[2011.06.10] ZHAO BENSHAN TESTS CHOW YUN FAT'S TOLERANCE

With almost 200 actors from three lands on both sides of the straits, the Emperor Motion Picture BEGINNING OF THE GREAT REVIVAL two nights ago held its premiere at the Beijing Olympic Center. Actors Chow Yun Fat, Liu Ye, Fan Bingbing and others dressed up for the occasion. Over ten actors were cut from the film, among them Tang Wei's cut caught the most attention. Director Huang Jianxin honestly said that right now there were too many rumors and he did not want to explain. Ultimately the scenes were cut mainly in consideration of the film's completeness, the audience's viewing requirements and habits.

Fat Gor brought Fat Soh Jasmine Tan to Beijing to attend the premiere. Also in attendances were Liu Ye, Fan Bingbing, John Woo (Ng Yu Sum), Michelle Ye (Yip Shuen) and others. Fat Gor played Yuan Shikai in the film and had many scenes with Zhao Benshan who played Duan Qirui and Feng Gong who played Feng Guozhang. He said on the set he constantly had to hold back laughter in front of Zhao Benshan and Feng Gong because when their backs faced the cameras they would try to make him laugh. This experience also his most memorable from the shoot.

Due to all the stars, some inevitably were cut from the film. According to director Huang Jianxin, over ten actors' scenes were cut. Many were top actors but he did not want to reveal who. Currently the media only knew Tang Wei was one of them. Huang Jianxin stated, "Tang Wei played Tao Yi whose role originally was not much. For some reason, there have been too many rumors. I don't want to explain them right now. Ultimately when the cuts were made, the primary consideration was the film's completeness and the audience's demand and habit. I express my deepest apologies to actors whose scenes were cut."

Reportedly due to BEGINNING's June release, TRANSFORMERS DARK OF THE MOON had to postpone its release to the end of July. Huang Jianxin said that BEGINNING's release date was set in December and had nothing to do with import film schedules.

Fan Bingbing said that she felt a lot of pressure from working with so many experienced actors. When asked whether Ng Yu Sum's scene remained, director Han Sanping stated, "It's still there." Liu Ye at a Shanghai press conference yesterday revealed that in order to bring the

character to life, he had late night snacks to gain 10 pounds and joked that salary was at a daily rate. Since his role was more important, he should make more than co-star Fat Gor.