Tang Wei's down-to-earth side: 'Decision to Leave' co-star recalls her farming in baggy pants
Tang Wei / Xportsnews
Chinese actor Tang Wei may be known for her sophisticated screen presence and glamorous image, but her "Decision to Leave" co-star Park Hae-il says the star he encountered off camera was strikingly down-to-earth — working in a field in loose-fitting farm pants and a straw hat.
Park shared the unexpected story about Tang during an appearance with actor Yoo Hae-jin on the 156th episode of the YouTube talk show "Salon Drip," released Tuesday on the TEO channel.
When host Jang Do-yeon asked Park about the vegetable garden at his home, the actor said it was Tang who had inspired him to start growing his own produce.
Park and Tang starred together in acclaimed Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook's 2022 romantic mystery "Decision to Leave," in which Park Hae-il played a detective investigating the death of a man whose enigmatic widow, played by Tang, becomes the focus of both his investigation and his emotions.
Park Hae-il said he first visited Tang after she had been cast in the film, accompanying director Park Chan-wook to meet her.
Park Hae-il / Captured from YouTube channel "Salon Drip"
Before the visit, he had a very different picture of what Tang would be like.
"As I remember it, Tang Wei had done cosmetics commercials before, so she had this modern image, you know?" Park said.
What he encountered upon arrival caught him by surprise.
"But when we got there, there she was, wearing farm pants and working the field," he said. "She was wearing a straw hat, and she even cooked for us using produce she had harvested herself."
The scene revealed an unassuming side of Tang that contrasted sharply with the polished image Park had associated with her.
The experience apparently left enough of an impression on him to change his own lifestyle.
"I thought, 'Maybe I should try this too,'" Park said, explaining that his encounter with Tang eventually led him to take up vegetable gardening himself.
Tang, one of China's most internationally recognized actors, has appeared in films including Ang Lee's "Lust, Caution." Her performance opposite Park Hae-il in "Decision to Leave" further raised her profile among global audiences as the film earned widespread international acclaim and competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
This article from Xportsnews was adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.