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The DownLow with Zhang Ziyi

By Ji Hyun Lim | AsianWeek
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When this 23-year-old actress is not soaring through the air with Chow Yun Fat in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or kicking Jackie Chan’s ass in Rush Hour 2, Zhang Ziyi is busy as the new ambassador for TAG Heuer watches. On May 2, Ziyi will be making an appearance at Macy’s in Union Square, San Francisco to show off the new Alter Ego Fashion Color watch collection that sports the ad campaign “What are you made of?” AsianWeek had a chance to catch Ziyi in the midst of her busy work schedule.

AsianWeek: Where do you consider home and why?

Zhang Ziyi: Home is Bejing. I grew up there, and my parents and my brother live there as well. I am very close to them, and I would never want to live far away from them. Also my teachers and classmates are all in the same city; I would miss my friends if I didn’t live in Bejing!

AW: What would you do if you weren’t acting?

ZZ: Acting has been my only profession. I would very much like to open a kindergarten one day. For me, being with kids all day is my ideal job.

AW: Did you think Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon would be popular in America and why?

ZZ: Like everyone else involved in the movie, I never thought it would be so successful. It was a wonderful surprise. It’s especially nice that it’s now gained a whole new audience for Asian movies. [It’s also] gone on to inspire a lot of Asian movie making.

AW: How long have you studied martial arts?

ZZ: I trained as a dancer from age 11, and I am lucky to have had that training there. It means I am agile, flexible and athletic, all of which are useful for learning the martial arts moves in my movies. I am also lucky to have great martial arts directors like Yuen Ho Ping teach me. He knows how to protect me from injuries.

AW: What is the difference between shooting a movie in America and shooting one in Asia?

ZZ: There is a great difference. The conditions in the States are much better than those in China. In the States, the actors are given their own trailers, for example. In China, there is no such thing as a trailer. When the actors are not working, they usually get together and have tea and chat instead of retiring to a separate space. This makes the atmosphere quite different.

AW: What projects are you currently working on?

ZZ: I’ve just finished Hero, the new movie from Zhang Yimou. He directed my first movie, The Road Home. It was great to work with him again. This movie stars Jet Li, Maggie Cheung and Tony Leung. It’s a beautiful movie; I know everyone will love it. Next I’ll be shooting Wong Kar Wei’s 2046, a futuristic movie.