Women of Substance
Actress Gong Li
On The Forceful Females
In Film That Inspire Her
"I love characters that live life to the fullest," says actress Gong Li, whose status as a darling of the international movie circuit was recently confirmed by her starring role in the blockbuster "Miami Vice." Ms. Gong has played a panoply of female characters, not all of them admirable, but each one a powerful force. In her debut film, "Red Sorghum" (1987), the Chinese actress played a bride who overcomes her natural meekness to take over her husband's winery after his death. A recent incarnation saw her play, in "Memoirs of a Geisha," a controlling Japanese geisha with a bitterly jealous and competitive personality. "I view each woman as a human being," she says. "Everyone has flaws and you cannot judge them to be a good or bad person based on their flaws."
In May, Ms. Gong finished shooting "Curse of the Golden Flower" in China. The film sees her reunited with celebrated director Zhang Yimou; the pair hadn't worked together since their romantic relationship ended in 1995. In the movie, set during the Tang dynasty (A.D. 618-907), she's simply referred to as the queen -- a woman who tries to overthrow her husband, the king. "She is not like any other character I have ever played," says Ms. Gong. "The character is a tormented woman with a lot of repressed emotions."
She shares with Weekend Journal the celluloid women that have influenced her most.
Virginia Woolf played by Nicole Kidman, in "The Hours" (2002)
Three eras, three stories and three women come together in "The Hours." Virginia Woolf and her novel "Mrs. Dalloway" provide the backbone for the movie's plot, which flits between the stories of Ms. Woolf in the early 1920s, a 1950s homemaker and a present-day book editor. Each woman suffers from depression or is dealing with issues related to suicide. "I play characters that are strong, brave, and with personality. These are all traits I admire in a woman," says Ms. Gong. "Woolf may not seem like she was all these things, but I think in her own strange way she was."
Velma Kelly played by Catherine Zeta-Jones, in "Chicago" (2002)
In the musical "Chicago," Velma Kelly is a nightclub star who gains even bigger celebrity after she kills her cheating husband. Together with the most famous murderess in town, Roxie Hart (Renée Zellweger), the two women struggle to get what they both want: freedom and fame. "This character has so much passion and energy. I love her tenacity and unwillingness to admit defeat," says Ms. Gong, "She is definitely a woman with attitude -- definitely. I love that."
Mia Wallace played by Uma Thurman, in "Pulp Fiction" (1994)
A tale of violence and redemption, the multilayered plot of "Pulp Fiction" follows two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife and a pair of small-time robbers, as their lives become intertwined. Uma Thurman plays the gangster's wife, Mia Wallace, who is taken out for dinner by Vincent Vega (John Travolta), a hit man employed by her husband; the evening, which begins with victory in a dance competition, nearly ends in tragedy. "Like I said before, I like women with personality. How can you forget the dancing scene with John Travolta?" says Ms. Gong.
Clarice Starling played by Jodie Foster, in "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991)
Clarice Starling, a young FBI agent, is assigned to help find a missing woman and save her from a psychopathic killer. To complete her mission, she has to find one serial killer by interviewing another, Dr. Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins), a sinister master criminal with cannibalistic tendencies. "She has a job that's stereotypically male," Ms. Gong says. "But she can achieve things no man can, precisely because she is a woman. She's smart and tough."
Mathilda played by Natalie Portman, in "Léon -- The Professional" (1994)
This violent thriller tells the story of a 12-year-old girl, Mathilda, whose parents are murdered in a drug-related conspiracy, and her neighbor Léon, a childlike professional assassin who reluctantly takes her in. As their relationship develops, Mathilda emerges as the wiser and stronger one. "Mathilda is mature beyond her years. She's so young yet she has experienced much more than the average person," says Ms. Gong. "She is just a kid, but you have so much respect for her."
巩俐心仪的荧幕女性形象
我热爱那些拥有丰富生活阅历的角色，中国女星巩俐如是说。作为一位在国际影坛功成名就的女演员，她最近出演的好莱坞大片《迈阿密风云》(Miami Vice)再次证明了她在电影界的巨星地位。
巩俐扮演过诸多类型的女性人物，虽然这些角色并非都惹人喜爱，但她们都无一例外地充满著力量。在巩俐的处女作《红高粱》中，她扮演的新娘克服了女性逆来顺受的天性，在丈夫去世后掌管了他的烧酒坊。她最近在《艺伎回忆录》(Memoirs of a Geisha)中饰演的角色更是一个妒忌心强、争强好胜并且具有控制欲望的日本艺伎。“我认为每个女性角色都是人，”巩俐说。“每个人都有缺点，你不能根据她们的缺点来判断她们是好人还是坏人。”
巩俐今年5月在中国结束了《满城尽带黄金甲》的拍摄工作。这是她和著名导演张艺谋在1995年结束恋爱关系后的首次合作。《满城尽带黄金甲》以唐朝（公元618-907年）为背景，巩俐在片中扮演意图推翻丈夫（皇帝）政权的皇后。“这个人物与我之前演过的角色都不一样，”巩俐说。“她是一个饱受痛苦、感情受到极大压抑的女性。”
巩俐与《华尔街日报》周末版分享了对她影响最大的几个荧幕女性形象。
《岁月如歌（又译：时时刻刻）》(The Hours, 2002)中由尼科尔?基德曼(Nicole Kidman)扮演的弗吉尼亚?伍尔夫（Virginia Woolf)
《岁月如歌》讲述了三个时代、三位女性的三段故事。弗吉尼亚?伍尔夫及她的小说《达洛韦夫人》(Mrs. Dalloway)是贯穿全片的主轴，影片穿梭于20世纪20年代的伍尔夫、50年代的一个家庭妇女以及一位现代女编辑的故事当中。这三个人物或经受消沉之痛，或不得不应对自杀之类的问题。“我扮演的人物通常都坚强、勇敢而且有个性。这些也是我所欣赏的女性特质，”巩俐说。“伍尔夫看起来似乎并不具备所有这些特点，但是我认为她以自己奇特的方式将它们展现了出来。”
《芝加哥》(Chicago, 2002)中凯瑟琳?泽塔琼斯(Catherine Zeta-Jones)扮演的维尔玛?凯莉(Velma Kelly)
音乐剧《芝加哥》中的维尔玛?凯莉是一位夜总会明星，她在杀死出轨的丈夫后更是声名大噪。她和另一位全城最有名的女杀人犯罗克茜?哈特(Roxie Hart)一起竭尽全力争取她们梦寐以求的东西：自由和名利。“这个人物充满了激情和能量。我喜欢她的坚韧以及永不认输的意志，”巩俐说，“她绝对是一个有信念的女性──绝对是。我喜欢这一点。”
《低俗小说》(Pulp Fiction, 1994)中乌玛?瑟曼(Uma Thurman)扮演的咪雅?瓦利亚塞(Mia Wallace)
《低俗小说》讲述了一个有关暴力和救赎的故事，它的多条线索围绕两个职业杀手、一个拳击手、一个黑社会老大的妻子以及一对低劣的抢劫者展开，这些人的生活最终交织在一起。咪雅?瓦利亚塞是黑社会老大的妻子。一天她丈夫派其雇佣的职业杀手文森?维加(Vincent Vega)带她出去吃晚饭。他们那天晚上在一场舞蹈比赛中获胜，但是这个开头不错的夜晚险些以悲剧收场。巩俐说，正如我以前提到的，我喜欢有个性的女性。咪雅与文森（约翰?特洛沃塔(John Travolta)饰）那段舞蹈太令人难忘了。
《沉默的羔羊》(The Silence of the Lambs, 1991)中朱迪?福斯特(Jodie Foster)扮演的克拉丽斯?斯达林(Clarice Starling)
身为联邦调查局官员的克拉丽斯?斯达林接到一项任务：帮助寻找一位失踪妇女，将她从精神变态的杀手手中解救出来。为了完成自己的任务抓到那个连环杀手，她必须与另一个阴险至极的罪犯汉尼伯?莱克特(Hannibal Lecter)谈话。莱克特（安东尼?普金斯(Anthony Hopkins)饰）曾是一位医生，但现在却是具有食人倾向的精神变态罪犯。“她做的是传统的男性工作，”巩俐说。“但是恰恰因为她是个女人，她能够做到男人做不到的事情。她很聪明、坚韧。”
《这个杀手不太冷》(Leon--The Professional, 1994)中娜塔莉?波特曼(Natalie Portman)扮演的马蒂尔达(Mathilda)
这部暴力惊悚片讲述了这样一个故事：小女孩马蒂尔达的父母在一桩毒品阴谋中被谋杀后，她的邻居职业杀手里昂(Leon)不情愿地收留了她。随著他们关系的不断发展，马蒂尔达逐渐变得比里昂更聪明和坚强。“马蒂尔达有与她那个年龄不相称的成熟。她很小，但是她的经历却远远超过普通人，”巩俐说。“她只是个孩子，但是你会对她肃然起敬。”
Juying Qin
