Interview with actor Gong Li who plays Hatsumomo in Memoirs of a Geisha. Born in Shenyang, grew up in Jinan her first film role was the lead in "Red Sorghum", the initial directing effort by Zhang Yi-mou.

Q. What drew you to this character? What did you like about the geisha Hatsumomo?
Gong Li - She is a very different character from the ones I've played before - a beautiful diamond, a woman with many different facets. But like a diamond, there are some flaws deep inside her. She is very complex, almost like a flame, burning. She has a strong relationship with love, hate and jealousy, and all these facets were very fresh to me as an actress.

Q. Some actresses say they find their character through the way they walk, sometimes through a piece of clothing or even a song. How do you "find" a character like Hatsumomo?
Gong Li - For me, the process usually starts from the inside, from the heart. Of course I've tried to understand Hatsumomo through her make-up, her costumes, and also her appearance matters too, but what really mattered to me was thinking about her inner life and getting through that with her eyes. She has a special way of looking at people, and of course the eyes can express what is inside of you. Once I got that, and added the costumes, the make-up and everything, I was really able to get into the character. This took me over a month. When it finally happened, I really felt I was living as Hatsumomo on a daily basis for the whole process of shooting.

Q. In a published interview, the director, Rob Marshall, talked about the final face off between your character and Ziyi Zhang's. He said that it was incredibly emotional and you stayed in character even after they finished shooting the sequence. It's one of the greatest moments of the movie. Describe what it was like to perform that scene.
Gong Li - We spent a lot of time, about five months or so, filming the movie on that set, so the whole set felt very special and intimate to me, almost like a home. In the end, when Hatsumomo is there and everything goes up in flames, it's a moment of great passion and self-sacrifice and self-destruction. She burns everything, loses everything. This is the place she's lived her whole life, and it houses everything: her beautiful clothes, her private things. When it all goes up in flames, it is a moment of destruction and catastrophe.

Q. You have worked with some brilliant filmmakers from China. Is there a difference between the ways Rob Marshall works compared with the Chinese? How would you describe his style as a director?
Gong Li - The most extraordinary thing about Rob Marshall is the way he works. For one thing: he is always encouraging, always supportive. Whatever we do, he says "Perfect", "Elegant", "Very Good", etc. (laughs) Even if you're not the best actress in the world, he will keep supporting and encouraging, so that you will feel like "oh my Gosh, I'm such a great actress, I can be a great actress!' (laughs) And this really helped us a lot, because it really inspired us to give him our all. Every time we tried a scene, we would give him more and more. The other thing about Rob Marshall is his way of rehearsing. We rehearsed the whole film all the way through, from beginning to end, before we started shooting each scene. We had to memorize all the lines. They set up a simple set for us to practice and we ran our lines, adjusting some, so we knew what we were doing when we actually started filming it. We rehearsed the whole thing even before we split up the screenplay into shots, so we knew the whole script all the way through. This is something we just don't do in China. And it's very refreshing and different for me. And now I'm convinced this is a very good way to work (laughs).

Q. You are an acclaimed international actress, with references of fine acting from many directors. Even though you have this status, you've been reluctant to do a movie in America. Why? Were you offered too many stereotypical roles?
Gong Li - Yes. I didn't want to play stereotypical roles, like the pretty Asian face (laughs). Those roles don't seem to have much to explore. I could not develop anything about my own acting in those roles. You could find any different actress to play them, just about anybody, and they really didn't need me specifically. Memoirs of a Geisha was a perfect opportunity and this character was a big challenge for me. In the end, after I was able to play the role, I felt: 'well, there are all sorts of other roles that I could play very easily now.'

Q. Ten years ago, in an interview to the New York Times, you said: "I don't see myself as a star. An actress is nothing remarkable". And we don't need to read interviews to realize that you are a reluctant star. How do you see the big promotional machinery actors have at their disposal right now, like magazine covers, primetime TV, etc.?
Gong Li - The main thing, of course, is the work I've done. Everybody needs to work and have a role in society. You can't stay at home all the time! Acting is my job; it's everything I can do. As far as the star system in Hollywood, it's a matter of work. I've played many characters; I've performed in films and all these other things like doing magazine interviews, photo shoots and publicity interviews, that's part of work too. I don't think it has something to do with me personally. It's not about me. It's about the work. For example, after finishing a film, you have to go and do these interviews. If you don't do it, it will be very unprofessional. I don't feel like it's about me. I'm not trying to make myself look better. It's all about the work of film.

Q. In the past, you've been the head or part of the jury of prestigious international film festivals like Cannes, Berlin, Tokyo and Venice. I was wondering if you can comment on what kind of movie or filmmakers you enjoy watching.
Gong Li - I usually prefer art films, films that were able to move your heart or give you something to think about for a long a time. I enjoy the type of films that inspire me to be seated in the movie theater after it ended instead of: "OK, the film is over, and now... what's for dinner?" (laughs). Films like Dancer in the Dark (Lars von Trier) or the Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola). These films were created by great directors and give you something to think about it.

Q. In China, you have worked with geniuses like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige. Ten years later, they are a big reference to filmmakers like Quentin Tarantino and Ang Lee. What do you think about this?
Gong Li - That's fine with me. Nowadays people are learning from those films, and even copying or remaking them. Ju Dou, Raise the Red Lantern and The Story of Qiu Ju are all great influential films.

Q. What about the new generation of Chinese filmmakers? Are we going to see the next Zhang Yimou or Chen Kaige soon?
Gong Li - There's been a lot of commercialization in Chinese cinema recently. This can bring improvement or development in art and cultural fields too. There are some aspects of commercialization that I think are not so good. For example, sometimes directors, in pursuit of high box office or to attract a bigger group of audience, will cast stars from the music business or dance stars and put them all together in their film. I don't think this is necessarily a good thing. But, at the same time, there is a group of young talent right now in China that say, "maybe we should look back and develop some artistic films." It's very important to be able to tell a good story, a story that can move people. And I think some of our Chinese directors are moving in that direction now.

Q. Are there any American directors that you would like to work with in the future?
Gong Li - Recently, I've been working with some American directors. Right now I'm working with Michael Mann on Miami Vice, and after that I'm working with Peter Weber on Young Hannibal: Behind the Mask. Rob Marshall is a very good director. After I finished shooting Memoirs of a Geisha, I told him: "I really hope there is another chance for us to work together. Next time that you have a film with a room for me, just come look for me. You don't have to worry if it's a big part or a small role. Just come and ask me. I would like to do it." As far as Chinese directors, I hope I'll have more opportunities to work with some of the great directors like Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Wong Kar-wai. I hope these directors watch my recent films, the ones I'm doing in America. Perhaps they'll see a new side of me. "Ah, Gong Li! She also can do this kind of role. She can take this new direction" (laughs). Some directors in Asia have this idea that when an Asian actor goes to America, they tend to play small roles and always the same roles. I hope they will be able to see some of these roles that I'm playing now and the differences between them.

Q. Lastly, how tough was it for you to walk in those kimonos?
Gong Li - (laughs). They are extremely beautiful, aren't they? I really want to thank Colleen Atwood, the costume designer, for making those beautiful pieces of clothing. When you put them on, they are very tight, especially that part in the middle. It is also very heavy. When you sit down, you cannot bend in a normal way. You have to sit in a very straight position and hold your posture. If you feel tired, you cannot just bend over. On the other hand, when you put them on and you stand straight, you start feeling taller, or feeling like an empress. It can really make you feel great. But after wearing those for a dozen hours of shooting, I felt sorry for those geishas and the notion of them having to entertain people, drinking singing and dancing, for the whole night. I guess they might have felt so tired!

Related Links
Memoirs of a Geisha Movie Review