"I don't want to do explicit erotica just because it says so."
A world of espionage intrigues, passion, retribution and the deceptive brilliance of Shanghai nights — filming of Andrei Volgin's detective action film "Black Silk" has started in China, which will be released on March 31, 2027. To recreate the atmosphere of the "Asian New York" of the 1930s on the screen, the team went to the Hengdian World Studios, which is not coincidentally called Chinese Hollywood. According to the plot, a mysterious cargo will be delivered to Shanghai, which is being hunted by agents of the special services of different countries. Zheng Hanyi, the star of the first installment of the Red Silk franchise, returned to the role of Wang Lin. In an exclusive interview with Izvestia on the set of a large-scale Russian-Chinese project, the actress spoke about the tango with combat elements with Maxim Matveev in the image of Sorge, the failed career of an aircraft manufacturer, professional principles, and why she calls herself St. Petersburg.
"The most difficult thing in this role is to combine inner hope and desire for revenge"
— Filming is currently underway in China. One of the scenes is in the same location where "Red Silk" was filmed a few years ago. How do you feel when you come back here? What has changed during this time?
— I feel that now our entire film crew is even more responsible for the result, including in China. We want to strengthen everything that happened last time. The preparation for filming at Hengdian Studio this time was also much longer, and the number of shooting days also increased significantly. And my role has become more complicated: more emotional baggage, more nerve, more facets. This required a special attitude towards the script — we constantly met with Andrey, the director, and Masha, the screenwriter, and discussed options for what Wang Lin should be like in this film, how she could change in three years.
Actress Zheng Hanyi on the set of the movie "Black Silk"
— How does the character of Wang Lin change in "Black Silk"? We also paid attention to the heroine's style. He becomes businesslike. How does this relate to the plot?
"At the Red Silk, she was just a translator, a courier's assistant. Here she is also a professional spy working undercover as the secretary of the Shanghai military commander. She is no longer a simple girl, not naive and not trusting. The most difficult thing in this role is to combine inner hope and a desire for revenge. How do these feelings combine? Which is stronger? The desire to avenge the family or the desire to stop the catastrophe that is coming to the country? It's very interesting to play. Especially when it's combined with a strong love line. Three years later, Lin meets Artyom again— but what's left of that love? Does love leave behind a force that can bring two changed people together again after so many years? These are the questions we ask the viewer.
"It's like we were filming The Great Gatsby!"
— You have a dance scene, but it's not a classical dance — it has martial elements. How did your training work out and what nuances do you need to consider here in order not to really hit your partner?
"Why not really hit me?" We really beat each other up (laughs). We actually rehearsed a lot. While the guys were filming the scenes on the ship, Maxim and I went to rehearsals for the tango, our dance fight. We worked on each movement for several hours to get into the shooting as prepared as possible. Everyone was very worried about this particular scene, because in addition to dancing, there is a large complex set and many other actors in this episode. But when everything came together, we got into the taste and started enjoying dancing and filming. I really hope that the energy that Maxim and I put into this episode will be visible in the frame.
A shot from the filming of the movie "Black Silk"
— In China, filming takes place in bright and dissimilar sets. Which one impressed you the most? And what moment of filming here will you remember?
— Probably a scene in a Shanghai nightclub — dance club. This is the opening scene of the film, it was very important to state the beauty of our story. The result achieved by the group is months of fruitful work by Russian and Chinese production designers, costume, make—up and props designers. Everything is so bright, authentic, and stylish. When we were filming, we really felt like we were in 1931, in a real nightclub. It's like we were filming The Great Gatsby! It was two days of shooting adrenaline and the magic of cinema.
— Before the Chinese block, filming took place in Moscow, where they also rebuilt the scenery — even more ambitious than in the first film: a ship and an airship. How did you feel when you first came to the venue in Moscow?
— Our film set is like a big amusement park. In one pavilion there is a huge ship, an airship on a real scale, and soon the roof of a skyscraper and a newspaper office will be added there. It's very cool to build such a thing for a movie, but it's difficult. Andrey does everything to make the actors feel as authentic as possible. The Zeppelin was surrounded by screens on all sides, and the image was constantly moving at real speed, so it sometimes started to get seasick. I didn't even have to convince myself to believe what was happening—it was as if we were all really suspended in the air on a huge car.
Actress Zheng Hanyi and director Andrey Volgin
"Petersburg has become my second home"
— Did you decide to become an actress as a child, or did you dream of something else?
— I've always loved movies and have watched films by great Chinese and world directors since childhood, but I originally planned to enroll in an aircraft manufacturer. I could have built a set for our movie right now (laughs). But when I visited a friend in St. Petersburg and went to the theater, my internal navigator said, "The route has been rearranged." I was very inspired, acting became my dream and goal. I started to prepare, to study Russian. I managed to get into the Russian State Institute of Physics and Technology, to Yuri Mikhailovich Krasovsky. In Moscow, I always say that I am "St. Petersburg". Petersburg has become my second home.
— From the point of view of acting, what have you improved since then and what tasks do you set for yourself now?
— I'm preparing a lot more now. There is more personal responsibility. I thank the producers and the director for the number of rehearsals we went through together, and I thank myself for being able to master them. It was not only a dance, which I have already described, but also a combat yo-yo— which is Wang Lin's signature weapon in the film. It's almost like a toy, only with sharp blades that are very dangerous to humans. At first, Dima, my teacher, and I studied the basics of yo-yo, then the team created and refined its combat version. Then Sasha, the stunt director, joined in, and we started working out possible techniques for attacking the enemy. It looks very authentic: I've already seen it in TV series in China, but for Russian cinema, it will probably be a discovery that yo-yos can be used as a real weapon.
Actress Zheng Hanyi on the set of the movie "Black Silk"
"Always ready for physical fitness, external changes or new challenges"
— Are you self-critical?
- yes. But this is healthy self-criticism. It helps you not to stand still and move on. Find new facets of yourself. It seems to me that self-criticism should always be there, but it is necessary to direct it towards creation, not destruction. Then you can achieve results, personal and professional growth.
— Do you have any personal techniques for getting into character? For example, when do you need to cry in the frame or show rage?
— At the Red Silk, I tried to find something in my memory that would make me feel one emotion or another. But now I've decided for myself that I never want to think about my personal situations, to remember something sad. I either feel the character or I don't. The main thing is to put yourself in his place and find the emotions that a fictional person would be experiencing at the moment. I think that's how I can find the truth of a character for myself and get into his position.
A shot from the filming of the movie "Black Silk"
— Do you have any acting taboos? And vice versa — what is the most daring thing you are ready for a project?
— I haven't been filming for a long time to say exactly what taboos I've formed for myself. I always have to look at the script first and see how justified the tasks that the stage requires of me are in the drama of the film. But I don't want to do explicit erotica where it's needed just because it's written that way. I am always ready for physical fitness, external changes or new challenges. The main thing is that it should be interesting, exciting, and that the potential of the project can be seen already at the script stage.
"I'm currently filming two projects in parallel."
— Do you now receive offers for filming in Russia and China?
- yes. I'm currently filming two projects in parallel: "Black Silk" and the TV series "Exchange Cop." Ilya Kulikov's second project, directed by Polina Anufrieva, is about a Chinese policeman who comes to Russia for an "internship." I'm playing the role of Mrs. May Wong, the diplomat who oversees his stay here. A completely different role than Wang Lin. Firstly, because it's a comedy, and secondly, because the two heroines themselves are like antonyms. Lin is an intelligence officer, Mei is a diplomat. They would hardly be friends in real life.
— How do you see "Black Silk"?
— So far, I only see my role in detail, because this is my primary task. But if you imagine the future of cinema, I think it will turn out to be very interesting and unexpected, even for those who saw the first part. I even have a suspicion that the film will be even better than I can imagine. We'll find out in a year, we invite everyone to the premiere!
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
