Actor Nicky Wu celebrated his 56th birthday on Oct. 31 with a team-produced artificial intelligence retrospective video that traced his path from a working-class youth to a pop idol and television star.
AI retrospective traces decades in the entertainment industry
Wu initially joked that he expected a cartoon rather than a look back at older material when his production team queued up the surprise clip. As the screen lit up, however, classic tracks from his Little Tigers boy band era—including Green Apple Paradise
and Red Dragonfly
—began to play alongside animated sequences mapping out major milestones in his life.
The short film, themed around the concept of a lifelong epitome, began with Wu working odd jobs at age 13. Those early struggles included assembling parts at an electronics plant, packing ice cream, washing cars in an underground garage, running a night market stall, and carrying bricks on construction sites. The video then documented his discovery by a judo coach, his rise to fame as Thunder Tiger
in the Little Tigers, his subsequent solo career, and his transition into acting, highlighted by his role as the Fourth Prince in the historical drama series Scarlet Heart.
Emotional reaction and family silence fuel public interest
As the biographical images unfolded, Wu’s initial smile gave way to a serious expression, and his eyes eventually grew red and filled with tears. Having shouldered heavy family financial burdens and his father’s debts from a young age—once noting that he slept only four hours a night during his peak working years—the actor’s visible emotion resonated with viewers online who recalled his demanding career.
The exclusion of Liu Shishi from the birthday footage quickly drew notice on social media. Wu and Liu met while co-starring in Scarlet Heart, married in 2015 after a 17-year age-gap romance, and share one son. The couple has faced intermittent speculation regarding their marital status amid periods of limited public interaction. Liu celebrated her 39th birthday on March 10 without a public social media acknowledgment from Wu, and Wu’s latest birthday passed without a visible greeting from Liu.
Low profile maintained amid ongoing speculation
Despite persistent rumors, the couple has consistently maintained a low profile and previously issued statements to deny claims of marital discord. In May 2026, Liu was photographed returning to their shared residence in Shanghai after completing work engagements.
