 He rose to fame in 2010 when his role as an undercover Communist Party member in hit spy drama "Before Dawn" became a household name.The same year, he starred in the historical drama "The Case of an Orphan named Zhao", written based on true events during the Spring and Autumn Period (770 – 476 AD) where Cheng (played by Wu) rescues an orphan from the Zhao family and saves him from assassination.Wu was nominated for an International Emmy Award for Best Actor.