Zhang Ziyi compliments Angelababy’s acting

Model turned actress Angelababy is known for many things but unfortunately acting is not one of them. The 31-year-old has been labelled a ‘terrible actress’ since her first acting role in 2006. It was said that she is someone “who can’t seem to improve even after countless opportunities.” Angelababy’s performance in her latest drama A Murderous Affair In Horizon Tower garnered praise from an unexpected source, Zhang Ziyi.

On September 1, 41-year-old Ziyi, uploaded a Weibo post, which read: “Whatever doubts you had towards Angelababy’s acting should be cast aside. Her performance is sincere and natural (…) She deserves to be recognised for being so immersed in her role and for expressing it so well.”

In response to her post, netizens were bewildered, wondering why the famous actress would praise Angelababy out of the blue. “How many times has she ended up as a trending topic because of her bad acting? Isn’t being able to act the basic requirement of an actor?” one such netizen wrote.

Another added, “Is Zhang Ziyi trying to become as unlikeable as possible? She wasn’t like this in [talent show] I Am The Actor. She didn’t hold back criticism even in the front of actors who could act so much better than Angelababy.”

One comment, which read, “You’ve actually praised her acting. Have you been kidnapped?”, actually got a response from Ziyi, who told the netizen to “believe [their] own eyes”.

As for Angelababy, she responded to Ziyi’s praise by saying that she has “a lot to improve on”. Her reply incurred even more wrath from netizens, who told her to “go take acting classes if you have any shame”. No surprises then that one of the most-liked comments was this cheap shot: “Angelababy has been acting for more than 10 years. Is she bragging about how she’s still lacking in acting skills after all these years? I have no words.”

Born on February 29 1989 as Angela Yeung Wing, Angelababy is a model, actress and singer based in Hong Kong and mainland China. In 2013, she was chosen by Southern Metropolis Daily as one of the New Four Dan Actresses. In 2016, she won the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in the blockbuster film Mojin: The Lost Legend.