No longer INNOCENT
Actress Vicki Zhao has come a long way since her My Fair Princess days
By Gan Ling Kai
November 24, 2009
 
 

ONE woman, many faces – that’s Vicki ZhaoWei.

In her latest film, Mulan, the Chinese actress plays Hua Mulan, the famous woman warrior in Chinese forklore.

The real-life heroine pretended to be a man and took the place of her father in the army to fight invading foreign tribes.

Her story has been dramatised in movies, operas and even a Disney cartoon.

Vicki, 33, said she could understand the role well ‘because I’m a bit like her’.

She told The New Paper over the phone from Shanghai last Thursday: ‘Mulan never does anything for herself. As actors, we must have this quality too.’

‘I’m usually willing to help others. I’m not calculative; otherwise, it’s very tiring.’

But recent reports have painted Vicki as the exact opposite – a self-centred, boyfriend-stealing vixen.

Hong Kong’s Next Magazine accused her of snatching the fiance of Miss Hong Kong 2005 Tracy Ip – a certain Mr Huang Youlong, a 30-year-old real estate magnate from China.

It also reported that Vicki married Mr Huang in Singapore in August.

The New Paper’s checks with the Registry of Marriages here did not throw up any records of such a marriage.

And during our interview, Vicki rubbished the allegations, saying: ‘There’s no such thing.’

In China the Guangzhou Daily newspaper reported in September that Vicky had denied she is married, though she admitted she had found a life partner.

Meanwhile, Tracy confirmed to the Hong Kong media that she once dated Mr Huang. And there have been press reports that the two were engaged.

But Tracy would not confirm whether Vicki had indeed snatched her man.

And Vicki told The New Paper: ‘I won’t comment further, otherwise I will be accused of creating news deliberately.’

Actor Chen Kun – who played Vicki’s love interest in Mulan and last year’s Painted Skin – told The New Paper over the phone from Beijing in a separate interview that Vicki is easy-going.

‘She likes to joke a lot, but she’s very serious when it comes to acting,’ he said.

Vicki’s roles have definitely evolved.

She first rose to international fame with her portrayal of a wilful princess in the 1997 Chinese drama My Fair Princess.

Since then, she has appeared in movies such as Red Cliff, Warriors Of Heaven And Earth, So Close, Chinese Odyssey 2002 and Shaolin Soccer.

In Mulan, she plays yet another feisty woman, who becomes a military general.

Said Vicki: ‘This is the most demanding role I have undertaken.

‘I not only had to act as a man, but I had to fight while riding a horse. There were also many emotional scenes.’

She went through two weeks of rigorous physical training to get used to wearing heavy armour and ’slitting enemy throats’ with a sword.

Maturity

Her on-screen transition in characters mirrors her maturity in real life, said Vicki.

‘In My Fair Princess, I was a naive and innocent girl. But in Mulan, I had to shoulder many responsibilities as a military commander. I could take on this role only because I have experienced a lot in life.’

Vicki has also become more composed and adept in handling controversies over the years.

In 2001, pictures of her in a dress featuring the Japanese rising sun symbol were published in the Chinese magazine Fashion.

The emblem, associated with Japanese imperialism, irked Chinese readers and media.

Vicki, through her spokesman, blamed the magazine publishers and the American designer of the dress, claiming that she could not object to wearing it because it was part of a New York fashion shoot.

But that failed to appease her detractors. Following boycotts of her in China, she was forced to make several public apologies.

In contrast, during the recent interview, she remained calm and amicable even when questions about her controversies, past and present, were raised.

Perhaps that’s because she is clear about what she wants in life.

‘I won’t respond to what others are saying,’ said Vicki.

‘My main goal now is to improve my acting skills. Without dreams, we would be crippled.’

Mulan opens in cinemas here on Thursday

Was Stefanie Sun director’s first pick for Mulan role?

IT seems that Vicki Zhao was not thefirst choice to play the lead role inMulan.

The role was initially offered to someone who is not even famous for acting, reported Chinese media.

Jingle Ma, the Hong Kong-based director of Mulan, reportedly first approached Singapore singer Stefanie Sun, 31, but she turned it down because she couldn’t fit in the filming schedule.

How does Vicki, who is regarded as one of the top four actresses in China alongside Zhang Ziyi, Zhou Xun and XuJinglei, feel about such reports?

‘I can’t say if it’s true or not,’ she told The New Paper.

‘But if this is indeed the case, maybe it’s because Yanzi (Stefanie’s Chinese name) doesn’t want to act. Or perhaps I was chosen because I have more acting experience.’

But she said Stefanie does suit the image of Hua Mulan.

Vicki told the media at Mulan’s Beijing premiere last week: ‘Yanzi is suitable for the part. Don’t just look at her petite frame. She has an androgynous air about her.’

Stefanie, who also attended the event, said: ‘I don’t think I can act, especially if it’s a period film. I’m still more handy with singing.’

And that’s what she does in Mulan – singing the theme song Mulan Qing (Mandarin For The Heart Of Mulan).

Songwriter Li Weisong, who co-produced the Mulan soundtrack with his brother Sisong, has hinted that Stefanie may still play Mulan – in a theatre production.

Beijing Starlight International Media is slated to present the Hua Mulan story as a musical next year, and the Li brothers will be involved with its music production.

 

The NewPaper