[Translation from: Liberation Net – News Morning Paper, July 2, 2007. Byline: Cao Lihua]
"Memoirs of a Geisha" is one film that put Gong Li under considerable pressure: from the day she accepted the role, she was bombarded with the query, "Why would a Chinese play the role of a Japanese geisha?" So, we asked her.
Gong: First of all, I felt that this was a woman, and my initial reaction was I don't care where a woman comes from, she is first of all a woman. And as a woman she and I had many things in common, 60-70% very much in common, while the rest were individual characteristics, part of that individual's life. The geisha culture is one I find very mysterious, very special, so I was very interested when offered the role.
Actually, I had a personal interest in the geisha lifestyle as well – what is it like? How does a geisha differ from a prostitute? Where do they differ? So when we went to Tokyo to have a chat with the director, they specially arranged for us to have interviews with many real older geishas, so I could ask them about their lives. After I talked with these women, I knew that they really were different, that their lives were not the same as a prostitute's, but since they could not have their own loves, their lives were not totally free, they had very little freedom. In time, their looks and figure start to fade, and since a geisha spends every day drinking tea with someone and wearing white, very white makeup, which contains lime, her facial skin will eventually take on the color of lime. These women showed me photos taken when they were young, and I saw they had once been pretty, very pretty, but now they were totally unrecognizable from that time, it was disastrous, their lives had been so hard. When I realized these things, I wanted to portray them well. If in this world there really is someone like this, and this is her life, and this is her destiny, then I definitely wanted to portray her in such a way that if she saw the movie she would be satisfied with it, and this was my belief going in. So I was fully satisfied with the role, and liked it.
Second question: Was your acting off in "Miami Vice"?
Last year, Gong Li's unexpectedly daring performance in "Miami Vice" brought a wave of negative criticism. But she considers this a rare learning experience.
Gong: This was a very important choice for me personally. I don't like repeating myself, because doing the same things over and over can get very tiresome, and make any personal breakthroughs very difficult. So when choosing roles, I feel the most important thing is variety – although women have many things in common, they have different destinies. I don't want to waste the time I have, so while every role may be very similar, I hope in the years of life I have left I can create many more different female images.
Cao: I saw that for your role in "Miami Vice" you learned to speak English with a Cuban accent, and did some hot salsa dancing. I felt that you seemed particularly comfortable in this sort of role.
Gong: It was so satisfying! It was really a learning opportunity I just couldn't pass up. In my lifetime I've had too few chances to try things like that, and this time a director gave me the chance. I had a good salsa dance instructor, the world champion in fact, so if he would teach me why wouldn't I learn it? I also learned to shoot a gun, learned the Cuban accent, and if I didn't make this movie I might never have had the chance to learn these things.
Third question: was going to Hollywood a failure?
In her Hollywood experience, Gong Li can not be considered a success, at least so far. She has her own views about this.
Gong: I feel this is something every actor should try, maybe not Hollywood but we should all try working elsewhere. The acting profession is not restricted by boundaries. I feel that if an actor has the opportunity they should give it a try, check out other places, test the wind. It's the same with you media people: if you are gathering the news you will go anywhere to find it.
Cao: Many people believe that Chinese-speaking actors really take a risk when they rush off to Hollywood, because there are so many cultural barriers, including the language difference. As a Chinese-speaking actor, how do you go about overcoming these difficulties?
Gong: That's not something I care about, it's not important. The points you just raised are not very important. What is important is the acting, what one puts into the part, how well one develops and crafts the part. These are very important. If you are fluent in a language, and have a profound understanding of the culture, what use is it if you don't act well? What is most important is that those things can be learned, can be read about: if there are cultural links you're not clear on, then you can ask questions, study, read. But if your acting is poor, that's not something you can learn. Your acting, how you craft your part, this is most important.
Fourth question: how does she maintain her energy?
In addition to acting, in recent years Gong Li has repeatedly accepted invitations to serve on juries at major international film festivals. How does she maintain her vigor and energy with such a busy schedule? She feels the source of all energy is in life itself.
Cao: You have served on the jury panel at the Cannes Film Festival, and later chaired panels at the Venice and Berlin festivals. What do you think were the reasons such major festivals chose you for this?
Gong: I think it may be because of the acting experience I have. Experienced actors have seen a lot of movies, they've been in a lot of movies, and they also have some degree of salesmanship. They feel your work has been outstanding, so they choose you. When I was first chosen, I told them I feared I wasn't up to such responsibility, but they said we are very confident in you, so come and do it. Sometimes I would negotiate a bit, and tell them I can serve on a panel but not chair it. They then said we have made the correct choice, no question about it.
Cao: You always say that living is a very good way to keep up one's enegy, and you can rest when there are no good scripts for you. What do you usually do during such periods?
Gong: I lead a normal life like any ordinary person's: breakfast, lunch, dinner, getting together with friends, going back to see my family. In the course of normal life, you may meet different people every day, you can't design your life. This is how it is for every person. Naturally, something different might happen every day in my life, but if you don't have this kind of life, you might never encounter these things.
July 18, 2007
