very good lesson — not to be afraid of anything. That’s why I faced the challenge of entering showbiz, something I was very afraid to do before my mom died. I didn’t have confidence in myself. Now, I have self-confidence.”

What are your fond memories of your mom?

“My mom always took good care of me. She always reminded me to be a useful and good person.”

I’m sure she’s very happy that you have turned out to be a useful and good person.

“Yes. I’m sure she is.”

Are you wearing the ring that your mom has given to you?

“No, I’m not.”

Why? Where is it?

“I’m keeping it in a safe because I’m afraid of losing it.”

Having come from a privileged family....

...(Laughs)...”I don’t come from a privileged family...”

But your family is the distributor of Mitsubishi cars in Brunei, isn’t it?

“It’s my uncle who is the distributor. He’s quite rich. My family is more into another business, not really that rich.”

Oh, you’re very humble!

“No. That’s the truth. We are trying hard to make our business a success.”

If not money, what motivates you in your career?

“I think that everything I do now in showbiz is a good experience for me. Whether I succeed or not is not important to me. What’s important is the experience.”

With an uncle who distributes cars, you must be a car-lover.

“Yes, I am.”

Do you race?

“When I was in Melbourne, I did. I had a racing car.”

As a fitness buff, how do you take care of your body?

“Actually, the most important thing is that you must have the heart in whatever you do, including taking care of your health. Whatever you do, wherther working out, you have to put your 100 percent. You must be careful with what you eat. You must have focus; that’s very important.”

Aside from Michael Jordan, do you have any other role model?

“No. Only Michael Jordan. He’s the one who really influenced me. From the time I was a kid, he has influenced me a lot. I admire his attitude toward his game; he’s a good role model not only for me but for anybody.”

What’s your ideal girl?

“Somebody who is very simple, who is willing to share everything with me, somebody who is understanding, somebody who is happy to be with me and with whom I can be happy. Looks is not important. If you want to have a happy, lasting relationship, the feeling is more important than looks.”

Do you want to have a Filipina girlfriend? You still have time to look for one before you fly back to Taipei tomorrow.

“Let me see...Hahahahaha!”

Describe Calvin in three words.

“Very playboy. No, no, no, no, no! That’s a joke. He is clever, hard-working and responsible.”

Up close with Calvin Chen

Also a member of the Fahrenheit band, Calvin Chen’s Chinese name is Chen Yi Ru, born in Taiwan in Nov. 10, 1980 (Scorpion). He’s six-footer, weighs 143 lbs., with type A blood. He finished high school at Jianguo High School (one of the top schools in Taiwan) and college at the Simon Fraser University in Canada, and earned his M.A. in Economics at the University of Victoria.

While in Canada, Calvin competed in Sunshine Boyz, a pageant-like competiton, in Vancouver, emerging a winner. Among his prizes was a free ticket to Taiwan, a contract with a music company and a role in a drama. Currently enrolled at the National Chengchi University in Taipei, taking up Public Finance, Calvin speaks English and two Chinese dialects (Mandarin and Hokkien; he understands conversational Cantonese).

In Romantic Princess, he also plays one of the four successors to a big business empire.

Your Chinese name is Chen Yi Ru. What does it mean?

“Ru means scholar. My mom wants me to study hard. Yi means polite. My mom also wants me to be polite with people.”

How has your life been in Vancouver?

“Good. Very good! I went there when I was 18 and I lived by myself for seven years. I learned to be independent. It made my world wider and bigger.”

How many brothers and sisters do you have?

“I have one sister, two years older than I am. She’s getting married at the end of this year. I’m happy for her.”

What made you live in Vancouver by yourself?

“My dad wanted me to be independent. And I also wanted to be. For half a year, I stayed with my friends and then I lived by myself for more than six years. I was a student. I did everything by myself, including the laundry, cleaning the house, going to the grocery and doing the dishes — and paying all the bills.”

You took up Economics in college. Did you also want to put up your own business?

“If I did not become a model and an actor, I would have ended up in a financial institution, such as one dealing in stocks. Even now, I always read the business section when I get hold of a newspaper.”

You’ve been in Vancouver for seven years. Didn’t you experience any culture shock?

“Canada is a multi-cultural country. There are so many people from different countries — Japan, Korea, India, Philippines, etc....so many different races there. I’ve gotten to know so many people from different countries and I’ve learned how to respect their cultures and their traditions. I’ve learned how to adjust to any new culture and new environment.”

What are your hobbies?

(Joked Wu Chun, “Looking at the stocks. Hahahaha!”)

“Watching movies, going out with friends. Nothing much.”

How do you take care of your body?

“I don’t eat late. I learned from Chun what food is nutritious and what is junk food. He always tells me to eat and eat because he thinks I’m too skinny.”

(Wu Chun: “He was very skinny before. But now he’s okay. He also sometimes goes to the gym and that’s good.”)

Who’s your role model?

“My dad. He’s the vice president of a company. He takes good care of our family and that’s the most important thing. He gave me a good education, including sending me to Vancouver to be independent. He’s 58, getting old, and his heart is not so good so I worry about him. I can’t spend so much time with him. And when I do, I go out to dinner with him.”

What’s your ideal girl?

“Same with Chun’s — simple and a happy girl. The feeling is important. Somebody who can be a friend and a family to me. Somebody with the same values as I have and who can work together with me.”

Is nationality a factor?

“Not really. I had a Korean girlfriend before.”

(Wu Chun: “You want a Bruneian girlfriend? Hahahaha.”)

Do you want a Filipina girlfriend?

“Why not?”

You still have time to look for one before you fly back to Taipei tomorrow.

“Hahahahaha!”

Describe Wu Chun in three words.

“Mature. Responsible. Hard-working.”

(E-mail reactions at rickylo@phil-star.net.ph or at entphilstar@ya-hoo.com)


Credits: Asianfanatics