Chinese Actress Zhou Xun’s Film “Tasting Loneliness for the First Time” Nominated at the 31st Busan International Film Festival.
Chinese actress Zhou Xun’s latest film “Tasting Loneliness for the First Time” has been nominated in the main competition category of the 31st Busan International Film Festival. During the press conference held on October 8th, Zhou Xun, who plays the lead role, talked about her character experiencing separation and death, triggering memories of a deceased friend that moved her to tears, leaving her speechless for over 20 seconds.
Directed by Gu You, “Tasting Loneliness for the First Time” revolves around three generations of women in an ordinary family – the elderly, middle-aged, and young – depicting how they come to understand each other amidst the pain of losing loved ones.
At the press conference, Zhou Xun was asked about the emotional depth of the crying scenes her character, Jiang Yue, has in the film, and which crying scene left the deepest impression on her. Initially, Zhou Xun responded, “The story begins with a very powerful start, the death of a father…,” but then she paused, her eyes turning red as tears welled up, unable to continue speaking.
After composing herself, Zhou Xun mentioned that although she hasn’t gone through the exact experiences as her character in real life, she had lost a close friend. She emotionally expressed, “I witnessed a close friend seeming fine, but suddenly falling into sorrow… Everyone will have their dearest one disappear from the world.” Zhou Xun choked up again, tearing up. The director and fellow cast members quickly handed her tissues for comfort.
Although Zhou Xun didn’t mention the name of the deceased friend, Hongsheng Jia, a deep relationship and former boyfriend of hers who passed away, is speculated by Hong Kong media to be the person she was referring to.
Zhou Xun and Hongsheng Jia met and fell in love in 1998 through their collaboration on the film “Suzhou River.” Jia Hongsheng recommended Zhou Xun to star in “The Palace.” He had a profound impact on her acting career. Jia Hongsheng struggled with mental health and substance abuse issues for a long time and tragically died from falling in 2010. Given Zhou Xun’s mention of witnessing a friend suddenly falling into sorrow, aligning with Jia Hongsheng’s pre-death struggles, speculation arose that she was grieving for this former love and close friend.
Some media also pointed out that Zhou Xun, having been in the entertainment industry for many years, had experienced the sudden deaths of friends in the industry, such as Qiao Renliang, suggesting that her words might reflect a collective realization of all the departed loved ones in her life.
Zhou Xun believes that the role of an actor is to “replicate these most real and intense details of life.” She emphasized that “Tasting Loneliness for the First Time,” although slow-paced and seemingly calm, carries intense emotions. For her, every stage from facing death to restructuring her emotions is a “real moment.”