Actress Zhang Ziyi No Longer Appear in Action Films
Actress Zhang Ziyi said she will no longer be taking on acting roles in action films, a statement she made at the public screening of “The Grandmaster 3D” on January 8, 2015.
“I’m 36 this year. I think I’m getting too old to take on the risk of injury that comes with action films. As a woman, I still have getting married and giving birth ahead of me, and so I should be thinking more about myself and my future,” explained Zhang.
“The Grandmasters 3D” is a rerelease — in three dimensions — of “The Grandmaster,” which hit theatres in January of last year and opened for the Berlin International Film Festival the following month.
Zhang admitted that she felt this way once she finished shooting for “The Grandmaster,” Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai’s 2013 action film which follows the inspiring story of how noted Chinese kung fu master Yip Man (1893–1972) settled disputes in martial arts circles and created his own kung fu school.
Zhang — who in the martial arts film plays the heroine Gong Er, a woman inheriting her family’s kung fu skills — was presented with 12 different Best Actress awards for her performance.
As the new film premiered on January 8, Zhang said she wanted to avail herself of the 3D adaption’s public screening as a good opportunity to bid farewell to the “The Grandmaster” world, whose original, non-3D iteration was nominated for Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design at the 86th Academy Awards.
“Actually, Director Wong also wanted to say goodbye to the film, and so he got the 3D adaption to debut earlier than expected,” added Zhang.
When asked whether she was mentally prepared for the farewell, Zhang replied, “I would say I got true closure on that last day I walked off the set, took off Gong Er’s costume and wiped away her lipstick.”
“If one always lives in the same role, he or she can’t make a true actor or actress, because the next role is always waiting on the other side. After ‘The Grandmaster,’ I played in ‘The Crossing,’ an epic romantic drama whose first installment premiered nationwide on December 2, 2014. Currently, I’m working with actor Ge You on shooting for another film,” said Zhang.
“All I try to do is to play each character to the very best of my ability. I don’t want to see my performance be a failure. I always want to act worthily of my directors, producers and myself,” said Zhang.