Actor Daniel Wu reunites with on-screen son from American Born Chinese in Taipei

Chinese-American actor Daniel Wu (right) posts a photo with Taiwanese actor Jimmy Liu on Instagram on July 14, 2023. PHOTO: THATDANIELWU/INSTAGRAM

TAIPEI – Chinese-American actor Daniel Wu, who stars in the action-comedy series American Born Chinese (2023), has reunited with his on-screen son, Taiwanese actor Jimmy Liu.

Wu, 48, plays Sun Wukong, the mythical Monkey King from Chinese classic novel Journey To The West, in the Disney+ series, while Liu, 21, plays foreign exchange student Sun Wei-chen, who turns out to be Sun Wukong’s son.

“Father Son reunion in Taipei,” Wu wrote, sharing a photo taken with Liu at a Taipei night market on Instagram on Friday. “Haven’t seen @jimmm___0504 since the @ambornchinese showing at the White House. Hopefully I will be seeing more of him after we get through this strike,” he added, referring to the strike by writers and actors in Hollywood.

Liu, who rose to fame after playing Taiwanese actress Ruby Lin’s son in the Netflix series Light The Night (2021 to 2022), commented on Wu’s post: “Love u dad.” He also shared a photo with Wu on Instagram Stories on Thursday night, with the caption: “Father son reunion in Taipei. See you soon.”

Sharp-eyed netizens also noticed a woman doing a photobomb in Wu’s photo. She was later identified as Taiwanese TV host Janet Hsieh.

Wu and Liu have several scenes together in the Disney+ series, which is based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name by American cartoonist Gene Luen Yang.

It revolves around an immigrant couple, played by Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann and Singapore actor Chin Han, whose high school student son Jin, played by American actor Ben Wang, becomes involved in a battle between Chinese gods.

Yeo has just been nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Comedy Series for the role at the Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards. 

The international cast of American Born Chinese also includes Michelle Yeoh and Ronny Chieng from Malaysia. Yeoh plays goddess of mercy Guanyin, while Chieng portrays drunken monk Ji Gong.

The cast was invited to the White House on May 8. United States President Joe Biden welcomed about 200 guests to his official residence and workplace in celebration of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and hosted an advance screening of the series.

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