Award-winning actress Zhao Wei to focus on film directing and new wine business
Actress Zhao Wei says passion, dedication and hard work have brought her to where she is today
Zhao Wei sat quietly in the audience at this year's Hong Kong Film Awards ceremony. Unlike other hopefuls for the Best Actress Award, Zhao shunned a second dress change and kept toying with the idea whether she should get a last-minute touch-up until the moment her name was called.
"My face was all shiny when I took the stage," Zhao recalls, regretting that she didn't powder her nose before giving her speech. "I really couldn't believe it was going to be me."
Zhao went home with the prestigious award for her depiction of a child kidnapper's widow in Dearest. The film, directed by Peter Chan Ho-sun, explored child abductions in the mainland and was based on a true story.
Co-starring with top Chinese actors such as Huang Bo and Tong Dawei, Zhao took on the challenging role of Li Hongqin - a farmer from rural China who goes on a lonesome journey to get her foster children back, despite the fact that they were abducted from their biological parents by her now-deceased husband. Zhao's precise portrayal of a heartbroken mother was well-received among viewers and critics.
"I was very aware of the character," Zhao says. "I knew exactly what she would do at a particular moment, how she would react and the things she would say. To me, it's more important than just getting lost in the character."
On her days off, Zhao enjoys spending time at Château Monlot - the 8.5-hectare vineyard in the Saint Emilion region of France, boasting over 400 years of heritage - which Zhao and her husband bought in December 2011.
"I feel like I'm walking into the illustrated pages of a fairy tale when I go to the vineyard," Zhao says. "It draws you to nature and cleanses your soul, and you just don't want to leave."
Zhao recently launched her wine retailing business Château Monlot on TMall, Taobao's business-to-consumer platform. Targeting not only her fans but also serious wine aficionados, Zhao says she has invested a great deal of effort into the project to ensure the quality of the products.
