After leaving EXO in 2014, Kris Wu continued his career in the entertainment industry to become a huge celebrity. He began his solo career as a singer, actor, and model and became a successful celebrity in China. He also made his Hollywood debut through the movie XXX: Return of Xander Cage in 2017. In this article, Channel-Korea will provide you with updates on Kris Wu’s career after he left EXO. So, stay tuned!
Released Time Boils The Rain
Since leaving EXO in 2014, Kris Wu recorded his first solo song “Time Boils the Rain” in July of that same year. The song is a part of the soundtrack for the Chinese box office hit Tiny Times 3 and it is his first solo track since he left the group. According to Weibo Music’s official update, the song broke records and exceeded 1 million plays within 3 hours and 25 minutes on the first day after it was released. It was an exciting release for all of his fans who have been waiting to hear his voice again.
In the short MV of “Time Boils the Rain,” Kris is wearing a classy suit and some scenes from the movie that arouse similar emotions as the song.
Movie Debut in Somewhere Only We Know
In 2015, Kris Wu’s career as an actor became more successful and shone quickly when he debuted in the movie Somewhere Only We Know. Somewhere Only We Know is a 2015 Chinese romantic drama film directed by Xu Jinglei. Filming took place in Prague, Czech Republic, and was released on February 14th, 2015. In this movie, Kris Wu played the role of Ze Yang who is a great freelance cellist. He was offered to join a large orchestra in London, but he refused. This is because he has people he must guard in Prague and will not leave them alone.
The story of the movie is about the female lead, JinTian (Wang Likun), who is experiencing the hardest time of her life when she gets dumped by her fiancé and her beloved grandmother passes away. Feeling heartbroken, she travels to a certain city in Europe to heal her broken heart. She finds a letter in her grandmother’s belongings. The letter is from 1970, written by her grandmother’s past lover, Josef Novak. When she goes to Prague, she meets the male lead, Ze Yang (Kris Wu), a young single father who lives with his little daughter and a bipolar mother. The two then begin to develop feelings for each other during their journey searching for Josef Novak.
The movie debuted at No.1 on the Chinese box office, and Kris Wu won the Best Newcomer Award at the 3rd China International Film Festival London for his performance.
Runway Debut at Burberry’s Fall 2016 Men’s Show in London
Kris Wu is a singer-turned-actor and in 2016, he also debuted as a model. He debuted as a model on the runway for the luxury brand Burberry’s 2016 Men’s Collection at London’s Kensington Gardens. The Burberry runway has long served as a launchpad for new faces, but for its Fall 2016 menswear show, the brand decided to debut a superstar on the runway, Kris Wu. He looked confidently on the runway, and he did not look like it was his first time walking a fashion show. In Burberry’s 2016 Men’s Collection in London, Kris Wu was the first model to lead the other groups of models onto the runway and he was also the one who lead them in their final round of the fashion show.
Kris Wu at the NBA All-Star Game
Kris Wu has made his third consecutive appearance at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. Kris first played alongside the Canadian celebrity team in the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game in Toronto in 2016. The singer has showcased his talents on the basketball court, getting 6 points and 7 rebounds. The game ended with a final score of 74 – 64, with Team Canada winning against Team USA. In 2017, he also joined the much-anticipated event, NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Jamelle Hill’s East Team.
In 2018, he made his third appearance at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Games as he played for the Celebrity Team Lakers. He also teamed up with Canadian singer Justin Bieber. Kris put a few stats on the board, with three points and three rebounds. Unfortunately, he failed to get the Lakers to win the 2018 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. The Lakers Team lost 66-75 to the Clippers Team.
US Film Debut in xXx: Return of Xander Cage and Released Juice
In January 2017, Kris Wu made his Hollywood film debut in xXx: Return of Xander Cage. xXx: Return of Xander Cage is a 2017 American action film directed by D. J. Caruso and written by F. Scott Frazier. Kris Wu played in the action movie alongside famous actors and actresses such as Vin Diesel, Donnie Yen, Deepika Padukone, Ruby Rose, Tony Jaa, Nina Dobrev, and others.
The movie is the third series in the xXx film series and a sequel to both xXx (2002) and xXx: State of the Union (2005). In this third “XXX” series, Kris played the role of Nick, full name Nicky Zhou, a guy who supports Cage, he is also a DJ nicknamed “The Hood” and one of XXX’s agents. The Asian star became a badass in the film where viewers could see him involved in explosive scenes, guns fights, parties, car chases, and he even appears as a DJ in this film.
He also lends his voice and released the song “Juice” for the movie soundtrack. The music video of the song was released on January 19th, 2017. It was directed by Andy Hines and 88 Rising. Kris looks swag and dope, and the video looks amazing as fans can watch guns, girls, cars, and powerful energy dominating. Vin Diesel also makes a brief cameo appearance in the music video.
Kris Wu in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a science fiction fantasy film written and directed by Luc Besson and co-produced by Besson and Virginie Besson-Silla. The film is based on the French science fiction comics series Valérian and Laureline, written by Pierre Christin and illustrated by Jean-Claude Mézières.
The lead characters are played by Dane DeHaan as Valerian and Cara Delevingne as Laureline, and the supportive roles are Clive Owen, Rihanna, Ethan Hawke, Herbie Hancock, Kris Wu, and Rutger Hauer. The movie was released in the United States on July 21st, 2017, by STXfilms, and in France on July 26th, 2017, by EuropaCorp. In this film, Kris Wu played the role of Captain Neza. The story of the movie is about a dark force that threatens Alpha, a vast metropolitan city and home to species from a thousand planets. Special operation officers Valerian and Laureline must race to identify the threat of robbery and protect not only Alpha but also the future of the universe.
