INTERVIEW

"GONG LI: 'OUR FACES ARE EASY TO READ'"

Netzeitung Entertainment, August 2006

Interview with Patrick Keidmann

[Webmaster's note: I translated this article from the original German text.]

The Chinese actress Gong Li is also an international star who can currently be seen in "Miami Vice". The newspaper spoke with her about China, bad women and love scenes with Colin Farrell.

It is a long way from communist China to the palm trees of Florida. For many years, Gong has been considered one of the most beautiful and best actresses in the world, thanks to the films of her former companion, Zhang Yimou. Films such as "Ju Dou", "To Live", "Raise The Red Lantern", "The Story of Qiu Ju". For the latter she won a Best Actress award [Venice Film Fest], but the regime then did not always let them leave their country to attend large festivals.

Meanwhile, Gong also prevailed in the West, despite lacking English fluency - and not only as a model for a shampoo company. After "Memoirs of a Geisha", she can currently be seen as a gangster's woman and lover of Colin Farrell in Michael Mann's "Miami Vice".

Patrick Keidmann: One of your earlier films was Wong Kar Wai's "2046". That was certainly completely different from working on "Miami Vice".

Gong Li: The main difference was that there was no script for "2046"! We arrived each day on the set and had some "sides" pressed into our hands, containing the new scenes, which we discussed briefly with the director. One must be rather flexible and spontaneous to new situations in order to be able to adjust to this kind of work. Michael Mann's style is substantially more appropriate for me. He has a very detailed script from the beginning and helps his actors to discover their characters. On "2046", such preparations would probably have been counter productive.

PK: Your colleague Jamie Foxx calls Mann an "aggressive" director. Do you favor strict working conditions, then?

GL: I like his kind of direction very much, actually. If a director does not have a clear vision and his actors are demanding, that can be difficult every now and then. I prefer a director to tell me clearly what he wants from me. From there, a mutual relationship can exist, in which both sides can express their opinions, and in that way complement each other; then, a give-and-take develops.

PK: Your colleague Jackie Chan said once that he reluctantly films in the U.S. because things progress on the set so slowly. In China, on the other hand, the speed is faster. Do you see similarities?

GL: Naturally, there are differences in the systems. Here - like there - my role as a professional actress is the same: I wait for my scene to come, and then I play it in as focused a way as possible. If there is a delay, I simply wait a little longer, but it does not affect my work. Jackie Chan also works in Asia as a director, while in Hollywood he is predominantly an actor. So, he is probably somewhat more impatient, if he cannot control all aspects of the making of the film.

PK: Were you actually surprised when Michael Mann offered the role to you?

GL: Yes, a little. Naturally, I simply assumed he wanted me in the film because he regards me as a good actress and I brought along the right experiences for the role. But, I was curious about why he wanted me, a Chinese actress from Peking for this film. Then, I read the script and understood that the character has a certain background in the Chinese community in Cuba. So, then it made sense to me.

PK: And how do you feel about the romance with Colin Farrell, specified in the film script? He is younger than you…

GL: Actually, I do not think that love has much to do with age.

PK: What was the biggest challenge in playing the role of Isabella?

GL: To understand where this woman comes from and what motivates her was actually the most difficult. Outwardly, she is very hard because she has already been active from a young age in this criminal environment. Through this, she developed into a cool businesswoman, who is earnest and direct, and leaves no room for discussion. But under her shell, there are completely different elements: emotions, loneliness, the pain over the early loss of her mother. I had to decode and understand everything in order to bring me closer to the character.

PK: Which facet was the most difficult to portray?

GL: It was bringing the two sides [of her personality] together that was demanding. In addition, I had to recognize that there were amazing parallels to my own personality. I also often have a somewhat cool, unapproachable façade, but am nevertheless very vulnerable and sensitive. And just like Isabella, I also learned early how to heal my own wounds. When I look at these aspects of the role, it actually felt very easy to play it.

PK: The role also lets one think of a cliché, that Asians would never show their emotions to strangers.

GL: That doesn't apply to me, in any case. If I am lucky, one does not see me like that, and if so, then so be it. However, I would say that this statement does apply to some Japanese. There, one is so polite and always says, "yes, yes, yes", even if one does not agree with the other person. In business meetings, everyone smiles, but at the end one does not know what the others actually think. The faces of us Chinese are simply too easy to read [laughs].

PK: Is it difficult to act in a language that one really does not speak? Is communication with colleagues in intimate scenes difficult?

GL: The love scenes with Colin Farrell were not difficult at all, because there are possibilities to communicate beyond a verbal level as the camera runs. In addition, there was a translator nearby during filming. But I speak enough English to talk with Colin on the telephone at times when there is no one around to interpret. And he is very understanding and speaks with me a little more slowly and simply than normal. But as I have already said: Actors' methods can be completely different, and Colin and I harmonize on this matter very well. I am very grateful that I was allowed the experience of working with him.

PK: Isabella actually belongs to the "bad" side. Also, in "Memoirs of a Geisha", you played a rather ambiguous figure, and again shortly in Peter Webber's "Young Hannibal". What motivates you in these "shady" roles, and what qualities do the directors see in you?

GL: Indeed, many directors offer such roles to me, saying: "this is exactly right for you". Why they want me for these characters, I cannot explain. It pleases me very much, however, that these characters have more than one side, and this multi-layered quality in my performances is challenging for me to work out.

PK: All these roles you have played abroad. Is there a lack of interesting roles in China right now?

GL: Roles like these are actually not so easy to find in China. However, I have made a new film there under the direction of Zhang Yimou. I play a very complex and complicated woman, who would not be viewed as a very good human being.