I just met her today on the set of a TV ad. She smiled at me, said hello and gave me an autograph later. She was so sweet. I will never forget that moment :)
I can watch Gong Li as Hatsumomo in Memoirs of a Geisha over and over again. What a brilliant performance and what an overwhelming beauty. I wish the movie had centered more on her. The most intriguing character by far. I hope she will star in many more movies. She deserves the best!
Gong Li is an AMAZING actress, talented, gorgeous, classy and inventive. I loved her as the beautiful villainess in ""Memoires of A Geisha"" - she did so incredibly well in portraying the vicious Hatsomomo, she almost stole Zhang Zhiyi's shine in the movie. Anyway, Hollywood can use some talented Asian actors and Gong Li is perfect Hollywood material. Too bad her talent and beauty is not as much recognized as it should be!
I read she does a lot of prep work for each role. She feels she actually has to "inhabit" a role before the start of filming. Kind of like "method acting", which is not common in China. The new crop of actors will accept roles as long as it pays well. Gong Li def is not that type of actor. She looks for different roles that challenge her acting ability. But with age, her choice of plum roles is becoming less. Like the U.S., China is now becoming a youth-oriented society.
I agree her work over the years show's she is most def one of the best Actresses , I love her films her characters are so diverse. My favourite films are Curse of Golden Flower , The Empress Dowager, Farewell My Concubine & A Terracotta Warrior .... I heard she will be in a film epic about Marco Polo , can't wait
She's a very impressive personality. She's very smart and speaks her mind in no uncertain terms. And of course, she gorgeous and she has a beautiful quality in her voice, strong, feminine but of the earth, here and now.
She's absolutely right that the films China is putting out nowadays can't compare to those from the 90's. It's sad how low the likes of Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige have fell from their heydays of To Live, Raise the Red Lanterns, Farewell to my Concubine, etc. But there's still hope in the "sixth generation."
There were a lot of great films that came out of China in the '90s. I was wondering if I had just missed the good ones from the '00 or if there had been a drop in quality over the last decade. Gong Li is a talented actress. I hope to see her work no matter what part of the world or what language it is made in.
I just had the fortune and pleasure to watch and meet her today on the set of a TV ad. She smiled at me, said hello and gave me an autograph later. She was so sweet and not snobby like other actors I have worked with from HK or the mainland. I will never forget that moment :) I am not sure how in this clip that she is "taking a swipe" at the mainland movie industry though. Sounds like you are taking a swipe at her to save your pride???
I´ve heard she´s like 40 ys old now, believe it or not. I´d say she looks even better than when she was younger. Her Isabella is unforgottable, her chemistry with Colin Farrel was amazing. Hope to see her again soon.
How can someone make out such a beautiful woman to be indistinguishable to the rest? She is a phenomenal actress and she is absolutely beyond beautiful. She is obviously my favorite actress, next to Audrey Tautou :)
@hmoob7 she doens't speak English but she can deliver lines just by memorization more effectively than those who 'do', i.e. Ziyi Zhang. Now that's what I call talent
Like Disneys mulan !Gong Li is the best chinese actress,but her Hollywood movie except memories of a geisha are all bad ,I agree with new chinese movies but she is in the same bad movies in Hollywood!
Ever since I and my nephew watched mesmerized to the screen, Farewell My Concubine, and Raise the Red Lantern I can safely say Gong Li is the most provocative and beautifully gifted actress of China since our own native Anna May Wong. True roles were denied to Nancy Kwan but today I would love to see more of this iconic actress in the West.
What she says is true. I go through periods of binging on Thai drama then get sick of it because it can become too predictable. Then I switch to C-drama, K-drama, etc. There are times I think there's too much entertainment company biases that I also stop watching a country's drama for several years.
Oh my GOD I LOVE GONG LI!!! She is the so "sharp and strong" herself. She has been in very awesome Chinese movies; To Live, Rise of the Red Lantern, Shanghai Triad, Temptress Moon... I think most of those were banded from China...
yaAAY - I am actually able to understand some of what she's saying. She speaks a very very clear Mandarin so even a beginner like yours truly can make out some :)
I'm sorry, Ms. Li, but I don't think that any man who sees you in a film can forget your face and form. I would recognize you if you were rolled in dung and covered in green scum. You might be the most beautiful woman who has ever lived, at least there's significant doubt on that one. So, no ma'am, you don't look like every other Chinese.
Gong Li is such a good actress... in Miami Vice she potrayed a Cuban character and the amazing fact is that she pronounced her lines phonetically and not only in English but also Spanish words since she played a Hispanic character. One fact most people don't know but she's related to Jet Li.... found that info on a website
@kenichiku FYI and to aznvtec204 as well, she is saying "nei ge" which is basically the english equivalent of saying "that" - it's VERY common to hear Mandarin speakers say "nei ge nei ge..." while they think of what they're trying to say. Similarly to how we say "you know" or "it's like."
i have an off topic question. i was watching Memoirs of a geisha and Gong Li did such a wonderful job speaking English, i was wondering if anyone knows whether she spoke English before she made the movie
i like chinese gils verry much.but this one reaches far beyond my atraction for them.i just so "the memories of a gheisha"and she was ammazing.allthow i thot she was jappanese,because her figuer.stii ...she is amazing.hopefoly i will go to china this year and visit it in its splendor and beauth...watch the movie..you'll know what i am talking about.salut!
Gong Li is hands down one of the most beautiful people in the world. The camera loves her natural beauty. - and this is coming from a "straight" woman.
@Mr888Star Yeah I kind of felt the same. I mean if she didn't really like any scripts she was given she should've just kept it to herself instead of like rat them out you know, even though she didn't really pinpoint them directly. I mean she's got the right to say it 'cause it really is true, I feel the exact same way about HK films nowadays. Oh well she's still gorgeous to me and her acting is phenomenal.
she isn't dissing, she is giving constructive criticism and her concern that THERE ARE good scripts in CHina and so.. but due to censorship, it can't be done.
She is talented, smart and beautiful. She should able to pick and chose what she wants to do. I don't give a damn about "selling out". The world used to have no border so selling out is for ignorant.
@arriviste2020 she didn't accept these scripts not meant she's arrogant .She know what kind of role she can play. She is a perfectionism, always want her role is perfect and make sure that this role wont makes her disapointed .
Gong Li is a beautiful and talented woman. I enjoy her work and appreciate her appearance. In this clip, she seems a bit arrogant and critical. She said more nice things about the construction of her condo than she did about what her country has to offer in her profession. I hope it's just the editing.
She had a boyfriend- a famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou- but it is said Zhang Ziyi swiped him from her. So now is Ziyi called "Little Gong Li" (at least they say) and many people in China are rumored to hate her. They were rivals, I dunno if it continues. But i think they still hate each other.
Look for "A World Without Thieves" Get the Chinese version if you can as the western release skips some scenes (I don't know why they do that). The movie is from 2004.
@missbs1 she is a chinese woman and she expected that, appreciated that. she usually speaks chinese everytime but sometime she speaking eng it's her voice , she can speak Eng better than Zhang Ziyi or other chinese stars :) just because of her respect to her country
Very true but to counter this arguement - theirs is a completely different society and if you want to compare (and assume all societies are becoming the same), then they are also socially several decades behind. They haven't had the history of social conflict that we've had, and we have developed to a multicultural pluralism, whereas they are not even close to this yet.
Still think she is beautiful and I really hope she isnt one of colin farrels conquests seeing as they did miami vice and hes got such a bad rep it would be a shame if she was :0( dont get me wrong her private life is her business but I would love to think of her not falling for the charms of a notorious womaniser she deserves a lot better :0).
@areo2010 What part did Gong Li play in Ip Man? I do not see her name listed in the cast of the film or on IMDB. I see the name Lynn Hung, who played Ip Man's wife. If that's who you meant, maybe that's what Ms. Gong meant by americans think Chinese all look alike.
I'm pretty sure she could. I vaguely remember her saying in an interview that she liked speaking with native speakers because she can understand them, but with interviews she's still somewhat uncomfortable with the language.
She's in a nasty mood isn't she? Her every comment is barbed and double edged. OOOOOH she's soooo beautiful. Jus love her whatever she does...my heart broke for her in MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA.
@GokuTheAndroid actually, it was the other way around. gong li was director zhang yi mou's main leading actress and the most popular in asia. then, zhang zi yi replaced her as zhang yi mou's main actress starting with Crouching Tiger..., and that was the first chinese movie that was really popular in the US. then gong li did that miami vice thing, and americans finally heard of her.
Species belonging to the Genus Equidae: E. asinus - Donkey E. africanus - African Wild Ass E. caballus - Domestic Horse E. ferus - Wild Horse E. grevyi - Grevy's Zebra E. hemionus - Onager E. kiang - Kiang E. quagga - Plains Zebra E. zebra - Mountain Zebra
@aznvtec204 she's speaking in a mandarin, a completely different language than English. Just informing you, just in case you didn't catch the subtitles at the bottom.
I just met her today on the set of a TV ad. She smiled at me, said hello and gave me an autograph later. She was so sweet. I will never forget that moment :)
She always very lovely off set too
When I first saw her in Stephen Chow's "Flirting Scholar" I was like, "....." She's still as beautiful as she was back in 92.
I can watch Gong Li as Hatsumomo in Memoirs of a Geisha over and over again. What a brilliant performance and what an overwhelming beauty. I wish the movie had centered more on her. The most intriguing character by far.
I hope she will star in many more movies. She deserves the best!
Gong Li is an AMAZING actress, talented, gorgeous, classy and inventive. I loved her as the beautiful villainess in ""Memoires of A Geisha"" - she did so incredibly well in portraying the vicious Hatsomomo, she almost stole Zhang Zhiyi's shine in the movie. Anyway, Hollywood can use some talented Asian actors and Gong Li is perfect Hollywood material. Too bad her talent and beauty is not as much recognized as it should be!
what she said is actually true and I admire her guts to speak the truth. I've see her movie in class. masterpiece. great actress!
I read she does a lot of prep work for each role. She feels she actually has to "inhabit" a role before the start of filming. Kind of like "method acting", which is not common in China.
The new crop of actors will accept roles as long as it pays well. Gong Li def is not that type of actor. She looks for different roles that challenge her acting ability.
But with age, her choice of plum roles is becoming less. Like the U.S., China is now becoming a youth-oriented society.
in my opinion, the very finest film actress China has.
I agree her work over the years show's she is most def one of the best Actresses , I love her films her characters are so diverse. My favourite films are Curse of Golden Flower , The Empress Dowager, Farewell My Concubine & A Terracotta Warrior .... I heard she will be in a film epic about Marco Polo , can't wait
She's a very impressive personality. She's very smart and speaks her mind in no uncertain terms. And of course, she gorgeous and she has a beautiful quality in her voice, strong, feminine but of the earth, here and now.
She's so elegant and beautiful and such a great actress.
Love all your movies Gong Li You are a great actress !!!!
Memorable performances and I agree such charisma.
shes so stunning even her voice is perfect
Beautiful and sophisticated.
She's absolutely right that the films China is putting out nowadays can't compare to those from the 90's. It's sad how low the likes of Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige have fell from their heydays of To Live, Raise the Red Lanterns, Farewell to my Concubine, etc. But there's still hope in the "sixth generation."
There were a lot of great films that came out of China in the '90s. I was wondering if I had just missed the good ones from the '00 or if there had been a drop in quality over the last decade. Gong Li is a talented actress. I hope to see her work no matter what part of the world or what language it is made in.
She's so gorgeous.
I just had the fortune and pleasure to watch and meet her today on the set of a TV ad. She smiled at me, said hello and gave me an autograph later. She was so sweet and not snobby like other actors I have worked with from HK or the mainland. I will never forget that moment :) I am not sure how in this clip that she is "taking a swipe" at the mainland movie industry though. Sounds like you are taking a swipe at her to save your pride???
I´ve heard she´s like 40 ys old now, believe it or not. I´d say she looks even better than when she was younger. Her Isabella is unforgottable, her chemistry with Colin Farrel was amazing. Hope to see her again soon.
How can someone make out such a beautiful woman to be indistinguishable to the rest? She is a phenomenal actress and she is absolutely beyond beautiful. She is obviously my favorite actress, next to Audrey Tautou :)
@hmoob7 she doens't speak English but she can deliver lines just by memorization more effectively than those who 'do', i.e. Ziyi Zhang. Now that's what I call talent
She is absolutely perfect looking. She is a confident, Chinese actress. I adore her.
She changes everything power
She is sooooo beautiful.
Gong Li is pure awesomeness.
Talented and beautiful actress
The best acting role I've ever seen by any actor/actress in any role was by Gong Li in "To Live". That was just such an amazing performance.
SHE IS GORGEOUS~~~ A true asian, if not chinese beauty
She can choose her roles because is a great actress, one of the best I saw in my life, I am fan of her.
Gong Li IS beautiful in any eyes of the world. She's my kinda actress. Keep doing food roles, Gong Li.
I like her view and depth. She looks for quality acting wherever it will take her, and does not seem to sell out for cheap productions!
Like Disneys mulan !Gong Li is the best chinese actress,but her Hollywood movie except memories of a geisha are all bad ,I agree with new chinese movies but she is in the same bad movies in Hollywood!
she is soo STUNNING!
i've seen two of her movies so far - memoirs of a geisha and 2046. she's so gorgeous and gifted as an actress.
Ever since I and my nephew watched mesmerized to the screen, Farewell My Concubine, and Raise the Red Lantern I can safely say Gong Li is the most provocative and beautifully gifted actress of China since our own native Anna May Wong. True roles were denied to Nancy Kwan but today I would love to see more of this iconic actress in the West.
She's exquisite, easily the best actress in the world.
I love her presence. She's got the cocky attitude of us Americans, but she's got the elegance of the Chinese.
I
What she says is true. I go through periods of binging on Thai drama then get sick of it because it can become too predictable. Then I switch to C-drama, K-drama, etc. There are times I think there's too much entertainment company biases that I also stop watching a country's drama for several years.
Oh my GOD I LOVE GONG LI!!! She is the so "sharp and strong" herself. She has been in very awesome Chinese movies; To Live, Rise of the Red Lantern, Shanghai Triad, Temptress Moon... I think most of those were banded from China...
Just saw Qiu Ju recently and I couldn't agree more. Amazing movie and Gong Li did such an incredible job.
she is still beautiful
i hope she will do more hollywood movies b/c i just adore her. she is so talented and beautiful and i want to see more of her.
forever in my heart, Gong Li
Magnífica actriz de cine
great actress, played her roles very well
she doesn't look like many chinese girls. she has a unique look.
This gal is beyond exceptional, way, way, way too under-rated and under-appreciated. Obvious very high intelligence.
yaAAY - I am actually able to understand some of what she's saying. She speaks a very very clear Mandarin so even a beginner like yours truly can make out some :)
shes so beautiful!
I'm sorry, Ms. Li, but I don't think that any man who sees you in a film can forget your face and form. I would recognize you if you were rolled in dung and covered in green scum. You might be the most beautiful woman who has ever lived, at least there's significant doubt on that one. So, no ma'am, you don't look like every other Chinese.
Gosh... i love love love this diva!
What she says is accurate.
loved her on Memoirs of a geisha!
I didn't see any arrogance in her. I see confidence.
Gong Li is such a good actress... in Miami Vice she potrayed a Cuban character and the amazing fact is that she pronounced her lines phonetically and not only in English but also Spanish words since she played a Hispanic character. One fact most people don't know but she's related to Jet Li.... found that info on a website
i agree with you!!! in the 1990s... directors were MUCH BETTER THEN!
@kenichiku FYI and to aznvtec204 as well, she is saying "nei ge" which is basically the english equivalent of saying "that" - it's VERY common to hear Mandarin speakers say "nei ge nei ge..." while they think of what they're trying to say. Similarly to how we say "you know" or "it's like."
LOVE LOVE LOVE this actress!!!
The most beautiful and best Asian actress Of all time
Gong Li you are great !
i have an off topic question. i was watching Memoirs of a geisha and Gong Li did such a wonderful job speaking English, i was wondering if anyone knows whether she spoke English before she made the movie
just saw her in 'shanghai'. boy is she beautiful!!!
i like chinese gils verry much.but this one reaches far beyond my atraction for them.i just so "the memories of a gheisha"and she was ammazing.allthow i thot she was jappanese,because her figuer.stii ...she is amazing.hopefoly i will go to china this year and visit it in its splendor and beauth...watch the movie..you'll know what i am talking about.salut!
Gong Li is hands down one of the most beautiful people in the world. The camera loves her natural beauty. - and this is coming from a "straight" woman.
@Mr888Star Yeah I kind of felt the same. I mean if she didn't really like any scripts she was given she should've just kept it to herself instead of like rat them out you know, even though she didn't really pinpoint them directly. I mean she's got the right to say it 'cause it really is true, I feel the exact same way about HK films nowadays. Oh well she's still gorgeous to me and her acting is phenomenal.
Now, that is one effing beautiful woman!!!
she isn't dissing, she is giving constructive criticism and her concern that THERE ARE good scripts in CHina and so.. but due to censorship, it can't be done.
She is talented, smart and beautiful. She should able to pick and chose what she wants to do. I don't give a damn about "selling out". The world used to have no border so selling out is for ignorant.
@arriviste2020 she didn't accept these scripts not meant she's arrogant .She know what kind of role she can play. She is a perfectionism, always want her role is perfect and make sure that this role wont makes her disapointed .
Gong Li is a beautiful and talented woman. I enjoy her work and appreciate her appearance. In this clip, she seems a bit arrogant and critical. She said more nice things about the construction of her condo than she did about what her country has to offer in her profession. I hope it's just the editing.
gorgeous
Gong Li is amazing
She legend and still humble
beautiful
she is way too beautiful not to be recognized anywhere she went!
even if everyone did think all asians look alike.
She's beautiful and talented . . . . I'd take her over Zhang Ziyi any day!!
Thank you for the recommendation. I'll check it out. :)
She had a boyfriend- a famous Chinese director Zhang Yimou- but it is said Zhang Ziyi swiped him from her. So now is Ziyi called "Little Gong Li" (at least they say) and many people in China are rumored to hate her. They were rivals, I dunno if it continues. But i think they still hate each other.
thx for the upload...hehe
love u gong li...
Look for "A World Without Thieves" Get the Chinese version if you can as the western release skips some scenes (I don't know why they do that). The movie is from 2004.
@missbs1 she is a chinese woman and she expected that, appreciated that. she usually speaks chinese everytime but sometime she speaking eng it's her voice , she can speak Eng better than Zhang Ziyi or other chinese stars :) just because of her respect to her country
Very true but to counter this arguement - theirs is a completely different society and if you want to compare (and assume all societies are becoming the same), then they are also socially several decades behind. They haven't had the history of social conflict that we've had, and we have developed to a multicultural pluralism, whereas they are not even close to this yet.
Still think she is beautiful and I really hope she isnt one of colin farrels conquests seeing as they did miami vice and hes got such a bad rep it would be a shame if she was :0( dont get me wrong her private life is her business but I would love to think of her not falling for the charms of a notorious womaniser she deserves a lot better :0).
@missbs1 The hear say is she lacks confidence on that front, but yes, that was her voice in "Memoirs of a Geisha".
wow this clip been produced 15years ago. Now already 2023
@areo2010 What part did Gong Li play in Ip Man? I do not see her name listed in the cast of the film or on IMDB. I see the name Lynn Hung, who played Ip Man's wife. If that's who you meant, maybe that's what Ms. Gong meant by americans think Chinese all look alike.
I'm pretty sure she could. I vaguely remember her saying in an interview that she liked speaking with native speakers because she can understand them, but with interviews she's still somewhat uncomfortable with the language.
She's in a nasty mood isn't she? Her every comment is barbed and double edged. OOOOOH she's soooo beautiful. Jus love her whatever she does...my heart broke for her in MEMOIRS OF A GEISHA.
such a devastatingly beautiful woman... *sigh*
awwww what a sweet accent
@GokuTheAndroid
actually, it was the other way around. gong li was director zhang yi mou's main leading actress and the most popular in asia. then, zhang zi yi replaced her as zhang yi mou's main actress starting with Crouching Tiger..., and that was the first chinese movie that was really popular in the US. then gong li did that miami vice thing, and americans finally heard of her.
Her accent is kinda all over the place like little northern here, little souther there, and she adds english words in. fascinating.
imagine Gong Li with Angeline Jolie in a movie. OMG.. must watch~!
Species belonging to the Genus Equidae:
E. asinus - Donkey
E. africanus - African Wild Ass
E. caballus - Domestic Horse
E. ferus - Wild Horse
E. grevyi - Grevy's Zebra
E. hemionus - Onager
E. kiang - Kiang
E. quagga - Plains Zebra
E. zebra - Mountain Zebra
She's right
I do acting here and she is absolutely right..
This isn't so much her taking a swipe as it is her making her own observation on mainland China's film industry.
She's awesome. I'd give up both my hands to talk with her for an hour, haha. :P
@aznvtec204 she's speaking in a mandarin, a completely different language than English. Just informing you, just in case you didn't catch the subtitles at the bottom.
Amazing & beautiful lady
although famed Chinese American cinematographer won Oscar not only one but two ages ago, check out James Wong Howe. Not a director though.