Award-winning actor Zhang Hanyu commands armies in the epic historical fiction movie, “The Great Wall,” directed by Zhang Yimou. In the film, he plays as the chief commander of five mysterious Chinese armies in the fight against an ancient monster called “Taotie”.
This is not the first time that Zhang Hanyu has played a tough role. In the box office hits "Assembly," "The Taking of Tiger Mountain," and "Operation Mekong," Zhang acted as the tough guy, yet he still touched people's hearts.
In most his action-packed films, Zhang has won several accolades including best actor awards. Yet, the actor still wants to try roles in different movie genres.
"When you are successful in playing certain kinds of roles, audiences will automatically think you fit such roles. This is good because they are thrilled to look at those roles. But of course, I'd like to try something else in acting," Zhang stated in an exclusive interview.
Though still an action movie, Zhang had a fun time filming “The Great Wall” as the chief commander. It was a familiar ground for him.
"I love body building and I wore armor in a TV series before, so this is easy for me. I didn't have to specially prepare for the film, I would just go and act," Zhang said.
He was also delighted to work for the first time with Zhang Yimou, who he admired for years. He said that after the director offered him a role during a dinner meeting, he immediately accepted it.
Aside from starring with other award-winning Chinese actors such as Andy Lau, “The Great Wall” also offers Zhang the opportunity to work with renowned Hollywood actors.
"My role has interactions with Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, and Willem Dafoe in the film. From my point of view, they are very exceptional and professional actors," Zhang stated.
"For Hollywood production, I felt everything runs smoothly according to schedule. The giant wheel is rolling this way. It is a very industrialized production. You have to meet the precise schedule and demands they set when you are filming," the actor added.
With a one billion yuan budget, “The Great Wall” is the biggest Chinese film ever made. According to Zhang, it can serve as a tool in promoting cultural appreciation for Chinese people and encouraging foreign tourists to visit the Great Wall.
"The Great Wall" was released in China on Dec. 5, 2016 with a $67.4 million debut, and would be released internationally in Feb. 2017.