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ASIAN AMERICAN ISSUES
Zhang Ziyi: Major Talent or Lucky Starlet?
or some she was the most memorable part of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. They were mesmerized by the dark energy she brings to her portrayal of a freespirited young adventuress. For others she was one more annoying thing about a glacial, poorly edited sword-fight flick. They were left cold by the hard, souless gleam of her obsidian eyes and her puckish face.
Regardless of your opinion of Zhang Ziyi, one fact is indisputable: since the release of CTHD in late 2000, the media has lionized the gamin-faced actress. Virtually every glossy and tabloid has hailed her as the hot new Asian female actor and/or great new beauty. In the heat of CTHD's surprise success Zhang was signed to several projects, including Rush Hour 2, The Legend of Zu, 2046 (a science fiction flick), Hero (a Jet Li kung-fu flick) and Musa (a Corean film set during the wars between the Yuan and Ming Dynasties).
Luck is essential to every success, but Zhang Ziyi appears to have enjoyed more than her share during her brief acting career.
She was born February 9, 1979 in Beijing to an economist father and a kindergarten teacher mother. At the age of 11 she enrolled in a dance school. Four years later she decided to switch to acting despite some promise as a dancer. She went for a shampoo commercial audition and was picked out by the legendary director Zhang Yimou to play a schoolgirl who falls in love with her teacher.
When The Road Home was released in China in 1999, the young actress was promptly dubbed "Little Gong Li" on the popular suspicion that she had followed the great actress into Zhang Yimou's bed. (Zhang Yimou had discovered Gong Li in 1987 and lost her in 1994 when she left him to marry Singaporean businessman Ooi Hoe Siong.)
The Road Home received no attention in the U.S. but won the 2000 Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. It also caught the eye of Ang Lee who was casting Crouching Tiger. No one suspected that the low-budget film he was planning to shoot in China would go on to become the next year's most profitable film, ultimately grossing $150 million worldwide. It turned Zhang Ziyi into an international superstar in one fell, elaborately-wired swoop.
Is Zhang Ziyi really a great beauty and first-rate actor? Or is she a second-rater whose fame is as un-credible as her CTHD fight sequences?
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WHAT YOU SAY
[This page is closed to new input. --Ed.]
(Updated
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2008, 05:50:00 PM)
Hey verb, it's really none of my business that you can't count, but Ziyi has 5 films under her belt. You kinda conveniently forgot to mention Tsui Hark's The Legend of Zu and Musa, the biggest budget korean film of all time, both of which have been around for months now. As for comparing her to Gong Li, OTHERS have done that, which is something completely out of her control. I agree with you however, that the comparison is unfair. Ziyi is still very young with a bright future ahead of her. Do me a favor though and stick your yum-yum comment where the sun does not shine.
Virgule
Sunday, February 03, 2002 at 18:06:56 (PST)
Why is there such a hype with ZZ? She is only one of the mainstream Asian actresses that happened to be cast in an International Asian film. Whether there will be another international film for her, I am not sure. There are more talented Asian actresses out there
FOP
Thursday, January 31, 2002 at 12:38:20 (PST)
For all those people putting down Gong Li and praising Zhang Ziyi, your all crazy. FIrst off ZZ has only done three movies to date. One was a small budget art film. The other was a Kung Fu sleeper hit that no one saw coming and the other was a big budget Hollywood slap stick bucket-o-shit. While I enjoyed her in CTHD and The Road Home, she still needs to make at least 5 more good movies before you can even begin to comapre her to Gong Li, who has a number of great movies and amazing performances under her belt. And quite frankly, with her Rush Hour 2 choice and her being one of the new Revlon Eye make up chics, she is setting herself up to be to be just another Hollywood Asian yum yum.
Verb
Thursday, January 31, 2002 at 10:31:25 (PST)
I went to see CTHD with high hopes and I really love this movie but I have to say to Zhang Ziyi fans that I am disappointed with her. In all her scenes she appeared to be staring fixedly into the distance and merely reciting her lines. Then I thought that she was excellent in the action scenes but was told that it was actually done by the stunts people. Like the scene I really loved where she was on horseback in the desert. That was done by a local Chinese woman who was very skilled at riding horses. Still I hope Chang Ziyi will do better in her next movie Hero as I am looking forward to watching it.
Yin Yin
Sunday, January 27, 2002 at 19:53:28 (PST)
Zhang is very cool. Yojii hanashimasu ka. Hajimemashite! Sayonara!
Gogoishi
Sunday, January 27, 2002 at 14:05:49 (PST)
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