Check Out Willington Liu’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Willington Liu.

Hi Willington, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I am an American-born Chinese, up-and-coming actor. I was born and raised in Whittier, California, a small town just south of Downtown Los Angeles. I grew up in a family that was very well connected to the arts. My father is an oil painter, a sculptor, and a Chinese Wushu practitioner, while my mother was a Chinese Violin (erhu) player. Naturally, I was introduced to many different types of art forms from a very young age: piano, painting (fine arts), and singing. I began Latin and ballroom dancing at the age of ten and continue to do so to this very day. During high school, I joined Diamond Bar High School’s All-Male Hip Hop Dance team, as well as various hip-hop teams outside of school, such as Junior Hitlist and GRaVy Babies. I was also involved in a Talent Training academy during my high school years, where I was introduced to acting and modeling training for the first time.

During my final year of high school, I felt quite lost. I knew I was in love with dance; however, I didn’t want to pursue it as a career. Right as I had given up hope on any other profession, I was notified by a family friend about an open casting call for a Chinese feature film. At the time, I thought, “Why not? What do I have to lose?” After a live audition in LA, a callback audition where I had to fly overseas to Beijing, and many weeks of waiting, I was chosen alongside 30 others out of 15,000 applicants.

I later discovered that I had to leave my high school dance team, part ways with friends and family, let go of any college plans, and leave my entire life in the States behind to join Fengshen Training Camp for eight months. This commitment was in preparation for the trilogy “Creation of the Gods《封神第三部曲》.

The first day I arrived in Beijing at the training camp, I was instantly put into a group with 15 others. The training camp is very militaristic, boot camp-styled. The idea is to bring together new faces in the acting industry who have never had experience in acting before and create the perfect trained actor for the films. I was the youngest actor in my respective group (质子团). We trained with world-renowned instructors in Acting, Martial Arts/Stunts, War Drumming, Horse Riding, Mannerism, Swimming, and Chinese History classes, to list a few. Our days were planned out by instructors, and our diet was strictly regulated to get us in shape for filming. At the end of each month, there was a day when all the actors had to put on a series of performances for a panel comprising instructors, producers, special guests, and the director. This was to demonstrate the growth and maturation of each actor. Training continued for six months until we moved to another city in China, Qingdao. Wanda Studios in Qingdao is where our filming took place, which is also where we trained for the remainder of 2 months. In the final two months, our days began at 4 a.m. with a 10 km run around an island and ended with one of the previously mentioned classes around 9 p.m. These grueling days repeated themselves, all in preparation for when filming finally began, which proved to be far more physically and mentally demanding than the last two extreme months of training.

Filming officially commenced around September of 2018; acting on set turned out to be the most interesting and rewarding experience I had ever encountered. Engaging in daily imaginary circumstances as a warrior prince from centuries ago, I fought against Gods, monsters, and demons, rode into battle with the brothers I had trained with for months, and had the opportunity to showcase everything we had learned and trained for. The filming journey, which spanned an entire year, took us from shooting in winter’s below-freezing conditions to an extremely hot summer. Despite the challenging weather, it turned out to be the best and most rewarding time of my life.

I solidified my commitment to this path by signing with Shanghai Biu Media Co., a Chinese management company that had previously signed many actors from the Fengshen Training camp.

After filming was completed, I decided I needed further training. I applied to various universities for acting and ultimately decided to attend Walt Disney’s California Institute of the Arts. The school was close to my hometown, and I liked the idea of being surrounded by artists and the possibility to collaborate with artists from all disciplines. Right before the end of my first year at Cal Arts, the pandemic hit. It was very challenging for me as the movie I trained and filmed for, Fengshen, also had to be put on hold for its initial 2020 release. I decided the pandemic shouldn’t hold me back from learning; I did not so much attend university for the “college experience” but rather to learn to hone my acting skills, so I decided to proceed with the option to attend online classes for my entire second year, where I had to do Shakespeare through a tiny computer screen. However, the pandemic year taught me a great deal about working with technology, dealing with isolation, and overcoming loneliness. Then came my third and fourth years at Cal Arts. In the final two years, I came to truly appreciate everyone around me. I realized everyone had the same goal and was pursuing the same dream. Through Cal Arts, I was also able to collaborate with filmmakers and directors from other schools, such as the American Film Institute, USC School of Cinematic Arts, and Chapman’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts, to name a few.

Through overcoming many hurdles, the movie Fengshen: Creation of the Gods l: Kingdom of Storms was officially released worldwide in August of 2023, three months after I graduated from CalArts. The five-year wait for the release of the film was worth it. The film has grossed USD 400 million at the box office in its home market, making it one of China’s biggest films of the year. Fengshen has achieved recognition by winning Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and many more awards at various domestic and international film festivals. I am truly grateful for all the experiences and opportunities that led me to where I am now. I look forward to becoming the best version of myself as an actor, artist, and human being.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
The journey has been quite extensive. I’ve thought of quitting many times. I wanted to say, “I give up,” but each time, my family, mentors, loved ones, and dreams helped me stay clear-minded and strong-willed and guided me to adapt to different situations. A struggle and challenge I have faced is deciding whether to stay and work in the United States or if I should go back to China. In the States, it is more difficult to find my niche.

In the training camp for Fengshen, all we did was strive to become the perfect historical “warrior prince.” There are not many films in Hollywood that need someone with the criteria and specific experiences of an AAPI actor like myself. However, I love the United States and China; these two countries are both home to me, defining me as a human being, an American-born Chinese. Ultimately, I want to be an internationally based actor, to face any challenges, and to be wherever a job needs me.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
As an actor, I excel in period pieces or dramatic works. To prepare for the filming of Fengshen, my training involved working extensively with Greek Tragedies, Shakespeare, and various Chinese dramatic fantasy novels. During my time at CalArts, I delved into contemporary playwrights and continued honing my skills with Shakespeare and Chekov. These diverse experiences have contributed to the development of a very specific aura and regal personality type that sets me apart from other actors.

I am both proud and humbled to have been a part of Fengshen Training Camp. The camp and filming experience has allowed me to acquire a multitude of skills, meet people who have guided my path, and help me develop resilience and a strong will to navigate through any tough situation.

Some actors I admire include Cillian Murphy, Ian McKellen, Helen Mirren, Ian McShane, Tom Hardy, Cate Blanchett, Irrfan Khan, and Luke Evans.

What are your plans for the future?
My plans for the future involve establishing myself as an internationally based-actor. I aspire to become a point of connection between the United States and Chinese film industries. Hollywood is experiencing a wave of change, with an increasing number of stories from AAPI communities being told on the big screen and in physical theaters—a development that couldn’t have been imagined just a few decades ago. China’s film industry is also undergoing drastic changes, from introducing more stories from abroad to their mainland audience to collaborating with filmmakers worldwide. I have also acted in the second and third films of the Fengshen Trilogy: Creation of the Gods, expected to be released in 2024 and 2025. Fengshen’s production team consists of leading figures and pioneers in the Chinese entertainment industry based on their experience working with a global production team. I am excited for the subsequent years to come.

I hope to see more Chinese historical and classic novels recognized on a global scale. Additionally, I would like to share my own story as a first-generation American from a Chinese immigrant family through a film on the big screen. I am now signed in the States with Brave Artists Management and looking forward to doing more of what I love.

Apart from my love for acting, I’ve also developed a passion for education. I will be starting a Talent Academy for teens and young adults. The academy will not only provide training in at least five various disciplines but will also help students prepare professional material, create reels, establish their brand, connect them with agents/managers, and offer insights from an early age into what being an actor, a performer, and a creative artist truly entails. The academy, launching in the summer of 2024 as a summer intensive, will later evolve into a weekly program for students.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10725308/
• Instagram: instagram.com/willington.liu
• Other: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm10725308/

Image Credits
Red Carpet – Monica Schipper /Gonzalo Marroquin