Tang Wei Stars Opposite Hyun Bin in Seattle Romance

Swift Comeback: Tang Wei roars back from her enforced hiatus with 3 starring roles.

Ang Lee protege Tang Wei is in full swing this year after a three-year absence from the movies.

The Chinese actress was reportedly blacklisted in her home country for playing a traitor in Lee’s 2007 World War II-era spy thriller “Lust, Caution,” but is mounting a busy comeback.

Earlier this year, she released the Hong Kong-set Cantonese romance “Crossing Hennessy.”

Last month, she was cast as Mao Zedong’s girlfriend in a star-studded propaganda movie to mark the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party next year. She also has been reportedly cast in a kung fu movie alongside action star Donnie Yen.

On Friday, she was at South Korea’s Pusan International Film Festival promoting another upcoming release, “Late Autumn,” an English-language remake of a South Korean film shot by Kim Tae-yong in Seattle. Tang plays a Chinese ex-con who has a love affair with a Korean man in the U.S., played by South Korean heartthrob Hyun Bin.

“I was especially excited about a combination like this, to be exposed to different cultures,” Tang told a news conference.

Hyun said the language barrier was challenging.

“We had to work harder to express our feelings with our eyes and gestures,” he said.

Tang’s recent shoots in Hong Kong and Seattle have been described in the Chinese media as somewhat of an exile, but she disputed that characterization on Friday.

“For me, the main distinction between projects is a different director, different fellow actors, a different script and a different role. I am constantly learning things from every director and fellow actor,” she said.

MIN LEE, Associated Press Writer BUSAN, South Korea