Hollywood hard for Asians, says Zhang Ziyi
(Agencies)
Updated: 2005-05-24 10:00

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, star of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," is happy with a supporting role in Hollywood, where Asian performers like her will always struggle to compete.

Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi poses during red carpet arrivals for U.S. director Tommy Lee Jones' in-competition film 'Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada' at the 58th Cannes Film Festival May 20, 2005. [Reuters]

An "A-lister" in Asia, and one of China's most famous faces abroad, the petite actress said she was working hard on her English language skills but had no plans to leave Beijing.

"Even though I've done Hollywood films, I still don't think of myself as a Hollywood actress," Zhang told Reuters Friday in an interview in Cannes, where she is promoting her latest movie "Princess Raccoon" by Japanese director Seijun Suzuki.

"I never thought that one day I would move to Hollywood or to the United States," said Zhang, 26, who also starred in other Chinese-made international box office hits such as "House of Flying Daggers" and "Hero."

"I still think I'm just happy to be in Beijing, to be in my home town, where I feel my home is," she added in English, which she has been learning for upcoming film "Memoirs of a Geisha."

Zhang is a name to be reckoned with in the movie industry.

While her interview in Cannes had none of the media frenzy surrounding the likes of celebrity heiress Paris Hilton or the cast of "Sin City," she appears on U.S. magazine Time's latest list of the 100 world's most influential people.

"Having done superb work for the top auteurs of all three Chinas (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan), Zhang had no industry left to conquer but Hollywood, which she may have done by snagging the title role in Steven Spielberg's 'Memoirs of a Geisha'," the magazine wrote.

But Zhang believes there is no easy way for actresses like her to break into the U.S. movie mainstream, even if they are already recognized around the world.

"I always think it's really hard if you are Asian or Chinese to be really in Hollywood," she said.

"There are not so many really great characters for you. I always think you are lucky to get offered (something like) 'Memoirs of a Geisha', but I don't think it will happen all the time."

Zhang said Chinese cinema, which celebrated its centenary in Cannes this year, would gradually shake off its reputation for producing only highly stylised, period martial arts films like "Crouching Tiger" and "Flying Daggers."

"For the Chinese movie, I think martial arts movies are quite a quick and easy way for Chinese producers to get more of an audience," she said.

"I think in the future, for the Western audience if they get used to these kinds of Chinese movies then they will shift to other repertory."

She cited the example of "2046," a futuristic romance released last year in which she also starred.

In "Princess Raccoon," Zhang plays Princess Tanuki in a theater-like film of nymphs and spirits, dance and song.

"We had to learn dance, because we have three dances in the film," Zhang said. "For me especially, as a Japanese movie I had to learn Japanese which is really difficult."

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