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MADAME FIGARO September 26 - October 2 Issue Gong Li: "I am a Free Spirit"
[I translated from the original French text. ~Marla] Without intending to exaggerate, Gong Li is a concentration of Asian mystery: Iron fist and velvet glove, and impassive mask of imperial beauty. This earned her the appropriate nickname, the "Chinese Garbo." Sometimes she laughs, a little, just before returning to a posture that seems familiar, that of an impenetrable femme fatale or a tormented romantic heroine, the characters that she has become [on screen] so well. In the eyes of the world, Gong Li continues to be the only face of Chinese cinema. Maggie Cheung has walked away from movies, Michelle Yeoh has changed her style, Zhang Ziyi has not lived up to her promise. Gong Li, she has withstood everything and survived the hazards of a prestigious career, but has had to slip away at one time or another. The page is turning. As she continues to live in Beijing, she now has Singaporean citizenship (through her marriage with a businessman). She has restarted making movies with Zhang Yimou, former mentor and partner of her life, appearing in ''Curse of the Golden Flower'' (2007). Since then, Madame Li has set another objective: Hollywood. We wait for the release of ''Shanghai'' with John Cusack, a project with Jim Carrey is still in discussion, just like ''The Grand Master'', the next film by the master Wong Kar Wai.
Gong Li: So I have been told. But then there have been openings: Hollywood and the rest of the world. Today, I manage [control] my life. But I have always been a free spirit. China remains the county of my heart and my anchor, but I want to discover new horizons, to be different and stronger than ever. I think that my collaboration with Zhang Yimou taught me that. We made seven films together, I was a different woman each time. I followed him [as a student]. And I want to continue like that, I do not want to repeat myself. I would not like to work without passion. If things offered to me do not interest me, it is not a problem, I have the patience to wait. MF: Time is not the best ally of an actress, right? GL: China is like any other country, it consumes fresh meat and fresh new faces. But I have enough confidence for it not to distress me. I am convinced that some roles are destined for me, for me and no one else. MF: You have the nickname "Chinese Garbo" - Why such mystery? GL: I'm discrete. I hate making noise... those who pay attention to this little game, for the most part the rumors are created by the celebrities themselves. Me, I just go out and I never make any comment. I am convinced that overexposure is a disastrous thing... It is also a confession of weakness and a lack of confidence. In short, it is the opposite of accomplishment. MF: Do you feel fulfilled as a woman? GL: I have always been determined: when I want something, I work to obtain it. When I know what I want, I never give up: I am very direct, I can even be aggressive if I think that people do not follow through on their commitments. I am lively with my friends, but if I do not feel chemistry with others, I shut like an oyster [''clam up''] ... But generally, I tend to be tolerant and very prone to empathy. I do not support women who are jealous and narrow-minded. MF: Do you consider yourself a typical Chinese? GL: In the sense that the Chinese are strong, especially tough. MF: Has your beauty been an asset? GL: I have never felt beautiful. Besides, my mother never told me that. I paid little attention. I was quite tomboyish: I have three brothers and my sister is dead. MF: Who are your heroines? GL: Lady Diana is first on the list. Mother Teresa. Audrey Hepburn. Those women with open [caring] hearts. MF: As for the former Princess of Wales, are you likewise a grand lover [in terms of having a deep love]? GL: The answer is yes, even if I think a woman who gives herself completely to a man is a woman who becomes lost ... MF: Are you a satisfied woman? GL: I am a woman without strictly defined objectives, so that my energy always stays intact and available for any new adventure. I am free in my life and in my work. [Special thanks to "Love Jiujiang" for photos of the magazine contents.]
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