Zhang Ziyi, who is in town to promote her film ¡°The Night Banquet¡± which is released Thursday, was a little excited on Tuesday. Her previous visits to Korea, for everything from fashion shows to commercial shoots, have introduced Zhang to the pleasures of Seoul shopping, and she revealed that she now makes it a habit to browse Namdaemun Market disguised in a hat. ¡°It¡¯s gotten to the point where my schedule is so booked up that there¡¯s not even time to breathe,¡± the actress sighs, ¡°It¡¯s interesting looking around the little shops, and since I¡¯m fond of shopping, I never miss the opportunity when I come to Korea.¡±
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Zhang Ziyi poses for pictures at a press conference for her new film ¡®The Night Banquet¡¯ at a hotel in Seoul on Tuesday.
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The film has already opened in China, where it set a new record earning US$1.5 million on its first day. Set among the chaos that followed the collapse of the Tang Dynasty in 10th century China, it tells the story of an empress who loves the son of the emperor¡¯s first wife. Zhang¡¯s character is torn between love and the desire for power, and must decide for herself if she will live or die. ¡°You could think of it as the female version of Shakespeare¡¯s ¡®Hamlet,¡¯¡± she says. ¡°I studied Shakespeare in acting school, but I think that if the moment ever came where I had to make that choice, I¡¯d be so afraid that I¡¯d just run away.¡±
Zhang¡¯s interest in Korean films is already a matter of record, but this time she mentioned director Park Chan-wook and actor Choi Min-sik and said, ¡°I definitely want to be in a Korean movie.¡± She has been staying up late surfing the Internet and by chance started watching the Korean film ¡°Old Boy,¡± ¡°The screen size was only about the size of my palm, but I was so into the film that two hours seemed to pass in no time at all,¡± she says. When the language issue was brought up the actress said, ¡°I¡¯ve given that problem much thought and concluded that if my character was a mute, it would all work out just fine.¡± Then she adds, ¡°I¡¯m not kidding, so make sure you put that in the article,¡± which was met by appreciative laughter.
¡°More than appearing in a big movie that is a guaranteed box office success, I am interested in acting in a film by a young, ambitious director,¡± she says. After acclaim for her roles in ¡°Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon¡± (2000), ¡°Hero (2002),¡± and ¡°Lovers¡± (2004), she showed Hollywood talent in ¡°Memoirs of a Geisha¡± (2006). On the issue of Asian stars making it to Hollywood she says, ¡°To be frank, the roles that are offered to Asian actors are very restricted. As an actor, I think that it is wise to stick to roles that allow you to show off your strengths.¡±
(englishnews@chosun.com )
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