Li Bingbing suffers Retribution at Resident Evil Tokyo premiere
Staff Reporter
2012-09-05
17:10 (GMT+8)
Li Bingbing in a shot from Resident Evil: Retribution. (Photo courtesy of the official blog of Resident Evil: Retribution)
Nationalistic sentiment aroused by the recent escalation of territorial disputes between Japan, China and South Korea has become reflected in the entertainment circles of the three countries.
Chinese actress Li Bingbing has been booted from the Japanese version of the poster of the movie Resident Evil 5, in which she stars, following the recent anti-Japanese demonstrations in China over the disputed Diaoyutai (Diaoyu or Senkaku) islands. Li reportedly refused to attend the premiere or do promotional work for the film in Japan to express her political stance.
The South Korean actress Gu Hye-seon, who has asserted her country's claim to the Dokdo or Takeshima islands, was likewise forced to cancel a promotional visit to Japan, Chinese portal website Sina Entertainment Net was quoted in Hong Kong media as saying.
Li Bingbing has been keen to use her part in Resident Evil: Retribution, the fifth film in the series of zombie movies based on the popular video games of the same name, as a gateway to greater international exposure. She not only received marksmanship training for the role but also filmed her fight scenes without a double. However, when the film had its premiere in Tokyo, Li's scenes were apparently cut, despite her having a substantial role in the film.
Li also disappeared from the Japanese version of the movie poster, with some speculation that she was unable to attend the premiere due to interference from the Japanese government. Her agent said this was not the case and that Li had other engagements in Beijing at the same time. Tellingly, he also said, "We are on the same side as the government, the Diaoyu islands belong to China and Li Bingbing will go to the film's world premiere anywhere except Tokyo."
