Cheng Pei-pei had a background in ballet when Chinese film director King Hu cast her as the heroine of his 1966 “wuxia” (Chinese martial arts) film, “Come Drink With Me.” The film became a classic and established Cheng as a sword-wielding wuxia star.
Thirty-four years and 39 films later, Cheng played the evil Jade Fox in Ang Lee’s Academy Award-winning wuxia epic, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” the top-grossing foreign-language film in U.S. film history. Cheng didn’t stop there.
Her current film, “Cooking for Two,” is a contemporary musical comedy directed by her son, Harry Yuan; it stars her daughter, Hong Kong-based actress Marsha Yuan, with another daughter, Jennifer Yuan Martin, in a major supporting role. Cheng and her children were in Honolulu earlier this month for the film’s Hawaii premiere at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
What are some of the best things about making a movie with your children?
For a mother to do something together with her children, that’s every mother’s wish.
Did you encourage them to go into filmmaking?
Not really. I think their blood encouraged them. When they grew up in Los Angeles, they didn’t know who I am even though random people would recognize me. Then after I returned back to the movie business, they saw I was so happy. When one of them decided it was what they wanted to do, I would help them no matter what.
How does it feel to watch “Come Drink With Me” 50 years after you made it?
It seems to me it’s (from) my last life. I can’t believe it’s been that long, a half-century. Because of that (movie) I have been a “sword woman” all of my life. I was always cast in those roles, and I always enjoyed doing the fighting scenes. Maybe because I was a dancer, it was easy to pick up the martial arts things. King Hu really helped me to act like a sword woman.
Did you expect that “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” would have the impact it did in the United States?
Actually not. I knew Ang Lee was a very good director. All my children pushed me to work with Ang Lee, but when we were shooting that movie, we didn’t know how it would turn out — maybe it would be an excellent film, maybe it would be a very bad film. We didn’t know.
Is there something that might surprise your fans?
I’m not that good in martial arts, but I love to learn. Also, I’m 70 already and I’m still working! I didn’t know that I could work to that old age, but I am surprised that I still have lots of roles. I’m so happy to still be working — especially with my children!
“On the Scene” appears weekly in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Sunday Magazine. Reach John Berger at jberger@staradvertiser.com.
