A day after winning the Golden Bauhinia best actress award for her role in Perhaps Love, Zhou Xun (left) was all smiles at a warm-up news conference on Monday for The Banquet, a US$20 million (HK$115.6 million) epic loosely based on Shakespeare's Hamlet by director Feng Xiaogang. Scheduled for release in September, the film co-stars Zhang Ziyi , Huang Xiaoming, Daniel Wu Yin-cho and Ge You.
In Zhang Ziyi's absence, the media focused on Zhou, who plays Ophelia to Wu's Hamlet. Zhang plays Wu's stepmother. 'My personality is very much like my character, always persistent and idealistic. For me, love is simply love,' Zhou said.
It's the first time the two major mainland actresses have worked together. But unlike the film's backstabbing and treacherous relationships, Zhang and Zhou became gal pals. 'I find she's a very easygoing person and very straightforward,' Zhou said. 'We talked a lot during the filming and often had dinner together. We have actually become very good friends.'