Sing girls
"Sing girls" (Chinese: 星女郎; pinyin: xīng nǚ láng) is a nickname for actresses who starred alongside Stephen Chow, often as the main character's romantic interest.[1] Many are young, new actresses who go on to receive considerable media attention after appearing in one of Chow's films,[2] and their success is often attributed to the attention brought to them by Chow—Zhang Yuqi, for example, has been referred to as Chow's "protégée" after appearing in the 2007 film CJ7.[3] The Chinese word 星 xīng refers both to Chow's nickname 星爷 (Sing Yeh, "Grandmaster Sing")[2] and to 明星, the word for a star or celebrity.
Chow has not always chosen newcomer actresses to co-star with him; for example, Vicki Zhao already had a successful music and film career when she appeared as the female lead in Shaolin Soccer,[1] and Gong Li was already famous as an "Yimou girl" (谋女郎) for her frequent collaboration with director Zhang Yimou before she starred in two Stephen Chow films in the early 1990s. Many times, though, starring with Chow has been a "Sing girl"'s first major role and has kick-started her career, as King of Comedy did for Cecilia Cheung. Eva Huang and Kitty Zhang both gained considerable attention from media and netizens after appearing in Kung Fu Hustle and CJ7, respectively, even though their roles were relatively small (Huang's role had no lines at all).[1]
Kingdom Yuen appeared in numerous 1990s Stephen Chow films not as a lead female or romantic interest, but rather in minor roles as a comedic stock character.[4]
The youngest "Sing girl" is 7 year old Zhang Yuwen, who appears in Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons.[5]
List
 |
See also
- Rat Pack, Brat Pack, and Frat Pack: American actors grouped together through frequent collaboration
- Bond girl
- Cinema of Hong Kong
- Cinema of China
References
- ^ a b c d e f 邱致理 (Qiu Zhili) (10 December 2007). "张雨绮亲述一夜成名:30秒搞定周星驰 (Zhang Yuqi's overnight fame: 30 seconds to win over Stephen Chow)" (in Chinese). 南都周刊. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ a b 许慧健 (Xu Huijian), ed. (9 June 2009). "从"翻版张柏芝"看女星整容是非 (From "New Cecilia Cheung", seeing if female stars are having makeovers or not)". 大洋 (dayoo.com). Archived from the original on 5 July 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|deadurl=ignored (|url-status=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Boon Cheng (6 February 2008). "Stephen Chow's Play: CJ7". Straits Times.
- ^ a b c Gendron, Yves (5 October 2004). "Yuen King-tan/Kingdom Yuen". Hong Kong Cinema: View from the Brooklyn Bridge. Retrieved 4 July 2009. [unreliable source?]
- ^ "揭秘《西游》最小星女郎 张煜雯喊星爷哥哥". Hunan TV. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
- ^ Lanuque , Arnaud. "Sharla Cheung Man" (in French). Hong Kong Cinemagic. Retrieved 28 June 2009.
- ^ "Athena Chu Yan". LoveHKFilm.com. Retrieved 3 October 2008.
{{cite web}}: External link in|publisher= - ^ "Eva Huang feels grateful to Stephen Chow". China Daily. 29 May 2006. Retrieved 28 June 2009.