• Home
  • Zhang Ziyi
  • Career
  • Photo Gallery
  • Video Archive
  • Press Library
  • Website
ZhangZiyiINFOS
Your best online source for the Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi since 2007

Zhang Ziyi Infos

Everything about the talented Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi
Welcome to Zhang Ziyi Infos, your best source for the Chinese actress since 2007. Zhang Ziyi is a famous actress known for her roles in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Memoirs of a Geisha, The Grandmaster and so many other great films. Zhang Ziyi recently directed the short film Poem in the anthology film My Country, My Parents. Read her full biography here.
11 Views
14 Views
10 Views
10 Views
9 Views
10 Views
12 Views
11 Views
11 Views
16 Views
17 Views
12 Views
11 Views
11 Views
  • Home Article

China.org.cn

Zhang Ziyi: New Godzilla film 'eye-opening' experience

May 31, 2019   |   Written by Zhang Rui

Internationally-famed Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi believes her role in “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” has depth and that the filming process is an “eye-opening” experience, although she didn’t actually see the real monster.

“As a Chinese actress, it was quite an eye-opening experience to participate in a film of such scale,” said Zhang during an interview in Beijing on May 14. She and director Michael Dougherty, actresses Vera Farmiga and Millie Bobby Brown attended the Chinese premiere the day before. She was later due to fly to Cannes, Los Angeles and other international cities for more promotional events.

She is grateful that director Dougherty respected her and her role, and gave her a big space and freedom for her to fully develop the character.

“My character is a little complex, she is not the symbolic role which I feared I would be getting, which would have been a waste of time,” the actress said, adding she was able to enrich the role after she and the director had some good exchanges.

Zhang plays a scientist working for a secret crypto zoological agency known as Monarch, as well as her twin sister, both of whom inherit their family’s psychic ability to connect with the monsters. Unlike Chinese actress Jing Tian’s brief appearance in “Kong: Skull Island,” Zhang’s scenes in the new film make up an important part of the storyline. In the film, her research on Chinese myths about Chinese dragons proves significant in human efforts to help Godzilla fight its rival monsters and protect the world.

However, as with her fellow actors, she never actually saw any real size monsters, not even a puppet and other props. “We have to use our imagination,” she explained.

By using wind machines, artificial rain, smoke as well as music to simulate scenes that feature the monsters in the film, the director created the right atmosphere to allow the actors and actresses to perform.

“Automatically, your adrenaline lifts, your blood pressure rises and your pulse quickens,” said Vera Farmiga. “At the same time, we had a narration explaining what we were seeing. During the quiet moments of a scene, we had someone narrating the very details of what we were watching, to the point of even describing an animal’s emotional state.”

Dougherty added that the shooting “was almost like doing a stage play, by creating all these tools to help the actor’s imagination and reactions.”

“It is a challenge for me to do this film, the role is too far away from my real life. But, I love the challenge. If it is not such a challenge, I would rather not accept the role,” said Zhang. “However, the most important reason for me to agree to do it is because I can learn more from Hollywood.”

Zhang soared to international fame through Ang Lee’s Academy-winning film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 2000 and later starred in “Memoirs of a Geisha” in 2005. Chinese films “Hero” and “The Grandmaster” starring Zhang also won international acclaim. However, the visual effects offered by a blockbuster like “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” proved new and fresh for her.

To best portray the character, Zhang worked very hard to discover and understand the role’s history, family and background. “In a monster film, every human actor is just a supporting actor for the monster clash. I had to fully understand how a human actor should cope with the limited time and space to convey the most accurate performance.”

Dougherty said, “I’ve always liked the messages in Godzilla that have evolved over time. And his message has now evolved to reflect the current era of climate change.” The film franchise conveys in-depth messages about human’s anxieties, and “Godzilla steps into correcting any species that might threaten our planet, whether this threat is from a monster or human beings.”

Brown added the film will raise public awareness about protecting nature.

This latest offering from Warner Bros. in collaboration with Legendary Pictures was released to Chinese theaters nationwide from May 31. The Chinese company Shanghai Huahua Media also invested in the project.

The film, a sequel to the 2014 film “Godzilla,” tells the story of Monarch’s efforts to save humanity as monsters fight for supremacy. These monsters from the Godzilla franchise originate from the Japanese film studio Toho’s productions between 1954 and 1964, which form part of pop culture around the globe. The 2014 film “Godzilla” grossed more than 480 million yuan (US$70 million) in Chinese mainland cinemas. The new installment is aiming to surpass the 1-billion-yuan (US$144.68) mark at a record pace.

Source

Powered by MND Press Library

Projects

  • Murder of the Husband (2024)
    Zhan Zhoushi
    Pre-Production
    TV mini-series directed by Peter Chan. One woman's suffering gives rise to the revolution of women's social rights in China.
    News
    Photos
  • The Great War
    The Great War (2023)
    -
    Release: September 30
    Epic war movie directed by Chen Kaige about the participation of Chinese troops in the Korean War.
    Info
    News
    Photos
    Videos

Featured Albums

14th Macau Movie Festival
2022
14th Macau Movie Festival
Photoshoot Art’N Dior
2022
Photoshoot Art’N Dior
Clé de Peau Beauté
2018-2023
Clé de Peau Beauté

Random Videos

The video archive currently has 1012 videos.

FIRST Youth Film Festival Summary
4:40 min   |   112 views
Forever Young Trailer 4
1:21 min   |   1266 views

Latest Magazine Covers


Marie Claire
China | Sept.

Marie Claire
China | Sept.

Updates

  • New spokesperson for Newpage
  • Paris Fashion Week – Christian Dior Ready-to-wear Show
  • Happy Birthday Ziyi!
  • The Great War Teaser Trailer
  • Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Returns to Theaters
  • 14th Macau International Movie Festival

Search

Special Partner

Website Informations

Maintened by: Miss Grain & Mr. Chang
Hosted by: Flaunt
© 2007-2021 Zhang Ziyi Infos / Theme by Sin21 / Hosted by / DMCA / Privacy Policy / Back to top / Homepage
This site is a fansite. We have no contact with Zhang Ziyi. We do not earn any money with Zhang Ziyi Infos. We are just fans who wanted to build a fan base. All the pictures belong to their respective owners. If you see your work on this website just e-mail us and we will remove the pictures immediately.