Sun Li, the actress who has left countless classic roles on the screen, has never starred in "Flowers", a representative work in the Shanghai circle. Why did this powerful actor miss this hit drama?
First of all, we need to understand Sun Li's background and resources. Although she was born in Shanghai, her acting career is more developed in the Beijing circle. From "Jade Guanyin" to "The Legend of Zhen Huan", her resources and cooperation objects are mostly closely connected with the Beijing circle. The relationship with actors in the Shanghai circle, such as Hu Ge and Ma Yili, is not as close as the outside world thinks.
Moreover, Sun Li's appearance and temperament are alleged to be inconsistent with Shanghai's "tone". In the Shanghai circle, the actor's voice and image often need to conform to certain "Shanghai characteristics", which includes a loud voice and a certain elegant "foreign atmosphere". And Sun Li's tough image and personality make it difficult for her to fully integrate into this style.
In addition, Sun Li's status in the TV circle is quite high, and she naturally has higher requirements for the choice of scripts. The big heroine drama is her first choice, and "Flowers", as a big male lead drama, is obviously not in line with her line of playing.
Finally, and most crucially, Wong Kar-wai did not invite Sun Li to star in "Flowers". Although Sun Li has deep acting skills and a wide audience base, the final role choice is still in the hands of the director.
Although Sun Li did not participate in "Flowers", her two children appeared in the play and became Kong Xiangdong's partners when he played the piano. This is also an alternative kind of participation.