"Silver Empire" Stills "Silver Empire" is set to premiere nationwide on August 2. On the 9th, director Shu Hua Yao will be in Shanghai with the main actors Tie Lin Zhang and Lei Hao for promotion. Regarding box office expectations, Shu Hua Yao appears quite conservative, only hoping that as many people as possible will watch it. On the contrary, Tie Lin Zhang is very confident: "A fine wine needs no bush; our film should perform well." As for the media's concern about Lei Hao's marital changes, she firmly refuses to comment, expressing her stance with just one sentence: "Work is work, life is life."
Hao Lei Refuses to Discuss Li Guangjie
The last time Lei Hao came to Shanghai for promotion was during the Shanghai Film Festival in June when she had just publicly admitted to being separated from Guangjie Li, making her a focal point of media attention. The marital change, coupled with extensive media coverage, made Lei Hao uncomfortable at the time, revealing feelings of depression several times during interviews. Two months later, upon returning to Shanghai, Lei Hao stated: "My mood hasn't changed much, but I'm a bit happier this time." As for why her mood has improved, she was unwilling to elaborate. Nearby, Tie Lin Zhang, noticing the awkward atmosphere, quickly intervened: "Alright, alright, let's move on to the next question."
Afterward, when asked by reporters if he knew something while helping Lei Hao out, Tie Lin Zhang feigned ignorance: "I didn't hear what you were asking clearly. I don't know anything. Seeing that she wasn't too happy, I just stepped in to help her out. During filming, we also helped each other." This time Lei Hao came to Shanghai for promotion, coinciding with Guangjie Li starting work in Shanghai. When asked if she would meet Li Guangjie after work, before Lei Hao could answer, her agent jumped in: "We do not answer questions unrelated to the movie." Clearly avoiding the topic of marriage, it seems Lei Hao has yet to fully recover from her emotional wounds.
Director Calls In Reinforcements
At the press conference on the 9th, besides the director and actors, there was a special guest - Jeremy Thomas, the producer of "Silver Empire" and the Oscar-winning Best Picture "The Last Emperor."
Originally, after finishing the first cut of "Silver Empire," Shu Hua Yao sought Jeremy's advice. After watching the 2 hour 40 minute version of "Silver Empire," Jeremy said, "I don't know how to help you. It's too long. Modern audiences can't concentrate for more than 2 hours to watch your piece." Eventually, Jeremy introduced Shu Hua Yao to an editor familiar with him, who decisively cut out an hour, resulting in the current version of "Silver Empire."
Discussing the overseas release of the film, Jeremy expressed confidence but emphasized that the key still lies in how "Silver Empire" performs in China. "As long as the box office in China does well, foreign audiences will be interested in what kind of movie this is. Think about it, even Hollywood's bad films wouldn't be too popular in China, right?"