But who did Zhang Ziyi vote for?
Saturday, March 1, 2014 at 10:45AM I know you. You woke up this morning desperate to know what Zhang Ziyi's Oscar ballot looked like. I am here, as ever, to improve your day with answers and actressness.
The Chinese superstar wasn't* nominated for Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000) or Memoirs of a Geisha (2005, around the time AMPAS invited her to join) despite plentiful US media attention. (I imagine teen and early 20something readers aren't super familiar with her since it's been 9 years since she was a regular fixture in the US entertainment press???) The Grandmaster raised her profile a bit again and she obviously helped the costumes and cinematography to their Oscar nominations on account of good god she's photogenic.
She discussed her ballot with fans on her Weibo account though she was cleverly vague about whether she was talking votes or predictions (AMPAS members aren't supposed to reveal their actual votes).
She wrote [translated for TFE - thanks Tony!]:
Quite a chaotic year. Voted without taking any precursor awards into account. Some simple predictions based on experience and personal feeling.
Best picture: Gravity. Animated feature: Frozen. Not just great movies but both female-centric. Blanchett best actress. J.L. best supporting actress. Leto best supporting actor. For best actor I loved Matthew's performance but voted for DiCaprio, he deserves this no matter what.
For art department and cinematography I'm rooting for the home team of course. Good luck to them. A tip: Mr. Sunglasses** will walk the red carpet
In the spirit of Zhang Ziyi's social media sharing you know you want to share this ballot on Facebook or twitter!
*As I've stated numerous times Asian actors don't have much luck with the Academy or Hollywood. They don't get invited to present very often at the big show, you rarely seen them in color blind casting decisions, and they rarely get nominated for Oscars even when they have a high profile year like Ziyi or Gong Li before her. In fact, no Asian has ever been nominated for Best Actress (unless you count "Dark Angel"'s Merle Oberon who was half Indian but hid her heritage in the less diverse Hollywood of the 1930s)
** "Mr Sunglasses" would be her director Wong Kar-Wai
Reader Comments (9)
Girrrrrlllllll, we teens and early twenty-somethings know a queen when we see one. Didn't realize she was an Academy voter though! Oh man, I would kill to get my hands on her nomination ballot. She was part of the Cannes jury that awarded Fruitvale Station....Anyway, a pox on the lucky fool who got to watch Frozen with Ziyi Zhang!
Well, clearly she posted it just to break your heart, dear. I thought members were not allowed to discuss their ballots.
peggy -- they aren't as i explained there and she carefully skirted (but for "I voted for DiCaprio"
Disappointed she's voting for Lawrence.
WRITE-IN CAMPAIGN FOR ZIYI ZHANG FOR BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS!!!!!!!!!!
I'm 20something (20*pffdsfdfs* for being more precise), but I've known her like forever and enjoyed her movies and performances. However, her choices just disappointed me (and "Voted without taking any precursor awards into account.", except for the fact that she completely did that).
She has bad taste.
Out of boredom I compiled all the "revealed" ballots here, in EW, in THR.... Out of 11 (not all complete, either) the winners would be 12 Years for BP, Cuaron, McConaughey, Blanchett, Nyong'o, Leto, Philomena in Adapted and Hustle in Original. Zzzzzzzz
Nat - did you read EW's article interviewing anonymous Oscar voters? Ugh. I can't believe some of those people get to vote. On McConaughey: "He really made me believe he had AIDS." I can't even.