From above, clockwise: Lucy Liu in Cypher, Charlie's Angels. Kill Bill and Sex and the City
l. .‘/ ll, .1 i” H til it
’.‘;Ill;‘lz'l ‘2 -t v: t.
t \\lll he a ltapp} da_\ in lln||_\\\nnd \ihen l.iie) l.ilt
ixn't eaxt l'nr her tun hext—kiin\\ n axxetx. Sinee _\ntt‘re
tint reading [nut/ml. _\nti’ll knnu the} are. nl ennrxe. her \iillingnexx tn pla} the hiteh and. \xhat llnll_\\\nnd eaxting agentx might eall her 'e\ntie ethnieiti'. She ean pla_\ the xe\ hiteh: in her lirxt indie l'liek. Hung. xhe pla) ed a hnnker; her lirxt eelltilnid hig hreak. [lit/melt. a dnininatri\ tn .\le| (iihxnn‘x \endetta—dri\en ernnk: and her inan e\treine part in Hut 1/ In the linne. nnee again ax a prnxtittite. ()r xhe‘x the hattling hiteh: a haddie~ htixting .'\le\ in ('lmrlie'x Ange/x; a deadl) axxaxxin iii Antonin Banderax' li’tt/lislie.‘ lie/t rs Set-er; and xnnn tn he queen oi the nnderunrld in 'l'arantinn'x /\'i// Iii/I.
It \Httlltl he eax_\ tn la} the Name Mr her tnngh perxnna at tlte leet nl' l)a\ id Ii Kelle) \ihn eaxt her ax the hrutal. hallx) _\et radiant l.ing \\'nn in .-l//.\' .ileli’eu/ (l.iti nriginall} atiditinned l‘nr the hland rnle nl' Nellei. It \\;I\ nnl) alter xhe ga\e ('alixta and her \iet entinterpartx a gnnd kiek tip the jexxiex and earning an linini) nntninatinn iii the prneexx that nin\ie prndtieerx xat up and tnnk nntiee. But the t)peeaxting rnntx lie deeper. and are tnnre ent\\ ined. thaii that.
:\x earl} ax NIX. ,xilent lltti\iL‘ xtar .-\nna .\la_\ \\'niig lL‘lil llnll} \Vnnd lk‘eattxc \ltc \\;tx nttl) filtered pttt'tx ttx lltL‘ \illain. \\lthlt xat eaxier nn .-\tneriea'x ennxeienee: (‘hina : (‘nninitinixt 2 Bad. Then there \\;tx .lnan ('hen. hel'nre l.iti the ninxt ,xtieeexxltil :\ineriean-('hinexe aetrexx tn date. \xhn alln\\ ed her raee tn dietate uhieh rnlex xhe pla} ed. .\lnre reeent|_\. (rune/tine 'I'I'eer. l/itlt/en Dragnn ma) ha\e \lttt\\lt that ('hinexe etilttire ean he palatahle tn niainxtreatn andieneex. htit \Htttltl it ha\ e heen xn .xtteeexxl'til had the eninhat heen replaeed \\lllt. xa). pra_\ er'.’
Sn \\lt;tl niakex a petite. intelligent unnian \\lll1 a haekgrnnnd in theatre. a degree iii (‘hinexe enltttre. \\hn‘.x fluent in Mandarin and hax e\hihited ninlti-niedia artnnrk in .\'e\\ ank and l..»\. enntintte tn aeeept thexe rnlex and reint'nree the xterent}pe'.’ l‘irxtl). xhe dnex it heeattxe .xhe ix ehallenged h_\ aetinn rnlex. It might he a eliehe. hill the 3-1-)t‘;it'-ttld‘x ('hinexe immigrant parentx inxtilled in l.iti the \aluex nl' dixeipline and edneatinn. l5nr ('Iitu'lie's .-\ngel\ xhe trained eight hnnrx a da} tn make her tight xeenex helie\ahle. .-\x a hnhh_\ xhe learned
BENEATH THE PHYSICALITY LIES A HUMANITY WHICH IS EXCITING AND VULNERABLE
With Cypher, LUCY LIU may be shaking off her ass-kickin‘ icy bitch persona that has men everywhere quaking. But she’s still the toughest
cookie in Hollywood. ' 1‘» Maureen Ellis
the martial art nl' kali exkriina xtlat tknile and xtiek lighting) heeanxe xhe thnnght it lnnked like heantitnl llnxierx npening. .\nd lnr her rnle ax a inalinxa Ill /\'/// li/H xhe tnnk .lapanexe lexxnnx lnr t\\n innnthx.
Seenndl}. it'x ahnttt ehniee. l’la}ing the \illain ni xnnienne \\hn t'el'tixex tn he a \ ietiin hax raixed her ptnlile iii lln||_\\\nnd and xhe ix nnu nllered innie rnlex; the hlnekhtixterx prmiding a gateua} tn ninre attixtie lreednni. l’erhapx that‘x \\h_\. alter the mega xneeexx nt lilnix like ('ltur/ie'x .lnge/x and Shane/Int .\nnn. the ltt\\ httdget. artixtie eredihilit} nl'(‘\/r/1er prn\ed an entietng prnxpeet. l’la}itig the enigniatie leninie latale lx’ita l'ttxlt'l ix par l‘nr the entirxe l'nr l.ill. httt amid the llaxhex nt glaeial prnlexxinnalixin her eliaraeter liax an inherent \\;ii'iiitli \xhieh haxn't heen eaptnred in an_\ nl her tihn rnlex tn date. The iee lad_\ \eneer tell and heiieatli the trademark ph_\xiea|it_\ hex a lininanit} \xhieh ix at nnee e\eiting and. l'nrgi\ e ine. \ nhierahle.
'l‘he lititiiati xide tn l.iti ix itixt ax interexting ax hei di\a-|ike xereen prexenee. l't'ttltt ginning tip in ()neenx. \eu ank. l.iti \xnrked her \\a_\ thrnngh enllege and laeed hitter nppnxitinn lrnni her parentx \xhen xhe decided tn heentne an aetrexx. .v\lter inming tn l,.\. xhe had three inhx txeeretar}. \iaitrexx and aernhtex inxtrtietnrt tn help pa} the rent \\l1llL' dning the rntindx nt atiditinnx and hit—part \nieem er \\til‘l\.
.\'n\\ the 111an lainntix .\\l;tll.'\lltk‘t'ie;tlt aetrexx til the “mid. xhe ixn‘t \\ithnttt \xnex. l.iti nitixt he the nnl_\ lln||_\\\nnd aetrexx iint tn he linked mm a xtiing nl leading men; tnainl} heeattxe men are intiniidated, \lnre interextingl}. xhe hax had tun henign ttnnnnrx reinnxed lrnni her hreaxtx. \xhieh xhe nnu thinkx nl ax 'dianinndx'.
lt'x tinie nnxx lnr l.iti tn take enntrnl nl her eareer: nn ninre parnd_\ing the ling/l.iti h_\hrid txee Set and the ('I'Ii'. King n/ the NIH atid I'ulumnmi. attd taking ininnr. xttppnrting rnlex in aetinn-drnen lilinx. ('t/t/ier xltn\\ed annther xide tn her \ihieh needx tn he gi\ en a ehanee tn xhine. ln xetting tip her nun prndnetinn ennipan} l.iti hax taken a xtep in the right direetinn. \Vith t\\n prnieetx in the pipeline. ennihined \xith her killer \inrk ethie. l.iti ix ripe lnr eaxting nil her tinhreakahle ('hina dnll ninttld.
Cypher opens on selected release from Fri 5 Sep.
20 THE LIST -1 8w: