A few days ago, Gong Li and her husband Jean Michel, who is 18 years older than herself, attended Paris Fashion Week together, showing affection and being in excellent shape.
In recent years, the 56-year-old Gong Li has gradually reduced her film appointments and seems to be ready to be a wife at home with peace of mind.
I have to say that this may be a loss in the film industry, but in fact, as early as 20 years ago, there were many actresses with the name of "Little Gong Li" in the film industry.
But with the passage of time, there are more and more "Gong Li successors", but who can really take over?
1. Serenity: Always refuse to be a "follower"
Jing Jing became popular in 1994, starring in the feature film "Cannonball Double Light", and she won many nominations such as the Best Actress Award at the San Sebatisian International Film Festival for her role as "Spring Branch" in the play, which can be described as a hit.
At that time, Gong Li had already become a brilliant actress sweeping the world with film works such as "Red Sorghum", "Ju Dou" and "Red Lantern Hanging High".
Perhaps because of his solid acting skills and unique charm, or maybe there was a lack of young actors who could stand alone in the market at that time, in short, as soon as Jing Jing became popular, he was labeled as "Gong Li's successor" by the outside world.
Subsequently, she entered the crew of Jiang Wen's debut novel "Sunny Day" non-stop and became the heroine "Milan".
After Jiang Wen encountered tranquility, he immediately put down his words:
"She's a ticking time bomb that will explode in the film industry when the time comes."
Indeed, the next tranquility has successively filmed famous movies such as "Red River Valley" and "Yellow River Absolute Love", and the scenery was beautiful for a while.
When Feng Cheng, who starred in "New on the Beach", Jing Jing was interviewed by reporters, and the other party asked her: "Why did the director choose you?" ”
Jing Jing, who has always been straightforward, said bluntly:
"Except for Gong Li, all the big movies (in the 90s) were made by me alone! They will naturally know me and find me! ”
But she didn't like the label of "Gong Li's successor", and even now she has repeatedly denied and rejected it in the show.
Serenity, who became popular a few years ago because of her appearance on "Sister Lang", was asked about this topic in an interview with Yi Lijing, and Jingjing first praised Gong Li's achievements, but at the same time still asked seriously:
"Why should I take her shift? I can't play what she can play..."
Indeed, although Jing Jing made many excellent film works when she was young, her choice has changed since she was exposed to TV series.
Although she has acted in excellent TV series such as "The Gate of the Mansion" and "The Secret History of Filial Piety", in the film market, she belongs to the rapid retreat, and the resources in the later period do not seem to be as much as in the early years.
Especially in recent years, Jing Jing has made fewer and fewer movies, but more and more variety shows on it.
Although she still insists that she has always been a first-line actress, she was still stunned by Yi Lijing's phrase "How long have you not made a movie".
2. Zhang Ziyi: Return to calm after peak
Also from the background of "Seeking Girl", Zhang Ziyi came out in 1998 with a "My Father and Mother", and showed her desires and ambitions to the fullest, and it is inevitable that she will be labeled as "Gong Li's successor" by the outside world.
Indeed, the route that Zhang Ziyi will take in the future is basically the same as that of Gong Li:
The year after his debut, he filmed "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" directed by Ang Lee, which won many awards and successfully opened the door to Hollywood.
After that, Zhang Ziyi continued to work hard, starring in works that were big directors and big productions, and his fame also soared, becoming a famous "international chapter".
But perhaps today, Zhang Ziyi has not been able to get rid of the influence brought by Gong Li, whether it is achievements or word of mouth, it seems that he has not been able to surpass the other party.
In 2005, the two collaborated on the movie "Memoirs of a Geisha", in which she slapped Zhang Ziyi.
Later, Zhang Ziyi revealed the secret on the variety show, and after starting the camera, Gong Li gave her a big mouth without defense, and hit as many as 7 in succession.
After the filming of the scene, Zhang Ziyi found that her face still clearly had the slap mark of Gong Li on her face.
The two have been in the same frame countless times, but the "International Chapter" lost completely every time in the face of the domineering side leakage of "Gong Huang".
It is undeniable that Zhang Ziyi is one of the highly accomplished actresses after Gong Li - she was once very open in Hollywood, and she was once in love with the foreign rich Ivy Nivo.
However, in the process of follow-up development, although Zhang Ziyi also has masterpieces such as "The Favorite" and "A Generation of Grandmasters" in hand, it also shows a state of insufficient stamina.
Especially after marrying rock singer Wang Feng, Zhang Ziyi gave birth to two children one after another, and her career work slowed down significantly.
Last year, her "Xia Fan" first starred in the TV series "Shangyang Fu" was tragically Waterloo.
After that, he put more energy on the recording of variety shows, as if they were about to change from "international chapters" to "variety shows".
3. Yu Nan: I just want to be a good actor
Yu Nan was once recognized as one of the most powerful actresses most likely to succeed Gong Li, and even the New York Times commented on her.
Indeed, looking at Yu Nan's journey from the film, it is very smooth:
When she debuted in 1989, she won the Best Actress Award at the Deauville Asian Film Festival in France for filming Wang Quan'an's work "Lunar Eclipse", and is a veritable international actress.
After that, Yu Nan and her boyfriend Wang Quanan were deeply bound, and the two joined forces, and the successive "Shock" and "Tuya's Marriage" were invincible internationally and won many awards.
Yu Nan, like Gong Li, is also not a stunning beauty, but she has charm and style.
At that time, her relationship with Wang Quanan was also enviable, and she was one of the rare talented and beautiful groups in the entertainment industry.
Moreover, Yu has a low-key personality and never participates in any variety shows to hype herself, Xu Zheng once commented on her:
"She is not a star, not an artist, but an actress in the true sense of the word."
In 2010, Yu Nan's last work with Wang Quan'an, "Textile Girl", was released, which was the last collaboration between the two.
In the same year, she served as a judge in the main competition section of the Berlin International Film Festival, becoming the second Chinese actress to hold this position after Gong Li.
Although her career developed smoothly, the following year, when she was 3 months pregnant, Wang Quanan proposed to break up, turned around and married Zhang Yuqi, who was born as a "star girl".
After that, Yu Nan still appeared in one movie every year, but the works he starred in were no longer as resonant as before.
It wasn't until 2017 that she participated in the movie "Wolf Warrior 2" directed by Wu Jing, which ushered in the public's attention again.
But Yu Nan does not seem to lie in his fame, and is still most concerned about what kind of drama he acts.
However, as the "successor of Gong Li", the low-key Yu Nan does not seem to meet the standard.
4. Liu Mintao: Miss the best time to get married
Liu Mintao, who only became popular at the age of 40, was actually praised by his teacher as "expected to become the second Gong Li" when he entered Chinese opera in his early years.
She is not a beauty at first sight, but she is full of big sisters.
It's a pity that not long after Liu Mintao debuted, he met love when he was on the rise in his career, married a rich man outside the circle, and has since given up his career and returned home to wash his hands and make soup.
During her 7 years as a housewife, Liu Mintao's career stagnated, but her husband did not give her the same return and respect.
After seeing through the essence of her marriage, she chose to divorce and make a comeback.
Because of his solid acting foundation, in the second year of his comeback, Liu Mintao became popular again because of his role in "The Pretender".
It's just that in the days when she became popular in middle age, she regretted that she missed her best years, and now she can only play supporting actresses in various works.
Although the acting skills and popularity are there, it seems that it is not a star away from "Gong Li".
5. Zhou Xianxin: It is difficult to explode again when the time is not good
Speaking of the actress who is most similar to Gong Li, it must be Zhou Xianxin, who once worked as a stand-in for her.
Zhou Xianxin originally studied medicine, but by mistake went to participate in a beauty pageant and won the championship, so he embarked on the road of being an actor.
In 2002, she was selected to participate in the movie "Zhou Yu's Train" because of her appearance and temperament resembling Gong Li, so she rose to prominence.
At that time, Zhou Xianxin did attract a lot of attention, and began to star in film and television works the following year, and also shared equally with the righteous red her in "Red Pink Family" starring Sun Li, and even Yang Mi came to play a supporting role for her.
It's a pity that after that, Zhou Xianxin did not encounter any more blockbuster works, although he was filming every year, but the response was average.
In 2013, when filming the spy war drama "Golden War", Zhou Xianxin and Lu Po, the producer of the show, had a good feeling for each other, and the two got married in a low-key flash after falling in love for a month.
Two years later, Zhou Xianxin gave birth to a son, leaving less time for his career.
It was not until the TV series "The Age of Awakening" broadcast last year that she played Gao Junman, the wife of Chen Duxiu, that the public remembered this former "little Gong Li".
6. Gong Beibi: Try to give up without success
Gong Beibi in his youth is indeed very vivid and spiritual, and there is a shadow of Gong Li between a smile and a cheek.
So when she was 16 years old, she was selected by director Mijiashan to star in the movie "You Are Not Sixteen", which also changed her life.
Gong Beibi fell in love with acting and was subsequently admitted to Chinese opera.
When she was in her third year, she was photographed by a Hong Kong brokerage company, and packaged it vigorously, with the title "Gong Li's successor enters the Hong Kong circle", which was hyped.
The "Beijing-Hong Kong Love Line" she starred in is indeed a famous first generation of idol works.
After becoming popular, Gong Beibi met the agent Wu Shixian, and the two finally established a relationship in 2000 after a two-year ambiguous period.
Wu Shixian also knows Gong Beibi, and their feature film "Car Forty-Four" won the Best Short Film Award at the Venice Film Festival, which also made Gong Beibi shine in the film industry.
After the two got married, they collaborated on the movie "Waiting Alone", and Gong Beibi's career reached a peak.
It's a pity that she has no ambition, and after trying several times without becoming popular, she focused on life.
Especially in 2012, when Gong Beibi gave birth to a son, she suspended all work, and she did not get a better chance to resume work after giving birth.
7. Wen Zhengrong
In addition to the name of "Huang Lei's love disciple", Wen Zhengrong was once labeled as "Gong Li's successor".
When she was studying in Beiying, she was very recognizable because of her good acting skills, and she debuted in the TV series "The Story of the Performance Department" in the first grade, which was once the key training object of Huang Lei.
After graduation, Wen Zhengrong continued to play well, and successively starred in works such as "Behind the Glitz" and "Wrong Love for a Life", especially famous for playing villains.
At one stage, Wen Zhengrong was also depressed because he was often scolded by the audience, resulting in a long time refusing to take on similar roles.
Therefore, she did not take out a more dazzling role after that, but cultivated with her first love boyfriend outside the circle and ran the family well.
The last time Wen Zhengrong attracted attention was in 2020 when he participated in "Actors Please Take Their Places", and he once again gained attention because of his outstanding acting skills.
Perhaps, as an actress, everyone may want to become Gong Li, but in fact Gong Li cannot be copied.
Only by stepping out of your own unique style can you gain the recognition of the audience.
In fact, looking at the above 7 actresses, Zhang Ziyi, Jing Jing, Yu Nan, etc. are all successful and excellent individuals, not one of them.
I also expect other actresses to shine on their own roads, leaving classic roles while also gaining the unique love of the public.