GAO YUANYUAN had already shot three films, four TV dramas and scores of advertisements before she decided to make a career of acting. And with Shanghai Dreams, her first feature as a professional, under her belt, she says she's loving it.
Gao was spotted in 1996 in a bookstore, and was invited to audition for an advertisement. It wasn't long before she was being offered more work than she could handle - in ads, TV dramas and even films. But she says she didn't take the work seriously for years.
'I didn't treat it as a career until 2002, when I worked on Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre,' she says. 'It changed my opinion of acting and helped me make up my mind to be an actress.' The TV drama was the first time she'd worked with a Hong Kong production crew and proved to be a big challenge. 'Before, acting was easy and comfortable,' she says. But Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre forced her to re-evaluate her approach to acting. 'I had to be devoted to adapt. Gradually, I found acting fun.
'A professional actress is very different from an amateur one. I feel more responsibility now and I've set certain requirements for myself to fulfil.'
After Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre, Gao shot more television dramas, but she knew she wanted to focus on film and learn more. Her chance came last year, when director Wang Xiaoshuai, with whom she'd worked on Beijing Bicycle (2000), got in touch.
'Xiaoshuai gave me a call in August and asked me to find a 19-year-old for his new film,' says Gao. 'So I recommended some girls. But a month later, he called again, asking me to be the leading actress.
'I didn't look at the script until we went into production because I was on vacation. But I wasn't worried because I believe in Xiaoshuai. He has a clear idea about me. He knows what fits me and what I'm fit for.