Li Bingbing: A Taste of Hollywood

by Yang Lin

Following her 2012 film I Do， Li Bingbing disappeared from public sight for almost a year until a special screening party for Resident Evil： Retribution on March 16 of this year， when she returned from America to meet her Chinese fans.

Over the past year， in addition to shooting the big budget action flick， the actress spent nearly six months studying in United States and living alone in Los Angeles. Her life abroad left as deep an impact on the actress as shooting the movie.

In July 2011， when Li was promoting Snow Flower and the Secret Fan in the U.S.， she happened to meet Paul W.S. Anderson， the director of Resident Evil， and the two discussed working together. After tailoring a role for her， Li was cast as Ada Wong in Resident Evil： Retribution. The actress has much to say about production modes in Hollywood， which differ greatly from what she experienced in China. “In China， the relationship between the entire production team really matters，” she explains. “In Hollywood， the law matters.” Li recalled a day during the shoot when she felt sick to her stomach. After she mentioned this to a colleague， a doctor arrived quickly. She asked to continue working， but was politely refused. “I was told if I didnt rest and get better， the entire pro- duction would be affected，” she recalls. Li was “required” to rest. “To be honest， I was a little bit surprised and flattered.”

Ada Wong is certainly a selling point and highlight of Resident Evil： Retribution. But still， Li often faces hard questions such as “With so many Chinese actresses in Hollywood relegated to minor roles or negative Chinese characters， were you ever worried about how your role in Resident Evil： Retribution would work out？”Lis answer was frank. She remarked that although Chinese actors and actresses are indeed far from mainstream in Hollywood， the situation is identical for foreign actors in China. In an era of globalization， all actors and actresses become international. Actors are similar to goods in a supermarket， waiting to be purchased. But they can always refuse potential customers. “When Resident Evil： Retribution chose me， I was willing to give Hollywood a try， which gave me more pressure to learn English，”she laughed. “I wanted to know whether I could endure the process and still feel excitement at the premiere. I care about these small accomplishments.” Li finds fun in conquering obstacles and loves to chal- lenge herself.

Spoiler alert！ Although she hasnt yet been cast in the next Resident Evil movie， Li will likely appear in it. In each of the previous installments of the series， the last survivor always appears in the next film，and Ada Wong was still standing in Retributions final scene. “I will say ‘yes if they invite me，” she reveals.

While studying in the U.S. for half a year， Li missed opportunities to appear in advertisements and movies in China. “You cant have everything，” she smiled. “You get something when you give something.” Her work and experience in the U.S. made her more independent and stronger， as well as more grateful. Before the experience， she recalls frequently spending entire days with her family and friends， but often feeling bored. “But in Los Angeles alone， I could only remember all the happy moments with them，” she explains. “I felt most relaxed and secure when contacting my family and colleagues back in China.”