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Zhang Ziyi

Zhang Ziyi Quotes

Film actress

Zhang Ziyi, born on February 9, 1979, is a renowned Chinese film actress. She has won the love of audiences at home and abroad with her excellent acting skills and unique temperament, representing works such as 'The Legend of Zhen Huan' and 'Hero'.

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All Film Thinking Actors Ifs Chinese Hard Hollywood Knows People Want

Famous Zhang Ziyi Quotes

“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.”

Art Film Difficult Being The Best Martial Arts

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

Ifs Knows Film Actors Capable Built Chosen Lead In

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

World Today Internet News China Trends

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“When I watch a movie for the first few times I'm usually thinking about where I was in a given scene, who was next to me, what we were doing etc. But after I've gotten through all of this, when I'm really watching the film itself, then I get moved.”

Thinking Firsts Film Next Given Watches Scene Moved Etc

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

Needs Looks Film Young Girl Next Concern Pretty Girl Starlets

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“Chinese women are much more modest than American women when it comes to clothes. We tend to show less flesh.”

Shows Clothes Flesh Chinese Modest American Woman

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“Even though I've done Hollywood films, I still don't think of myself as a Hollywood actress.”

Thinking Stills Done Film Hollywood Actresses Hollywood Films

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“For myself I don't like the geisha look. It's like a mask.”

Looks Mask Geisha

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

Ifs Thinking Hard Character Hollywood Chinese Really Great Asian Great Character

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“I really want to do something in Europe. With a small movie, it can be an interesting challenge. But I have to get the right project. I don't think it's so important to go to Hollywood. All that trash that comes out of there! I don't want to do that.”

Thinking Want Important Challenges Interesting Projects Europe Hollywood Trash

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“I suspect people always thought I had a boyfriend, so nobody came after me.”

People Suspects

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“I want, through my roles, to express the parts in the hearts of Chinese women that they feel unable to let out.”

Want Feels Heart Roles Chinese

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“I was really interested in geishas' work, and wanted to meet real geishas.”

Real Wanted Geisha

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“I've discovered that I value simplicity above all in dressing. I don't like anything I wear to be too complicated or fussy.”

Values Simplicity Complicated Dressings Fussy

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

Want Hard Wanted Actors Groups Disappear Traditional Chinese Dancer Unfair Working So Hard

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

Parent Class Chosen Enjoyed Performers Dance Class

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“I enjoy being an actress a lot, because I can feel different women's lives. I have the chance to feel like a geisha one day, and on another day maybe a scientist. That's the interesting part for me. My profession has helped me to grow up.”

Grows Growing Up Profession

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“Whatever you see - any good results - are all from the pressure.”

Results Pressure

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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!”

Whole Technology Clear Hollywood More Money

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“From my opinion, 'geisha' means a woman skilled in the arts. Like dancing, singing and playing musical instruments.”

Mean Art Opinion Singing Instruments Dancing Dance Musical Musical Instruments Geisha

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

People Said Trust Amount Reports Trust Me

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“There's nothing in Chinese culture that is an equivalent of the geisha. It's so different, so special to Japan.”

Different Culture Special Chinese Japan Geisha Chinese Culture

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“When two people first meet, they can only have a very ordinary kind of friendship. But when you begin to understand each other, when you get close to them, you discover that you're suddenly eager to know him or her even better.”

People Knows Firsts Kind Two Ordinary Lost Friendship

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“Men are different. When they are in love they may also have other girlfriends.”

Men Love May Different Girlfriend

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“A movie has its own fate, which often doesn’t depend on the performances of the director and actors.”

Actors Fate Depends Directors Performances

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

Giving Wanted School Mother Courses Voice Heard Mom Giving Up My Mom Motherhood Hiding Hiding Place Just Give Up

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

Littles School Sleep Police Grass Ran Hiding Find Me No Sleep Thickets

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“Absolutely not, because in acting I've found a domain that suits me perfectly. And that is so utterly rare.”

Found Acting Suits Domain

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

School Young Girl Teacher Affection Atmosphere Hated Competing

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“That whole environment was just incompatible with my beliefs and my personality. It was a dark time for me.”

Whole Belief Dark Environment Personality Environmental Dark Times

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

Ends Hard Chance Trust Satisfied Worried

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

People Whole Jobs Opportunity Whole Life Aerospace

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“I don't care if you love me or not. I'll love you anyway.”

Ifs Care Love You Don't Care I Don't Care If You Love Me

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“I wanted to become a kindergarten teacher like my mother.”

Wanted Mother Teacher Kindergarten Kindergarten Teacher

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

Knows Long Beautiful Time Known Long Time Skins China

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“There are actors who spend 20 years working and still don't achieve what I've achieved so quickly. So I think my only course of action is to work as hard as I can, not just for the sake of the film, but also to prove to these people that I do have talent.”

People Thinking Years Stills I Can Hard Action Film Courses Actors Achieve Talent Prove Sake Can Not

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“There was one very special scene at the end of the film. My character, Zhao Di, has been sick. She wakes up and her mother tells her that the man she loves has come back from the city and had spent the day by her bedside.”

Men Has Beens Ends Character Film Mother Cities Special He Man Scene Sick Wake Up

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“There are films you see that only reach your eyes. Then there are films that you can watch... that reach down to your throat, or reach your heart. "In the Mood for Love," though, reached all the way to my belly.”

Way Heart Eye Film Watches Mood Throat Belly

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

Ifs Thinking Knows Want Life War My Own Happenings Disaster My Own Life

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“Obviously I'd love to work with any of these great directors because every time I've worked with them I've gained a tremendous amount as an actor. Each director has his own way of pushing you towards improving yourself.”

Way Love Actors Self Love Amount Directors Pushing Improving Improving Yourself

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“Yes. Otherwise I could have done a lot of Hollywood movies. After Crouching Tiger I got a lot of offers, but I turned them down because they were all victim roles - poor girls sold to America to be a wife or whatever. I know I have the ability to go deeper, to take on more original roles than that.”

Knows Done America Girl Ability Poor Roles Wife Offers Hollywood Originals Victim Deeper Movie Tigers Hollywood Movies

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

Ifs Want Matter Film Actors Opportunity Western Arise Western Films

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“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.”

Feels Success Blood Tears Willing Paid Shed

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“China's cinema has been rising for some time; it has more exposure, so my chances of becoming internationally known are better. But the first thing I have to do is learn English. If I can grasp the language, then perhaps I can think about the U.S.”

Ifs Thinking Firsts Has Beens I Can Time Language Chance Known Becoming China Cinema Rising Exposure

Author:Zhang Ziyi

“After I learn more English, I'll work hard and make more films.”

Hard Film Work Hard Work

Author:Zhang Ziyi

About the Author

Born: February 9, 1979
Known for: Film actress
Quotes: 45

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