14 DAY TRIAL // One of the most talented, awarded, beautiful and loved actresses hailing from China, Zhang Ziyi, is now involved in a major scandal in which she's believed to have made a fortune by sleeping with politicians and millionaires. She denies all the claims.
Reports in the local media, as cited by Yahoo! Singapore and the Daily Mail, claim that the actress doubled her pay as one of China's most beloved actresses by working as a high-class call girl.
She is believed to have slept with disgraced politician Bo Xilai, the former Minister of Commerce, after she was introduced to him by millionaire Xu Ming, with whom she also had relations, for a price.
Word online has it that the only reason Zhang wasn't in Cannes for the Film Festival this year is because authorities have barred her from leaving the country until the investigation is over.
In a statement to the press, the actress' publicist says all these reports are false: there is no investigation involving her because all these monstrous claims are false.
Moreover, the rep says, she plans on suing the media outlets that originated the story.
“We read this outrageous report in the Hong Kong's Apple Daily. It sent stone-cold chills down our spines and has left us with a feeling of deep sadness. During the last month, Zhang Ziyi has been busy working day and night on the set of 'The Grandmasters',” the statement reads.
“Why should this devoted and responsible actress have to suffer this kind of slander and defamation? Friends have advised us to release a short statement and not take this seriously. The more you argue, the more you will stir up. It would be better to step aside until people lose interest and the lies disappear. The innocent will always be innocent,” says the rep.
The statement mentions Zhang's intention of taking legal actions against Apple Daily to prove her innocence, because the damage done to her image with these outrageous accusations has been considerable.
“We are telling those rumor-makers that we will respond. We will prove our side of the story; we'll seek legal justice; we'll find you in the darkest corner and go after you,” the publicist says.
Zhang Ziyi acting credits include roles in critically acclaimed films like “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “House of Flying Daggers,” “Hero” and the blockbuster “Rush Hour 2.”