On April 11th, Wu Yifan (Kris) received the “Outstanding Youth Award” from Sina, and he emotionally talked about his life and his experience as an EXO member during the acceptance speech.
Wu Yifan revealed that he initially rejected the idea of giving a speech, as he felt nervous about the idea of speaking in front of so many seniors. However, once he was told that he was allowed to share personal stories of himself, he decided it would be a good time to share stories about the things he has experienced and is currently experiencing.
Wu Yifan began his story by sharing his first dream of becoming a basketball player. As he had the skills and height to become a basketball player, he saw this as more of an achievable goal rather than a dream that cannot be fulfilled.
However, life doesn’t always work out as planned. He told his mom that he would pursue the route of becoming a professional basketball player if his height exceeded 190cm. He ended up growing to 187cm – 188cm and also sustained an injury that forced him to give up on his dream.
Wu Yifan then moved onto discussing his life in the entertainment industry, revealing, “When I was 18 years old, I entered the entertainment industry by chance and started chasing after another dream. At the beginning, my mom was really against me being a trainee in Korea as she was really worried. However, I thought boys should start being independent at the age of 18 in order to share the family pressure, so I went to Korea.
The training system in Korea is comprehensive but strict. I learned a lot and also experienced some hardships during the seven years that I was there for. I really missed home, especially during the holidays. However, these things were really nothing. The thing that was the hardest to deal with was the uncertainty about the future.
Often times, you would feel extremely lost and scared. You wouldn’t know when you will actually have the chance to fulfill your dream, or if you will actually end up accomplishing anything at all. You wouldn’t know how the story will go, and no one would be there to tell you.
I thought about giving up, but I persevered at the end. The one that gave me the most motivation was my mom. She told me, ‘Son, no matter what, if you feel that you’re tired, then just come home. Don’t worry and don’t be scared, mom will always be waiting for you to come home.’ She didn’t give me an excuse to quit, but rather a reason to keep going – to not let my family down and not regret my decisions.
Later, I said goodbye to the idol Wu Yifan and am now standing here. I wanted to have a change of identity and be an actor. Directors Xu Jinglei, Guan Hu, and Feng Xiaogang helped me a lot and made me feel fortunate. I wanted to work hard and not let them down.
I remember I was especially nervous when I first filmed Lao Pao Er, but later on I found out the directors were really willing to help out the newbies. Instead of being tough, they gave me a lot of encouragement instead. I was really happy and learned a lot, so I hope I get to work with a lot of different seniors in the future and take on different roles. I want to be a good actor and enjoy the fun in being an actor.
So, from being a basketball player to being an idol and finally to being an actor, I think these identities are representations of my dreams. Right now, I believe more in the actual meaning of dreams. To me, dreams represent promises to myself, my mom, and everyone who supports me. So I will work harder and be a better me.
I think dreams enable people to improve step-by-step and give us power. I believe that as long as we are persistent, then we can all be an outstanding person. I hope my personal stories will inspire those with dreams to work hard, because there will be no regrets as long as you have put in your best effort.”
