Miss S actress Ma Yili on being an independent woman like the characters she plays, unafraid to speak out on feminism or look ugly when a role calls for it

Ma Yili has no trouble playing strong-willed women and says she gets her independent streak from her Shanghai roots, where ‘the status of women is equal to men’

The 44-year-old has played a domestic abuse victim and a housewife who overcomes divorce recently, and enjoys the contrast of playing a coquettish sleuth

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Ma Yili stars as Shanghai socialite Su Wenli in HBO’s period drama series Miss S. The actress, who has won awards her previous roles, has recently made headlines for feminist remarks she made on a show.

Published: 11:45am, 13 Oct 2020Updated: 6:03pm, 14 Oct 2020

Ma Yili, who often plays independent, strong-minded women on-screen, is seen as a bit of a feminist in China – a view reinforced by the remarks she has recently made on a reality television show.

In an August episode of Tencent TV’s Midlife Me – in which woman share their views on topics such as marriage and ageing – the 44-year-old actress said the value of a woman is in being herself, not being a mother. “Instead of being fertilised, the ultimate mission of a woman’s egg is just to be an egg,” she said.

Such frank talk is rare in China. Still, it’s hardly a surprise coming from Ma, who sees independence as important for women.

Ma, who is divorced from fellow actor Wen Zhang, told the Post that she feels lucky to come from Shanghai, where gender equality is pretty much par for the course. “Being independent is especially important for Shanghai women. [In Shanghai,] the status of women in society, work or family is equal to that of men,” she says.

Ma won the best actress award at the 2018 Shanghai Magnolia Awards for her role in the 2017 series The First Half of My Life.

The Shanghai Theatre Academy graduate was propelled to stardom after her turn as a strong-willed fashion editor in the Chinese television series Struggle (2007). Similar roles then followed; Ma starred as an architect who returns from overseas to carve out an illustrious career on the mainland in 2016 series Chinese Style Relationship.