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ZIYI
ZHANG
SEEING
THE MARTIAL ARTS MISTRESS IN ACTION
BY BRAD BALFOUR
Copyright ©2005 PopEntertainment.com.
All rights reserved. Posted: January 20, 2005.
Petite Chinese
actress Ziyi Zhang doesn't exactly look like a Kung Fu killer yet she has
been in two of the genre's biggest international hits, Crouching Tiger,
Hidden Dragon and Hero, and is starring in the martial arts saga
House of Flying Daggers which is likely to be as big a hit if not
more so. When
she did Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,
it became the first martial
arts film to gross over $100M and went on to win several Oscars including
Best Foreign Film. A few years later, Hero garnered critical
accolades and was nominated for "Best Foreign Film" at the 2002 Academy
Awards. The beautiful Zhang displayed high-flying kung fu techniques and an
alluring charm. Working again for the third time with Hero director Yimou
Zhang, Zhang is back again playing both a sexy blind courtesan, and assassin
in House of Flying Daggers.
What was the hardest thing about this role for you?
From the beginning, I didn't know how to play a blind person. So I trained
with a real blind girl for two months, and that was the hardest part; and
also, I needed to be blind during the action scenes.
How many hours of training did you spend in doing the action stunts?
For this movie, I used a bamboo pole. In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
I used a different kind of pole. It was heavy and very long. And
I hit myself all the time.
In one scene, you were doing a split between two bamboo trees. Was that
you or a stunt double?
It was me and they wouldn't let me down [laughs].
You studied dance as well as martial arts. Which
is harder?
I had studied traditional Chinese dance and had two years of ballet but in
this movie, both were hard.
How was it working with Yimou Zhang?
This is the third time we have worked together and for me, it's very special
because with the first film, The Road Home, I didn't know much about
filmmaking. With the first film, he didn't want me to read the script. He
wanted me to act naturally and with this film, he wanted me to create the
character myself. Each film was different.
Working again with Zhang, was it easier or harder? Did he expect more
from you?
It became harder
now because when he saw me starting out he saw how high I could go as an
actor. By now he's seen how much I have improved so at this point he's given
me this character who is much harder to play. After the first film we made
together, I made a lot of films with other directors; when I came back to
Zhang he said, "Now I want to see if you've really grown up and learn to act
to well." I think he will be satisfied.
What has been the greatest acting challenge for you-films like this
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Hero, or another genre?
It doesn't really matter to me as far as the genre whether it's an action
film or a drama. The important thing for me is that each character is
different.
Martial arts
experts can be recognized by their style-did you change your style from one
character to the other?
I don't
belong to any school or style myself. I'm unusual in this respect because I
used to study dance so when I do these martial arts action scenes, I do them
with a certain softness on the outside; but on the inside there's also a lot
of strength which I express that comes from my dance training.
After doing a Hollywood film like Rush Hour 2, was it hard to go
back to China and do low budgeted films?
Not at all because making films in China, is actually very tough. When I
came back after making some films in Hollywood, it wasn't such
a big problem. It's like when you eat something very bitter, and are used to
that, and then you eat something very sweet, you can go back to eating
something bitter and can accept that. But on the other hand, if you have
always eaten a lot of sweet things, the first time you eat something very
bitter; even if it's really not that bitter, it will seem extremely bitter
to you [laughs].
What was your favorite scene in House of Flying Daggers?
The drum scene in the beginning because [throughout] my whole life, I
probably won't get another space like
this
to perform. Although you only see about two minutes of it in the film, that
scene took a long time to make.
Everyday we had to shoot one shot at a time over and over again. Sometimes
we had to do 10 to 20 takes and it was so difficult; there were a lot of
extras in the background, so when I was able to do the take well, they would
encourage me by applauding.
In these martial arts films, your directors have your character's clothes
get torn off. Why is that?
It has to do with requirements of the characters!
Besides the physical training, is there anything you did to prepare for
the role?
Not really. This film can be set in any country or any period.
Do you have a say in the costumes or look?
He's the best in taking care of details and protecting the actor's moods and
feelings. For example, in terms of the costumes, he takes a great interest
in the details, like what kind of hat you have to wear and how high it
should be.
Your co-star Andy Lau has been a pop superstar singer and actor for
years-were you a fan prior to working with him?
I was 16 when I was studying dancing and he had a concert in Beijing. We
didn't have the money to buy a ticket and some students and I really wanted
to go see him. So we snuck in by performing a dance for the security guard.
Is it exciting to work with someone you were a fan of?
I wasn't nervous, but I remembered on the first day, I had finished my part
and stayed to watch him.
What
did you think of Kill Bill -- a definite
tribute to martial arts films?
I saw the first one. I like the scene where Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu are
fighting in the snow. They did the scene pretty well.
Was working with [Crouching Tiger director] Ang Lee very different
from working with Zhang?
Actually, when I was making Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Ang Lee
was under a lot of pressure himself. Among the cast and crew, there were
probably two people who had
the most pressure on them. One was him and the other was me. I was the
youngest member of the cast and the most inexperienced so anyone could come over and start giving me a hard time,
critiquing me. It was his first martial arts film and of course he had these
big name actors and actresses, like Chun Yun Fat and Michele Yeoh. I
remember that in making that film, the very first action scene was my first
time in my whole life to do an action scene. They had me strung up in the
air and then I had to fall down to the ground. Already five people came over
and started criticizing me, saying, "You didn't do this and that." I felt
stunned and didn't know w
hat to do.
Memoirs of a Geisha is your next film and is
set in Japan; how are you preparing for the role?
We already started filming and we have already spent two months in
rehearsals. In Japan, we had to learn about posture and such difficult
things. In China woman had their feet bound. Whether you're a Japanese or
Chinese woman, it's hard.
Were you ever afraid while doing a fight scene?
Yeah, I get scared but I don't have a choice. I
just have to hunch down and get on with it.
What has been your greatest acting challenge?
It's doesn't matter the genre; the important thing is that each character
has to be different.
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