There are few Chinese actors who have succeeded in being noticed by Hollywood, such as Jackie Chan, Fan Bingbing and Donnie Yen. It seems 28-year-old Chinese actress Jing Tian would join them.
Jing Tian is the female lead in “The Great Wall” by Zhang Yimou, currently showing in China. According to Asia Times, she would be seen next in March in “Kong: Skull Island” starring Tom Hiddleston, Samuel Jackson and Brie Larson. The film is a reboot of the King Kong franchise.
2018 Film
In 2018, Jing Tian would be seen in “Pacific Rim: Uprising,” a sequel to the 2013 film with the same title. He co-stars in the upcoming movie are John Boyega of “Star Wars” and Max Zhang. But the actress from Xian Province said she never planned to reach Hollywood.
“I never mapped out any kind of career path for myself. All I am looking for are different projects and different roles and it happens that several of my upcoming films are Hollywood movies. I am very grateful for the exposure,” she said.
One-Year Preparation
Jing Tian explained that she accepted a role of Lin Mei, commander of the Crane Troop in “The Great Wall,” because she wanted to work with Zhang Yimou. As part of her preparation for the role, Jing Tian lived almost a year in the U.S. to learn English – which she now speaks fluently – and go through an extensive training in martial arts.
Meanwhile, Matt Damon, Jing Tian’s co-star in “The Great Wall” downplayed criticism of his being given the major role in the Chinese movie as whitewashing. He pointed out that his role is that of an English mercenary so his role should not go to a Chinese actor. He blames it on critics basing their comment on a 30-second teaser trailer, Gulfnews reported.