Hero: A Satisfactory Answering Paper

At the same time that Rush Hour 2 was being screened in China, Zhang Ziyi was on the casting team of Zhang Yimou's Hero, marking the actress and director's second cooperation. Li Lianjie, Liao Chaowei, and Zhang Manyu (all famous Hong Kong stars) were also among the cast. Hero was hailed as the first real blockbuster among domestic films and the most ambitious work in the history of Chinese film.

In the film, Zhang acted as the maiden Ru Yue, who carries the sword for her masters, a man and a woman who are highly adept in martial arts.

Zhang Ziyi in Hero

Regarding the role, she said, "I didn't find a single line of the role until I had turned a dozen pages of the script; it was really a very small role."

But she decided to join the shooting team the moment she finished reading the script, as participation is what she sought. Therefore, although her role was just 15 minutes long, Zhang Ziyi stayed on the team for over half a year, participating in the whole shooting process.

Despite the very small role, Zhang Ziyi's performing skills improved a lot, which was very significant for her. As she said, she found one day, to her surprise, she had learned how to control a role.

Concerning her second cooperation with Zhang Yimou, Zhang Ziyi said by way of an analogy that The Road Home was like a qualification test and Hero an answering paper. Fortunately, the director was satisfied with the paper.

  House of Flying Daggers : Fulfilling A Dream

Zhang Ziyi in House of Flying Daggers

Zhang Ziyi had always dreamed of starring in the role of a blind girl, and her dream came true when Zhang Yimou invited her to play the leading role in his new film House of Flying Daggers (2004).

In the film, Zhang starred as the blind Xiao Mei, the daughter of the chief of a gang, named "Flying Dagger." Hoping to take revenge on those who killed her entire family, Xiao Mei becomes a dancer performer in a dance house and in the process gets involved in a love triangle with the other leading characters.

Though not well received in China, the film was highly praised abroad. On October 9, 2004, Zhang Yimou and Zhang Ziyi, bringing with them the new film, stepped onto the red carpet of the " 42nd New York Film Festival."

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