Actress

From my perspective, I would say as an actress, I'm like a warrior too.

I feel that acting totally changed my life.

Her motivation was love, her love for her father, and her journey of finding out who she truly is. That was my homework, and I would say that it motivated me to prepare myself mentally, but also physically, with a lot of gym stuff, fight training, horse training. But at its core, 'Mulan' is really about the character, the spirit.

You have to kind of lose yourself and not think about just how brave Mulan is. Yes, I am playing a hero, so we need to bring out that side, but I think every human being is complex, and complex is so beautiful. And that's where the energy of the character is.

As an actress, it's not only about looking good on camera, but being able to deliver the right emotions for the characters you play. This makes you more attractive on the screen. That's why I focus more on acting rather than my appearance.

I realized that acting is not all about receiving people's applause or cheer. It is about delivering the right character to the audience and feeling satisfied in who you become on stage. Therefore, I try to focus more on the abstract qualities of acting, and I hope to become a better actress throughout time.

It's not just superheroes that make a story great.

We see many sides of her, beyond the 'Ballad of Mulan.' We see her as a human being, as a girl, as a young woman. Everybody admires her as a warrior but is there a fragile side to her? Will she sometimes hesitate or be afraid, but still choose to carry on? Yes, and we see that.

There is nothing that I don't like about being an actor.

When I first heard from my manager, who asked me, 'There's this Disney 'Mulan,' do you want to audition for it?' I'd heard that so many people were auditioning. So, I asked myself what I could bring.

I think it's important in every culture that we treat family respectfully.

I always want to go forward, and I want to break my limits and I want to live in the now. And I want to learn more each day.

It wasn't until entering my twenties that I began to identify my real dream as an actress.

The hardest thing about 'Mulan' is to put yourself in that circumstance and to have the answer be organic, and not be acting.

Mulan is not a superhero, so her physical action needed to be anchored in a strong female body and bounded by the laws of physics.

I try not to compare myself to the character. Mulan makes it happen - not through big drama, but through little decisions and bravery and self-awareness.

It's always brave to be yourself.

Like most female actresses, I am always aspiring to succeed and become a popular star, and my positive energy never dies out.

Mulan represents honour and bravery, but, for me, it's also that she's willing to discover herself and willing to go forward. I think that's important to audiences too. Not many people would be willing to do that in the first place.

Gong Li is like the queen of movies.