Letters | Actor Daniel Wu’s English lessons offer more than meets the eye

Readers discuss the usefulness of the actor’s foray into English education, and Hong Kong employers’ focus on university rankings

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Daniel Wu attends the red carpet premiere of “Rocketman” at Cannes in 2019. Photo: Weibo

Published: 2:30pm, 30 Mar 2025

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The recent emergence of actor and filmmaker Daniel Wu as an English-language educator on social media has sparked discussion. While some may dismiss Wu’s launch of an English-language course as a publicity stunt, the initiative represents a meaningful intersection of pop culture and educational advocacy.

By leveraging his transnational identity and mass appeal, Wu’s lessons could have a positive impact in three areas: democratising language learning through celebrity influence, teaching conversational English for use in daily life and fostering cross-cultural empathy in an increasingly interconnected world.

First, Wu’s celebrity-driven lessons democratise language acquisition by lowering the psychological barriers to learning. Rather than sitting in a rigid classroom and being afraid of making mistakes, people can learn English in a relaxed environment. Wu chooses examples that are easy to relate to, such as offering a translation of lines such as “Be quick to obey my command” and “I am the master of my destiny” from the hit film Ne Zha 2.

Second, Wu’s popularity and easy manner help when it comes to the learning of conversational English, as he teaches what to say in everyday scenarios such as grocery shopping or ordering a drink in a cafe. Wu’s authentic American accent and 20 years of experience in Hollywood also lend credibility to his efforts as an English language educator.

Last but not least, Wu’s educational venture fosters cross-cultural empathy through pop culture literacy. His lessons frequently bridge Eastern and Western media landscapes, decoding cultural barriers in blockbuster films such as Fast and Furious. In an interview in 2015, he talked about how many Hollywood films are hybrid products shaped by deliberate cultural negotiation driven by market demands and geopolitical contexts.

In an era of TikTok diplomacy and the globalisation of streaming platforms, such an understanding becomes a crucial soft skill. Wu’s followers can gain not just language skills but a framework for interpreting the cultural codes that shape global entertainment and, possibly, even international relations.