Zhang Ziyi Quotes
In China, we don't consider someone truly beautiful until we have known them for a long time, and we know what's underneath the skin.
There's nothing in Chinese culture that is an equivalent of the geisha. It's so different, so special to Japan.
I want, through my roles, to express the parts in the hearts of Chinese women that they feel unable to let out.
The atmosphere at my school was very competitive. Young girls were competing with each other every day for status, for leadership, for the affection of the teachers. I hated it.
I'm not really interested in politics, because I think it's just too removed from my own life. If there's a war, though, or a disaster, I want to know what's happening.
Actually I ran away from school when I was 13. No one could find me, and the police were called. I was just hiding in a little thicket of grass at my school, and went to sleep.
I wanted to escape so badly. But of course I knew I couldn't just give up and leave school. It was only when I heard my mom's voice that I came out of my hiding place.
From beginning to end I worried that Ang Lee wouldn't be satisfied with my work. So I worked as hard as I could to earn his trust, because you only get a chance like this once.
Wanting to be in a Western film won't get me very far. Unless the opportunity arose, it doesn't matter how much I want to be in one. But if an opportunity did arise, no actor would pass it up.
That whole environment was just incompatible with my beliefs and my personality. It was a dark time for me.
It's not that I wanted to be an actor; it's that I didn't want to be a dancer! I was trained in traditional Chinese dance, and after working so hard it seemed unfair to just disappear into a group.
People who trust me will not be swayed by what's been said about me, and for people who don't, no amount of good reports will persuade them.
My parents sent me to a dance class, so it was a road chosen by them, not me. But I enjoyed it so much I knew I would become a performer.
Absolutely not, because in acting I've found a domain that suits me perfectly. And that is so utterly rare.
Ordinarily if an actor gets chosen for the lead in a film, he or she has already built up a repertoire, and everyone knows what he or she is capable of.
Most people spend their whole lives looking for the right job. There are others who never get an opportunity to do work that fulfils them.
Zhang Yimou is always going to need young, pretty girls for his films. But I don't really concern myself with what Zhang Yimou's next starlet looks like.
A movie has its own fate, which often doesn’t depend on the performances of the director and actors.
Chinese women are much more modest than American women when it comes to clothes. We tend to show less flesh.
They're not willing to admit that I've also shed blood and tears and often paid dearly for my success. This makes me feel extremely sad.
Today's China is not in the least shut out from the rest of the world. Trends come to us from all over the world. And the Internet is really developed in China. We get news from all over the world.
From my opinion, 'geisha' means a woman skilled in the arts. Like dancing, singing and playing musical instruments.
I've discovered that I value simplicity above all in dressing. I don't like anything I wear to be too complicated or fussy.
I knew nothing about martial arts. And I don't really like it! But in the film, I not only had to pretend that I knew all about it, I had to be the best at it. That was very difficult.
Working in Hollywood, it's clear the more money you have, the more technology you can get. So you can build a whole Japanese set. Only in Hollywood!
Even though I've done Hollywood films, I still don't think of myself as a Hollywood actress.
I always think it's really hard if you are Asian or Chinese to be really in Hollywood. There are not so many really great characters for you.
