Love might be the biggest driving force behind 38-year-old actress Yuan Li.

In April, she joined PolyBona Entertaining Agency and started her sweet journey.

"Like a relationship with a boyfriend, we appreciate each other because we have the same goals and share the common tempo in doing things," Yuan said as she described her new partnership with the company. "Love can not be judged by money, cars or houses."

Her previous love story was with a businessman and it lasted for nearly a decade after beginning when she was a sophomore at Beijing Film Academy.

It ended in 2005 and Yuan has been alone since. Her former partner married Zhang Yining, one of the best female table tennis players in China.

But if her new relationship is with the company she works for, people are curious about who is the apple of PolyBona Entertaining Agency's eye.

Also on the books is A-list actress Fan Bingbing and Yuan is often asked who is the No 1 star at the company.

"The title is much less attractive than any attractive role," Yuan answered. Having been in the industry for more than 10 years, she said it was childish to compete for such acclaim.

The actress, who was born and raised in Hangzhou, journeyed to Beijing so she could enroll in the Beijing Film Academy, where she consistently pulled in high grades.

During the second year of college, she won the role of Ouyang Lanlan in star-maker Zhao Baogang's Die with Everlasting Regret, a film that helped Zhao reach the peak of his directing career in crime drama and that also made Yuan a critical success and a TV sensation.

During the intervening years, Yuan has portrayed several compelling characters and picked up many awards.

Recently, she has undergone more changes having shed eight kilograms before stepping onto the red carpet for the 29th Hong Kong Film Awards Ceremony in a sexy low V-neck dress.

She also changed her given name recently in the hope that it would bring her more good fortune.

While she is still Li, the written character of her previous Li refers to "standing up" in Chinese and was actually attributed to her in error when it was miswritten by a Chinese reporter during her early career. The error has been repeated ever since.

"An error repeated a thousand times becomes the truth," she complained and insisted it was the time to correct it. Yuan said she now insists on using the Li character she was given at birth, which means Jasmine. She believes it will bring her good luck in love.

Q: Can you tell us more about your new role portraying a shrewd daughter-in-law in the TV drama series Just Friends?

A: The role is completely different from all the roles I've ever played. I play a middle-aged street-side barber. When I read the scripts, I found it was a compelling and challenging role. It is totally different from roles I have played before as an elegant lady or the ruler of a big family.

Q: Do you think such a vulgar image will ruin your sexy and elegant screen image?

A: Though some said the character was not my style, I was glad to have the try. It is like playing a game and exploring my limits.

I offered ideas such as wearing bouffant hair, vulgar red lipsticks and having dark blue eyebrows. A pair of red pants and a green sweater is my costume. I really like this kind of makeup. If the audience cannot recognize me, it means I partially succeeded. The difference between actors and singers is that singers should be themselves while actors should play others. For actors, things such as hairstyle and clothes are defined by the role. Actors live for the roles. When acting, we are free to try different things.

Q: What kind of woman do you want to be?

A: I just want to be simple and not have to conceal or disguise. I want to be loved and have someone to rely on and to make decisions for me. It might be dangerous to some extent. But it wouldn't matter if I love him.

Q: What changes were you looking for when you changed your name?

A: A name is an icon and also a suggestion. I really want to change my mind. I hope to be more tolerant and persevering. Previously, I was too self-willed and self-centered.

I hope the change will bring me a happy marriage and life. Honestly, I have already been happy because I have a job I like.

It was director Zhao Baogang's advice to change my name. He said it would be hard to find Mr Right with a strong Li. But I've never been regretful about my former name. It gave me an iron will, courage and success during my early difficult years. Now I want to be more soft and showcase my other side as a woman.

China Daily

(China Daily 06/10/2010)