The Banquet
Welcome to our collection of Zhang Ziyi interviews and articles. There's quite a few, so clear your schedule for a few hours. When you are finished, you will have earned a doctorate in Z-ology. (If you are in a hurry, you can learn alot about her just by reading the excerpts on this page.) Ziyi isn't just a sweetheart, she's a thoughtful, articulate sweetheart, even in translation.
Phoenix TV Interview - March 28, 2007
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What sort of ability do you crave most?
A: I think it must be...the ability to repay others.
Q: Repay others? You mean, with gratitude? Repay who, to be exact?
A: I'm not thinking of one person in particular. And there're just so many to repay and thank - my teachers who mentor me, the directors, my parents, friends who gave me so much love.
I think the society is getting too complex, everyone's impatient and wants more. Take babies for instance. Even an infant would grab things they want - they wouldn't give it up. It's in our nature. Even in prayers we're asking for this or that. Shouldn't humans learn to give more than to take? I don't know if we're asking too much.
Q: Didn't anyone recognize you [in New York]?
A: Yes, but it's OK...something funny happened while I was there: I was walking my dog in NY City one day...it crapped and I was picking its defecate up to the bin, when a stranger came over...a foreigner...and asked me if I was her. It was embarrassing but very funny. To be looking for a rubbish bin with crap in your hands when this happened...
Zhang Ziyi on CNN Talkasia - October, 2006
"I think the first time I walk on the red carpet and then the second time, was very different. The first time I went to the Oscars with Ang Lee, with the actors. I didn't know what does the red carpet mean, what does all the cameras means, and what just the Oscar, just the word, you don't know what that mean. And I was like, went to a party you know I see Julia Roberts, I see Tom Cruise and I say Oh my god, I see them in person, and you know, you didn't understand what they were talking. It was just totally very strange world!
And the second time I went because of Geisha, after Geisha, ya. And then I started to... people, you know, like some movie stars, say "oh I love your work, I love Crouching Tiger, I love Hero, I love the Geisha!" You know, they started calling my name and they tried to talk to you. And um, you know that feeling oh, now I can understand a little bit and I can have a conversation with them!
But still for me it's a totally different world, maybe just go and you know do the work, but I still think my career, my home, my friendship still in China."
Interview with Ziyi at the Venice Film Festival - Sohu.com, Sept. 2006
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...Now the European and American markets are increasingly interested in Chinese movies, the number of Chinese productions shown at the top international festivals have grown noticeably. This in a way shows our country is becoming stronger, whether for its economy or global status. Every Chinese, being in the movie industry or not, should feel proud about this. I think we have opened the door to the international market, but that's just the first step. The key lies in how we keep it open to us in the future.
I feel blessed with every film I've made so far. If the characters I portray in Jasmine Women had not given me so much room to show what I was capable of, people probably would have found little in terms of my acting skill. Take The Banquet for example, this character (Queen Wan) gave me so much space for acting. I felt as strongly as I had done while watching The Story of Qiu Ju. This film is about one woman, who is the essence and soul of the story. That's why we all gush about how fortunate an actor is to be given a role like that, because you can thoroughly enjoy the whole process with your character....
I've experienced quite a lot myself. The accumulation of experiences in life and so many things I've encountered. That’s not to rule out the importance of intuition in an actor. To tell you the truth, I didn't know how to portray my characters in the first two movies I made. Only now I have learned the right way to flesh out a character with the right means and feelings....
I certainly feel responsible for my the movies I am in, knowing that many people will see them, and I feel compelled to give all I have to them. I'd will myself to do my very best and make each movie the finest it can be. This probably sounds too hard on myself, but I just have to stick to a principle like that. For instance, many reporters asked me earlier today if I go to the United States to just to make Hollywood movies. As a matter of fact, I really don't see making Hollywood movies as that important. What is truly important is not making movies in Hollywood but making what movies. It's not important at all where to make movies. The key question is what movies you make....
When I am acting, I cry whenever it is required (by the script), but what really moves the audience is not a tear or two, but the story behind them. Nowadays, what I emphasize most is the inner feelings. I have been aspiring to do my job steadily rather than hurriedly.
Ziyi on Venice, The Banquet, and Hua Mulan - Sina.com, Sept. 2006
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In fact I always felt a bit nervous before I saw the result of any movie I'm in, because I had had no idea how the director cut it, like how many scenes had survived and if they were the best or not. You only get to know how good your work is after seeing the whole thing. Then you'll feel better....
The most memorable moment in The Banquet is when Queen Wan decides to poison Emperor Li. While lying in his arms, she is tortured by both love and hatred for this man. I like particularly the scene when she holds the emperor and hits him in an emotional outburst. That moment reveals the sense of helplessness she feels about the reality and her surroundings, compounded by the maddening mixture of love and hate. The scene where Emperor Li is overcome by poison and collapses into Queen Wan's arms is another of my favorite moments. And there is the long monologue delivered by Queen Wan
at the end of the story,
because it's rare in feature movies and quite difficult to
bring out well in terms
of dramatic effect. It was a real test for my acting skills.
Zhang Ziyi Discusses "The Banquet" - China Movie Report, September 5, 2006
Actually, the character [Empress Wan] uses her external appearance and image to suppress any sort of rebellion from the rest of the household, and her reaction to anything is to suppress it, and she even tames the Emperor, so her whole facial appearance is very small, very red. Every time the makeup was completed, I didn't even recognize myself, but that's good, because I believe that sacrificing myself for the film is something I should do, because it helps you get inside your character's condition. Although I might not like myself much, being so scary, still, someone who could be that stoic and fearless, but so complex inside, I think the character was correct.
Interview magazine: Ziyi - July 2006
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Ziyi: she's spirited, she's in demand, she's starring in big American movies, and oh, yeah, she's from China— talking to the woman who may just be the first Chinese actress to become a household name in America...
So for you what matters is the content?
ZZ: Yes. Otherwise I could have done a lot of Hollywood movies. After Crouching Tiger I got a lot of offers, but I turned them down because they were all victim roles--poor girls sold to America to be a wife or whatever. I know I have the ability to go deeper, to take on more original roles than that. That's why I really appreciated Geisha, because it allowed us to show the
world what kind of actors we are and what kind of characters we can play,
not just action, kick-ass parts.
In private with... Zhang Ziyi - Le Figaro, May 2006
What do you think is perfect happiness? To be loved and to love.
The last time you laughed out loud? Last autumn, I took my puppy Teddy shopping. I found him a magnificent warm coat and the salesman put some thick socks on him. As soon as they were on his paws he shrank back and then lifted up each paw, one at a time. I burst out laughing and couldn’t stop. Teddy looked at me with the air of defeat. I nearly died laughing!
Your heroes? Ordinary people who do extraordinary things.
A sentence which disturbs you? When people say to me: ‘We’ll be ready when you are’. That frightens me.
This 'Crouching Tiger' Tames Her Audience - Washington Post, April 2006
This lucky fellow finds himself alone with her -- but for a translator and a photographer; and next to her on a couch where she proves surprisingly warm and funny, yet at the same time a committed saleswoman for her client, the Chinese film industry.
She's wearing -- if you must know -- a black taffeta knee skirt, full and billowy, almost like a crinoline petticoat; a kind of tan tunic over a tank top; some discreet diamonds around the neck and on a big-faced wristwatch. Her hair is a thick cascade almost down to the waist, raven black. Her skin is unbearably flawless, her legs lithe and muscular. Are we missing anything? Sigh. Yeah, she also smells really good.
She looks -- well, a humble newsroom hack could try for years and never get her right, so let's turn to poets, who know a thing or two about adjective-slinging.
Ezra Pound, before he went mad as a March hare, played with the Japanese form of haiku and came up with: "Petals on a wet, black bough."...
"Really proud of being a Chinese" - Global Times, April 2006
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Zhang Ziyi was in Washington recently for her first visit to Washington D.C. with the Chinese movie delegation to attend the "2006 Chinese Film Festival" in the US. Zhang expected to pay a visit to the White House as an ordinary visitor, but was overjoyed to receive an invitation letter asking her together with other members of the delegation to participate in the US President George W. Bush's welcome ceremony for the visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao in the south lawn of the White House... Many Chinese reporters have asked their American friends the same question: "Do you know any Chinese mainland actresses?" The answer is the same: "Zhang Ziyi". Zhang does attract the Westerners' attention. Some people even call her "Hollywood's Yao Ming."
Zhang Ziyi: A Chinese Look - Face to Face (CCTV) April, 2006
[An excellent long interview done shortly after the release of Jasmine Women.]
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Jiang Wen and Joan Chen are also in it. Working with actors like them, did you feel pressure from them or the other way around?
Ziyi: I didn't want to give anybody pressure, neither did I feel any pressure from them. Initially I was a little nervous because I didn't know Joan Chen. Later, we got to know each other better. She plays my character's mother. We filmed many scenes together. After a while, I realized good actors can really compliment one another, like you give her something more and she will give you something more in return.
Compared to them, you apparently have less experience in acting than they do, but you seem about to surpass them any time now as far as fame is concerned.
Ziyi: This so-called renown or fame means little to me. Be it praise or snub, it's nothing compared to what kind of actor you really are and you attitude toward your life and your career. I think the fact that I was able to come this far, step by step, and appeared in some quality movies probably has something to do with my mindset. I'm not in a hurry to make so many movies a year or earn so much money. It's not my life. What I want in my life is to be really creative in a movie and give it soul.
... I wanted to be a good actor and make significant movies of high artistic value. That is what has motivated me to advance one step at a time. Maybe a lot of people still can't let go of the idea that I' have been had so much luck and landed so many good roles which should have been their's. I believe everything happens for a reason and I have not come this far just by luck.
Eastern Horizon Interview - April 2006
[Another interesting interview covering her entire career.]
Host: After these films, did you feel you can act, know how to act and are a good actor?
ZZ: That's correct. I realized I would use what I have learned in my next creative project. So, I don't think I will wish to prepare mentally for the right mood before filming a scene in the future, like I've somehow reached a certain level of enlightenment. I no longer see the need to memorize every word in the script and then rehearse every move and how to deliver my lines. I just don't like to work like this any more. I like unblemished naturalness, which sometimes gives you the urge to cry, or smile.
Interview with Beijing Youth Weekly - February, 2006
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Just back in Beijing from a trip to Xi'an with a few American friends to see the terracotta warriors, following a vacation with her parents in Hawaii, Zhang Ziyi looked sprite and in good spirit. This reporter met her in the Palace Hotel (in downtown Beijing), with her mother by her side...
Q: I never thought you'd be so pessimistic about love?
Z: I'm now in a phase where I can't expect too much emotionally. Maybe some day I'll meet someone and I suddenly feel I can just stop making movies for good. Just maybe. Some women probably need men for their material provisions. Not me. I am quite a feminist. For me as an individual, I never want to rely on anyone. What I need more than anything else is heart-felt understanding. I'm looking for a learned man who can win my reverence and
respect under any circumstances.
Women We Love: Ziyi - Esquire, January 2006
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She is suffering from a mysterious respiratory ailment that she developed on the set of the Chinese film "The Banquet". We feel for her. But for the doctors on duty, the shift just got a lot more interesting. The five-foot-five, 26-year-old Zhang is among the most delicately beautiful women in the world, and a superstar in her country...
Esquire: The Chinese people and press didn't really embrace you earlier in your career. Is that changing?
Ziyi: Yeah, I think it's much better now, because people understand I don't just rely on my looks. Because when I get very famous very fast, at that time I was only like nineteen, and they just thought, She's nothing, she's just luck. Now I really don't care, because I know that I just do my movies, and if I do great job,
you will see it. It's not easy to act.
Ziyi Zhang: Face of the Future - Town and Country, January 2006
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Zhang is thoughtful and serious not just about her career but about her craft. "After I became an actress, I started watching lots of movies. The really great performers don't use only their voices. They act with their faces, their eyes," she says. "Some times, when they're shot from behind, even the position of their shoulders will tell you something you didn't know." ...Beyond the physical challenges of Zhang's roles, complicated costumes have figured prominently in many of her movies. So it follows that in real life she prefers to dress casually; when we meet, she's in white jeans and a crisp T-shirt, a pair of dark sunglasses poised atop her pulled-back hair. "When I go to movie premieres or film festivals, I have to dress up," she says. "And it can be fun every once in a while, like a fairy tale with hair and makeup, the gown and diamonds and rubies." She pauses and laughs heartily. "But then you realize the bodyguards near the red carpet are
there to protect the jewelry, not you."
Z for Ziyi - The Star Online, January 4, 2006
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On playing Sayuri, Zhang explained that it portrayed her inner world. “In my past work, my characters are usually strong women. But here, I had to suppress my emotions. For instance, when the baron undresses me, it is a moving scene. I wondered how I could portray this so that viewers will understand and sympathise with Sayuri.
"Maybe I could depict a young girl’s sorrow, her pain and tears. But then I thought that if I held back these emotions, viewers would perhaps feel more for Sayuri. In the end, that was what I did.
“When I was doing the scene, I found myself trembling and I noticed that many of the female crew members were crying. I knew that I had played the scene right. I think that if you can feel it and believe in yourself, audiences
would be able to feel the same, too.”
Daily Telegraph Interview - January 3, 2006
Zhang is forthright about this issue: "There's nothing in Chinese culture that is an equivalent of the geisha," she admits. "It's so different, so special to Japan."
"After I read this book, five years ago, I went to Kyoto," she says. "I was really interested in geishas' work, and wanted to meet real geishas. While I was there, I talked to some, and asked them why they wanted to become geishas. They told me they were proud to continue a traditional part of Japanese culture. Even their families were proud of them. But not as many women want to become geishas now. There are too many restrictions."
In retrospect, Memoirs of a Geisha may come to be seen as a detour in her career. She does not foresee portraying a geisha again in the near future: "For myself I don't like the geisha look," she admits. "It's like a mask. People say they're like actresses, but they don't have their own life. Every day they're pretending they're somebody else."
"But I enjoy being an actress a lot, because I can feel different women's lives. I have the chance to feel like a geisha one day, and on another day maybe a scientist. That's the interesting part for me. My profession has helped me to grow up."
Amazing Grace - The Times of London, December 2005
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With her success in Asia and Hollywood, Zhang embodies a crossover appeal that could be lucrative. She refutes any claims to this herself. "I don’t want the pressure of representing East meets West. I don’t want to represent the young generation of China. It’s too much. I’m proud to be Chinese in many ways, but I want people to talk about my work." Despite such statements, it will be hard for her to avoid being touted as one of the faces of a new China. And with her name regularly cropping up in "sexiest" lists (from Teen People and FHM to Harpers & Queen) it’s clear people aren’t just talking about her acting abilities. Zhang laughs off any suggestion of her own sexiness. "Angelina Jolie, she’s sexy, no question. I’m not sexy. I think Asian women are still quite conservative and of course we don’t have those great bodies to show off." Anyone who has seen her act, or seen her pictures, is bound to disagree.
Memoirs of a Geisha press conference - November 23, 2005
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Zhang then laughs when asked if the Chinese media thinks she has sold out making American films. "If they like me, they're happy for me, but If they don't then they don't." Zhang has played many a tortured character throughout her career and finally yearns for a change. " I would love to try a princess. I really love 'Roman Holiday' and Audrey Hepburn, because she's so sweet and elegant. I love that movie because I had thought if I could make the same story, I would love to change the ending. The end would be somehow they get together, she could do something different and run away with the guy." Ah so Zhang is a romantic at heart, it seems. "Oh yes, I am very romantic."
Ziyi Zhang interviewed by Natalie Portman - Interview Magazine, October 2005
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Natalie Portman: I understand you're learning English... Do you have a favorite word?
Zhang Ziyi: The swear words! [both laugh] Today in class I said something like, "What the hell?!" and the teacher said, "Oh, you're really getting into it!"...
NP: So what did you do to prepare [for Memoirs of a Geisha]?
ZZ: We has very intense training for two months and we rehearsed every scene before we started shooting. I have a solo dance performance in the movie, so I had to learn a special dance called the "Winter Dance." It's like a little theater within the theater. It's quite dramatic. I had to dance in like 12-inch platform shoes. The first time I saw the shoes I thought maybe they were
a prop. And then they told me, "You have to dance in them." I said, "No way!"
[Portman laughs] But I got used to it.
Zhang Ziyi: "All I wanted was a hug" - Xinhua, September 2005
"My success was not by chance, instead, it's paved by hard work, pains and tears," said Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi said here Wednesday. During a media interview after she won the title of the "best actress" of the Huabiao Award, China's government film award, Sunday night, Zhang said "I want to tell you I didn't rely on luck."
Hailed by Time magazine as "China's gift to Hollywood" and included in People magazine's list of "50 Most Beautiful People", Zhang has been regarded as a child of fortune during her seven-year career. Since her first film, "The Road Home", she has cooperated with many prominent directors, including Zhang Yimou, Ang Lee, Wong Kar-wai and Spielberg. Zhang has not only become one of the most famous actresses in China, but has also risen to international stardom. "But you didn't see that I overcame many failures on my way to success,"
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In the Mood for Zhang Ziyi - New York Daily News, July 31, 2005
"I never think about what could happen in the future, as long as I have one good script. I want every character I play to give me the opportunity to contemplate. I like drama, deep, hard - " she smacks her open palm with her fist - "difficulty."
"Our profession is very lonely. Because you can't have the common human life. You can't be with your love, your friends. I always go around this city for a few days, that city for a few hours. Sometimes, suddenly, I just feel that it's really sad. So I think right now I just can't have any life. Well, a young girl's life.
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A Star Rises - The New York Times, February 20, 2005
Director Rob Marshall conducted his own global search for the lead of Memoirs of a Geisha, eventually choosing Ziyi Zhang. ''...Ziyi has that unusual combination of strength and grace. She has a great spirit, but outwardly she can seem fragile. And,'' Marshall said, laughing, ''her English had improved.''
Ziyi: ''On a typical day, we shoot from 9 to 6 and then have training for everything we need to do in the movie. I usually start at 6 a.m. and, with all the classes, work to midnight. The language scenes are the hardest for me. You can practice the rest."
15 Things to Know About Zhang Ziyi - Chicago Tribune, December 29, 2004
What's Zhang Ziyi got that almost no other actress has: "It's a rare combination of being sweet, slight and ferocious. And she's also very explosive. She could be very quick and expressive with her feelings, especially her eyes. She has those eyes that always have something to say."
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Zhang Ziyi Redefines Action - NOW Toronto, December 16, 2004
In the future, we will worship Zhang Ziyi. As Western industries brace for the onslaught of Chinese capital, so Western pop culture must bow to the face of Chinese stardom....
The fact is, Zhang Ziyi has no American peer. She's brilliant at the wire-fu gymnastics of her big international hits but equally at home in lush, arty dramas like Wong Kar Wai's upcoming 2046. Right now she's shooting the adaptation of Arthur Golden's Memoirs Of A Geisha. It's director Rob Marshall's follow-up to Chicago, and a project Steven Spielberg nurtured for years. Zhang admits she finds it "very difficult" playing the lead role in English, with a Japanese accent....Such is the price of ruling the planet. But Zhang Ziyi appears to put diligence ahead of star perks.
Zhang's action career flying high in U.S. - Boston Herald. December 12, 2004
Zhang prides herself on doing her own stunts. ``I know from `Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' the audience loves to watch you do your own action. Also, I think that I have the ability to do that. So I tell the action director, `Just give me more. I want to do more.' I know that I'm better than before, so I can handle more.'...
"Actually we don't have a lot of choice in China of good subjects, good scripts. I'm very envious of the actors and actresses in Hollywood because every day they can get a new script. There are so many great producers and directors. In Asia, I don't think that we have this much chance. That's one reason why I think that `Memoirs of a Geisha' is such a great chance for all of the Asian actors and actresses.'''
Zhang Ziyi - Already an Icon - The Times of London, December 12, 2004
“My life is my life. Things I feel like sharing, I will share, but the rest I can keep personal. If they ask personal questions and I keep a cold front, and don’t tell them anything, the next day they will say, ‘She is so arrogant’, or ‘bitchy’, or whatever. Then maybe I think, next time I will try to be nice. So, the next time I am friendly, and they say, ‘She had this silly smile.’ You just can’t win. Either way, they are going to make up their stories. Another thing is that, in Hong Kong, they are very snobbish. Hong Kong people often have this derogatory view of mainlanders: ‘How can you be an international movie star? You are only from China.’ For them, China is like the countryside.”
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Taking a Stab at Stardom - The Orange County Register, December 2004
Sitting in a booth in a fashionable Beverly Hills restaurant, giddy from a combination of excitement and lack of sleep, Zhang Ziyi can barely contain her enthusiasm. "I'm so tired. I haven't had a day off in weeks. But I'm having so much fun...I love the freedom I have in America," she says with the gush of a new arrival. "I love the freedom to walk around and not be recognized. I never dreamed of working in Hollywood movies because Hollywood seemed so far away," she added. "But now that I'm here, I like it, and I want to stay."
IGN Filmforce Interview - December 2004
"I never even dreamed that one day I'd end up here in America making a film, let alone making a film in English," she says. "That's something that was completely out of my dreams and it's the kind of thing you can't plan for. You can't hope something like this is going to happen, but one day when it does happen you just have to kind of do your best to control your role and sculpt them into the strongest voice that they can be. It's something that I really never anticipated, but now that I'm here I'm just really doing my best," she says. "What's most important is finding good strong roles that I can really devote myself to and pour all of my creative energy into."
"The main point for me is to make good quality films that resonate with audiences and touch people and kind of win them over. That's really all about the films and not about whether you're in Hollywood or not."
Zhang Ziyi - Punching Above Her Weight - The Times of London, October 2004
In Hero, and even more so House of Flying Daggers in which she takes the burden of the movie upon her shoulders as the blind warrior Mei, her abilities sing from the screen. Each film reveals ever more miraculous feats, food for both eye and heart, and the full extent of her talents. |
Flying High - The Guardian, September 2004
Few understand the hazards of flying through the air while waving a sword better than the 25-year-old actress Zhang Ziyi. She first tried it in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon when she emerged unscathed, but in Hero, the latest wire-suspended martial arts extravaganza, she wasn't so fortunate. In an elaborate fight scene between Ziyi and her co-star Maggie Cheung, she discovered how perilous these balletic fight scenes can be.
A Striking Look - West East Magazine, January 2004
In the public eye, Zhang is gradually gaining superstar status, but behind the scenes, she has indeed paid the price for it. During the process of acting in a series of action movies, she often goes into a series of fight training sessions, one after another, with injuries she gets from working on previous films. The most serious, a shoulder injury that until now still has to be treated regularly, but Zhang Ziyi has never complained.
Beijing Youth Weekly - January 2004
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"Can you feel its beauty when flying over the bamboo forest?"
"I guess I can only appreciate its beauty in movies. During filming, especially when all we are filming are fight scenes in the bamboo forest, I have to be hung in mid air all day, no food, no water, how can I appreciate anything even if it's of excessive beauty? My body doesn't have any spare stamina for it." On the day of interview, all Ziyi had was a pear.
Ziyi mockingly said she was in a relationship with wire. Not only in her recent few movies she's been hung from wires, even recent commercials give their goes at wires. In SMMF Ziyi's been hung up-side down several days in a roll. I couldn't help but ask Ziyi what did it feel like.
Zhang Ziyi - The Straits Times, December 2002
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But ask her about talk that she did not get along with co-star Maggie Cheung on the set of the soon-to-be-released Hero and her reply (this time in Mandarin) turns sharp.
'You actually believe the Hong Kong bagua (tabloids)?' she asks dismissively.
Then, switching back to public relations mode, the chisel-featured porcelain beauty says in English: 'Maggie is nice and kind. I learn when I see her work.'
Zhang Ziyi Talks About Hero, 2046, and Purple Butterfly - Beijing Times, Nov 2002
You have said you didn't get too many scenes in Hero and hoped for less media coverage for yourself. Is there anything unforgettable to you personally?
It's indeed I only played a supporting role. Since the day the shooting began, I always tried to participate in this movie as a student or an audience. There are many unforgettable moments.
Zhang Ziyi: A to Z - China Showbiz (CCTV-4), June 2002
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H (Hobby): "Read good books. As many as I can. Imagination is very important for actors. When I was in college, the teachers never taught us how to portray every type of character there is. Instead, they showed us the way (method) to understand a role and become the character. You can imagine yourself as a particular person in the story you are reading. And watch movies, be it on DVD or in theaters, as many as possible."
P (Parents): "I'm a tough girl and my parents know this very well. But they always worry about me. I know their hearts hurt more when I'm sad. I often had to ask them to take it easy when they read rumors about and false accusations against me and talked about suing the publications. I had to tell them all this is expected in this business and we just have to adapt ourselves to it. In a way it's survival of the fittest."
Hero Worship - Sunday Times, May 19 2002
“I will do my own stunts whenever possible,” she says, her posture perfect as a ballerina’s, thanks to her dance training since young. Proudly, she picks up a fork and twirls it to show off how she was spun 4 times in Hero, with wires wound around her waist, a stunt that “even the stunt double confided that she would have thought twice doing.”
“I don’t want to disappoint the audience. They spend money to buy tickets to watch you, not the stunt double,” she says, although she admits to having fears of injuries or disfigurement to that pretty face.
Giggling coquettishly, she adds: “I happen to be heavily insured. I also have no concept of danger, which is good.”
Zhang Ziyi Reveals Her Thoughts About Hero - Sina.com, January 2002
Reporter: Did Z. Yimou offer you any sound advice pertaining to your acting career?
Zhang Ziyi: We had plenty of discussions this time. He suggested that not only should I give my best in Hollywood martial arts movies, but should also do some Chinese art movies in Mainland and South East Asia. Being equally dexterous with both brush and sword helps taking control over the world. He told me to be an outstanding actress, be an outstanding China movie star. He says that there are far too few movie stars in Mainland in the recent years. So, right now I am reconsidering doing Lou Ye's Purple Butterfly.
Black Belt Magazine Interview - September 2001
After each day, I went back to school aching from head to toe. If there is a way to make someone a decent martial artist in a short period of time, Yuen Woo Ping has the formula. But training with his people was only part of the initial training that I went through. Ang Lee also had a hand in my training, developing me as an actress right from the outset. Every day, he'd have me sing, laugh, cry, run the whole gamut of emotions just to be able to perform with power and presence on his command.
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Zhang Ziyi Takes the Western World - Paper Magazine, August 2001
When The Road Home was released, Chinese audiences began calling Ziyi "Little Gong Li," and rumors spread of an affair between her and the director Zhang Yimou.
"I would love to have an affair with him," she banters, much to the chagrin of her translators. "But nothing happened. Being compared to Gong Li was a big compliment, nothing to be unhappy about. I admire her. I can't really be compared to Gong Li -- maybe in a few years, but not now. She's a huge international superstar. Plus," Ziyi leans forward, as if divulging a secret, "she's gorgeous."
Inside Kung Fu Interview - August 2001
KF: On some web sites, it says that you had a very difficult childhood, and you ran away from home.
ZZ: (Laughs) You have to be so careful about what you read on web sites. There are no controls for web sites and people can make things up. This information is completely wrong. I had a very good childhood and terrific parents. The truth is that when I was 11 I did run away from the dance school. I don’t know what I was thinking — I was only 11. But later on, as I matured, I accepted the fact that I was there out of choice, I made the decision to go of my own free will, and I had to accept the strictness of the training that was a part of that lifestyle.
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Smiling is another memory from Zhang Ziyi's teenage years: "While studying dance, it was nerve-wrecking getting on stage in the beginning, but then I learnt how to smile, The teacher would tell you, a dancer needs to smile wholeheartedly on stage, therefore, everyone put on a beautiful smile, trying their best, our face were so numb that we were still smiling even after we withdrew to the backstage." she makes a funny face upon finishing that story.
Experience Makes Me Mature - Sina.com, July 2001
After one year of study in Central Drama Academy, I still didn't know much about acting, I was so confused. I was terrified to act in front of the audiences, especially alone. I was afraid of the stage. So, I told my mum I wanted to leave the school, but had no courage to raise the issue in front of Miss Chang. My mum persuaded me to hang on for a few days longer since she thought I might needed some more time to getting use with my new school. During that time I often envisioned about being sick, then I wouldn't have to go up to the stage again. I cried whenever I saw the front gate of Central Drama Academy, I didn't want to step inside it.
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Zhang Ziyi Is China's Best Export - The Straits Times, July 2001
'The Hongkong papers have always criticized me for no rhyme or reason. I mean, if there is nothing good to write about me or any personality, then don't write. Don't fabricate news that hurts just to sell papers.'
'It's a 'once bitten, twice shy' mentality. If you have been made use of once, would you be duped again? Nowadays, I just deliver the facts straight up and no more. And even then, there's no guarantee that the press won't twist the facts or mis-report!' she insists with a girlish mirth.
The Fire in Zhang Ziyi - New Straits Times, July 2001
FRESH-faced beauty Zhang Ziyi is one of China's best-kept secrets. Her naive but steely presence creates an unusual blend of character just like her role as Jen in the movie, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But it is her youthful good looks and feisty demeanor that fires the imagination of the masses.
Interview with Ziyi's Brother, Zhang Zinan - Sina.com, June 2001
The Dance Academy required students to board at the school, and only allowed students to go home during weekends. Therefore I was always very anxious and looking forward to the weekend's arrival after not seeing my beloved little sister for one whole week, as soon as the weekend afternoon came, I was elated to go pick her up, sometimes humming melodies with excitement. We talked and laughed during those two-hour on the way back, I accompanied little sister in this way for 7 to 8 years, therefore as brother and sister, we are especially close to each other.
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Stepping Into Zhang Ziyi's Home - Bejing TV Weekly, May 2001
ZZ' home is located at an ordinary residential building. It is not very big, simple decoration. Scattered around the room are large photos of ZZ and various trophies. At the corner of the dining room a display board full of pictures from "The Road Home." By the wall of the master bedroom, there is a "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" movie photo display autographed by Ang Lee. The window facing the balcony has been modified into shelves, holding snapshots of ZZ taken abroad.
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Best of all is one-upping her pop: "When I was a kid, he would bring me to his office and everyone would say, 'Oh, you must be Chief Zhang's daughter.' " Now, she adds with a laugh, "everyone says to him, 'Oh this is Zhang Ziyi's father!' "
Zhang Ziyi Makes Magic - Time Asia, December 2000
Zhang freely admits she craves affirmation under flat-out pressure. "When we were filming Crouching Tiger, Ang Lee gave a lot of encouragement and support to Michelle Yeoh because she couldn't speak Chinese. Ang constantly praised and reassured her. Every time she did a scene really well he would jump up and give her a hug. I found myself hoping that someday I'd do something that would cause Ang Lee to hug me too. That there would come a time when he didn't even need to speak, but when I would just know he was truly satisfied with my work." That day finally arrived when her character has to watch Li Mubai (Chow Yun-fat) kill her nursemaid, in a clash between the two people she loves most. "Ang didn't say a word when we finished that scene, but he walked over and hugged me. And I got so emotional. I was already feeling pretty worked up, but when he hugged me, all of those feelings came pouring out and I cried."
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'I Want to Prove to Everyone That I Have Talent' - Time Asia Interview, December 2000
TIME: Could you walk away from acting? Are you so impulsive and so rebellious that you could just walk away from all of this?
Zhang Ziyi: Absolutely not, because in acting I've found a domain that suits me perfectly. And that is so utterly rare. Most people spend their whole lives looking for the right job. There are others who never get an opportunity to do work that fulfils them. I've suddenly discovered a domain that actually gives me a tremendous amount of space. The satisfaction of being an actress has nothing to do with becoming a star. What I love is this feeling that my emotions are in complete harmony with my work. There's no way I'll change my profession
'She Has a Quality That Sets Her Apart From Others' - Time Asia Interview with Zhang Yimou, December 2000
TIME: Can you tell us something that a reader would find surprising about Zhang Ziyi, something people would not know or would not have read about her?
Zhang Yimou : There were a lot of scenes in "The Road Home" that required Zhang Ziyi to run in the forest, and we had to shoot them in slow motion. But for every running scene we shot -- and we were filming at a relatively high altitude -- she fell down during half of the takes. We must have done 300 or 400 takes and she fell down during half of them. Often we'd be shooting and all of sudden she'd fall out of the range of the camera. It was exhausting and it must have been quite painful for her. And she didn't get sick. But when you watch the scenes they're just beautiful. I personally found her stamina astonishing. Later, she filmed Crouching Tiger but she barely told me what she had to do physically. But when I saw the film, again I was just amazed. I asked Ang Lee how many of the stunts she'd performed herself and he told me that she did the majority of them. She rarely used a stunt double.
Reminiscence of the First Interview with Zhang Ziyi - Nanfang City Daily, July 2000
Could you do a comparison of your acting ability in The Road Home and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon?
Zhang Ziyi: I did my best to depict my roles in the two shows. The characteristics of the two films are entirely different. The Road Home is a reflection of real world. There was no need to recite the lines; I memorized them within a week. On the other hand, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon forges a character that you don't see in everyday life. I had to understand the personalities of the various characters in the book and the people next to me and it required vast imagination and skills to portray such a character.
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"I Felt Like A Mouse and Ang Lee was a Lion" - Time Asia Interview, June 2000
TIME: You must have been pretty scared when you got picked to work alongside star actors Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh and the director Ang Lee?
Zhang Ziyi : I was very scared. The director chose me although he didn't really know me. At least with Yun-fat or Yeoh, he knew what the outcome would be. I felt pressure, a pressure not to disappoint the director. I felt like I was a mouse and Ang Lee was a lion. It was daunting.
All Aboard for the Zhang High Express - Time Asia, June 2000
The young actors at China Central Drama College gather at a lunch table to chat about their vacation activities. And what did you do, a third-year student is asked. That's when slim, demure Zhang Ziyi gets to say: I played the main character in an Ang Lee epic. Chow Yun-fat and Michelle Yeoh fought over me and with me. I made movie love in the Gobi Desert with Chang Chen. And then we all went to the Cannes Film Festival.