Chinese Actor Wang Xueqi Drops More Details On His Role As 'Dr. Wu' In IRON MAN 3
It's unknown exactly how much of 'Dr. Wu' we will see in Iron Man 3 compared to the Chinese cut of the film, but actor Wang Xueqi reveals some details here about what sorts of interaction we should expect to see him and with Robert Downey Jr.'s 'Tony Stark' and teases a return in a future movie.
With a background in the Chinese army, you might expect Wang Xueqi's Dr Wu to have an action-packed role in Shane Black's threequel. Well, despite rumours at one time indicating that he would be playing 'The Radioactive Man', that won't be the case says the actor. "I was told of this ‘good news’ – that there was this part on offer," he recalled in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "I was like, ‘Oh, right.’ And I said to this person contacting me, ‘It wouldn’t do if it’s a character who’s finished off after a few fights.’ I was then assured that, ‘No, you’re going to be the man who saves his [Tony Stark] life.’"
So, he will obviously be involved with the scenes from the trailer in which Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark is put under for a procedure of some sort. However, that's not all. Xueqi will also feature in a flashback scene (possibly the same one which Rebecca Hall has previously said she will be a part of) set in Miami. "It’s not a character which exists in the original comic series," he revealed. "And he’s a very complicated individual: he’s at once a specialist in Chinese medicine and Western medicine, but also a scientist and someone who has an in-depth knowledge of ancient Chinese culture. They’ve really set the bar very high. It’s a very challenging role. I don’t get a lot of scenes, but you have to convince viewers that [Stark and Wu] are friends from way back,” Wang said. “It’s not like in other films when you can get to show that through a lot of interaction between the characters."
The site goes on to reveal that the duo meet only twice in the film; the present and aforementioned flashback. That required the actor to travel to Wilmington, North Carolina, but he still spoke in Chinese for the entirety of his scenes. "It’s quite difficult when we can’t communicate in the same language," he added. "Even the bosses were very concerned about whether we could sound like friends when we speak in different languages. What they would want is to develop [Dr Wu] if there’s a fourth installment—because after all, it’s him who propped Stark up when he’s in his most difficult time."
CBM's Search For The Biggest Iron Fan: Win Tickets to the UK Premiere Of IRON MAN 3
Marvel Studios’ Iron Man 3 pits brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world destroyed at his enemy’s hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle. With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the suit or does the suit make the man?
STARRING:
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man
Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin
Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts
Don Cheadle as Rhodey/War Machine
Guy Pearce as Aldrich Killian
Rebecca Hall as Dr. Maya Hansen
Ashley Hamilton as Jack Taggert
James Badge Dale as Eric Savin
Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan
RELEASE DATE: April 25th, 2013 (UK). May 3rd, 2013 (US).
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