Zhang Ziyi © Olivier June
Rendez-vous with Zhang Ziyi
During Cannes 2019, four Rendez-vous with artists will take place in the Buñuel Theater, replacing the former Cinema Lesson. Four masterclasses with directors, actresses and actors invited to talk about their work and their careers, during Rendez-vous open to all festival-goers.
In this year's program: Zhang Ziyi, Sylvester Stallone, Nicolas Winding Refn and Alain Delon.
ZHANG ZIYI
A conversation hosted by Yves Montmayeur (Historian and director).
Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi's twenty-year career started with her first appearance on screen in Zhang Yimou's film The Road Home before arriving at Cannes the following year with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon by Ang Lee. Since then, she has often returned to the Croisette, as a member of the Jury (Competition or Un Certain Regard) or for major films such as 2046 by Wong Kar-wai or Zhang Yimou's House of Flying Daggers. She has been nominated for Golden Globes and BAFTA awards for her performance in Rob Marshall's Memoirs of a Geisha and has worked again with Wong Kar-wai in 2013 with The Grandmasterfor which she earned twelve awards. She will soon be starring in Godzilla II King of Monsters.
Zhang Ziyi will introduce Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon at the Cinéma de la Plage on Tuesday, May 21 at 9:30PM.
On Wo hu cang long (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon), the film that made her name:
I acted in this film twenty-one years ago! The way I look at it now is completely different. The subject matter that Ang Lee develops in the film is a timeless theme, which is that each individual has to stay true to himself. At the time I was nineteen years old. I did not fully understand what he meant. I was a student at the Centre for Dramatic Arts in China. I had just made my first film with Zhang Yimou. One day, I heard someone say that one of my professors had sent my photo to Ang Lee. And then Zhang Yimou recommended me to Ang Lee. For two months, I was training for the role, knowing that there were other candidates for the part. I didn't know if I would get it.
About her fighting spirit:
I was born into a very traditional family. My mother worked in a maternity hospital and my father was an economist for the government. I didn’t grow up in luxury. My parents worked hard to bring us up and we did not have many activities. I don't remember my parents encouraging me a lot or saying "I love you." They have always been demanding with me even though I have won many awards in my career. This has taught me to be demanding of myself. Most of the roles I have interpreted have this perseverence as a a common theme.
“Most of the roles I have played have a common theme of perseverance.”
On her first collaboration with Wong Kar-wai:
He has played a very important role in my career. The first time I worked on a film with him was in 2004. That was a very stressful experience for me because I could never see his eyes behind his glasses. It was intimidating. I didn't have any dialogue or any script. The film was made in Cantonese, a language I did not understand. I asked my agent to bring me saké to help me deal with my anxiety! I felt like a wild plant, forced to survive. And then one day Wong Kar-wai took off his glasses. I realised I didn't need to be so tense!
On the filming of Yi dai zong shi (The Grandmaster):
This film shoot was the most demanding of my whole career up until now. I was in a very anxious and melancholy period of my life. I remember asking for a day off in the middle of the filming, which was complicated because it would cost a lot of money. But Wong Kar-wai agreed. He knew that I was not feeling well and he showed himself to be very understanding. Today he is a very close friend. I could play any role for him.
On her international career:
I wanted to know what it was like to do a film in Hollywood. But since I know kung-fu, I was always offered the same kind of role. Gradually, I started turning down offers. Then the film Memoirs of a Geisha came along. I accepted because it is rare for a lead role in a Hollywood film to be given to an Asian actor. The most important thing for an actor is to be patient. It is important to choose the characters that you love. I would love to play in a film of social realism.
