Friday December 22, 2006
Buxom beauty
By NOORSILA ABD MAJID
Question Gong Li about her generous display of bosom in Curse of the Golden Flower (so do the rest of the women in the film) and the voluptuous mainland Chinese actress will tell you that director Zhang Yimou has picked “good girls who are well endowed”. And no, the women do not have to wear corsets.
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PEEK-A-BOO: Gong Li mesmerises as the empress in Curse of the Golden Flower. |
Curse of the Golden Flower is also special to the 41-year-old because it proved that ex-lovers could still work together. (For those who are still in the dark, Gong Li and Zhang Yimou were romantically involved once.) “All these years, director Zhang and I still keep in touch with each other,” the actress discloses. “I’ve always wanted to work with him again.”
Ten years have passed since the powerful duo last worked together on To Live. But according to Gong Li, Zhang has not changed much. “He’s always cool and calm. Like a general, he will guide his actors. He’s also the kind of director who will not waste your talent. As an actor, you feel compelled to give him your best because you know he appreciates you. I feel good, safe and secure working with him. We have 100% mutual trust and respect for each other.”
Zhang aside, Chow Yun-fat is the other man that gets the acclaimed actress all excited.
“I’ve never met him before,” Gong Li enthuses. “But I’ve always wanted to work with him because as a Chinese actor, it’s a great loss if you don’t work with Chow Yun-fat. His talents are enormous. He’s also genuine. A nice guy who makes it a point to get to know everyone that he’s working with. His wife is so lucky to have him.”
But as a woman, will she ever fall in love with Chow’s hard-hearted alter ego in Curse of the Golden Flower?
“Never. Not just me, any woman wouldn’t want a husband like that.”
Given the chance, Gong Li says she wants to do a comedy with Chow.
“He’s a man with a great sense of humour. Since I’ve never done comedy before, I sure can learn a lot from him.”
As for her onscreen son Jay Chou, Gong Li says he’s naturally a shy guy. “My opening dialogue with Jay says that I haven’t seen him in three years. But in actual fact, we haven’t met at all!
| Fast facts
His pretext is to celebrate the holiday with his family, but given the strained relationship between him and his ailing empress, this seems disingenuous. Their volatile relationship resulted in deceit, clandestine plans and betrayal – pitting the king against his queen and father against his sons. Prince Jie, the most filial son, is in a dilemma on whether to side his father or his mother. “Just imagine how hard it is for him and me to shoot our first mother-and-son scene together. But being professional actors that we are, we use our hearts to feel the dialogue. “Well, I must say we’ve done a pretty good job. Everyone on the set cried when they saw the bond between us.”
Gong Li (the empress) Jay Chou (Prince Jie) Liu Ye (Crown Prince Wan) Qin Junjie (Prince Yu)
The “Dragon Robe” worn by Chow Yun-fat and the “Phoenix Gown” worn by Gong Li are particularly ornate. Chow’s emperor robe weighs about 40kg!
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