Shu Qi

1996–1999: Early roles

Shu starred in Derek Yee's 1996 film Viva Erotica, about the erotic film industry in Hong Kong, with Karen Mok and Leslie Cheung. She received the Best Supporting Actress award for her performance in Viva Erotica at the 16th Hong Kong Film Awards in 1997.^[10] She has since appeared in Hong Kong films such as Portland Street Blues (1998), City of Glass (1998), the box office hit Gorgeous (1999), Stanley Kwan's The Island Tales (1999) and Hou Hsiao-hsien's Millennium Mambo (2001), making her transition into mainstream acting.^[11]

2002–2009

In 2002, Shu starred in the French film The Transporter, the first installment of the Transporter franchise. This marked her first foray into the American market. Among Shu's earlier notable works were The Foliage (2004), a romance film set in Yunnan during the Cultural Revolution.^[12] She won the Best Actress award at the 13th Shanghai Film Critics Awards for her performance.^[13] Shu worked with Hou again in Three Times (2005), which competed at the Cannes Film Festival^[14] and won Shu the Best Actress award at the Golden Horse Awards.^[15] In 2006, Shu starred in the third installment of the gangster film My Wife Is a Gangster alongside Korean actor Lee Beom-soo.^[16]

She then starred alongside Tony Leung Chiu-wai and Takeshi Kaneshiro in the crime drama Confession of Pain (2006).^[17] In 2008, she had a small but memorable role in the American romantic comedy New York, I Love You. Shu served as a jury member at the 58th Berlin International Film Festival in 2008,^[18] and the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in 2009.^[19] The same year, she was honored at the Huabiao Awards as Best Actress for the Taiwan and Hong Kong region for her performance in the romantic comedy film If You Are the One, directed by Feng Xiaogang. The romantic comedy was the highest-grossing Chinese film of the year.^[20][21]

2010–2023

Shu starred in Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (2013), directed by Stephen Chow and loosely based on the Chinese literary classic Journey to the West. The film overtook Lost in Thailand to become the highest-grossing Chinese movie.^[22] Shu reunited with Hou in his first wuxia film, The Assassin (2015), starring as the title character. The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews at the Cannes Film Festival,^[23] and Shu won the Best Actress award at the Asian Film Festival.^[24] It was selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 88th Academy Awards but it was not nominated.^[25] The same year, she starred in the blockbuster film Mojin: The Lost Legend, adapted from popular adventure novel series Ghost Blows Out the Light.^[26]

In 2016, Shu, Feng Shaofeng and Victoria Song starred in the Chinese remake of My Best Friend's Wedding.^[27] She was also cast in fantasy comedy The Village of No Return, which premiered at the first day of Spring Festival in 2017.^[28] In 2017, Shu starred in Stephen Fung's The Adventurers alongside Jean Reno and Andy Lau.^[29] Shu appears in the 2019 science fiction film Shanghai Fortress, adapted from the 2006 novel Once Upon a Time in Shanghai.^[30] In 2023, Shu served as a jury member at the 80th Venice International Film Festival.^[31][32]

2024–present

In June 2024, Shu was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.^[33] She starred in the Bi Gan's science fiction detective film Resurrection (2025) which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was deemed polarizing as it divided critics at the festival.^[34][35] Shu made her directorial debut with the film Girl (2025), which was shortlisted for the Golden Lion at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival.^[36]

Film

Television series