In the waiting room, audition tapes played without a moment’s break while printers belched out portfolios, the cacophony of hopeful voices and rapid mechanical whirring swelling to a frenzy. Every sheet of paper rushing in represented a hopeful individual, just like Isabelle Tian Yi Zhang, dreaming of starring in Stephen Chow’s first live-action movie in almost a decade.
The sense of desire and ambition emanating from those pages alone suffocated the room—suffocated Isabelle, who stood across from the judging panels and the imposing stacks of paper flanking them.
“Holy, I’m delusional,” the starry-eyed 22-year-old thought to herself. Having just graduated with a degree in Business from The University of Hong Kong, she had two paths before her—one in finance and the other in entertainment. Zhang was struggling to find her way.
Growing up, she was shy, avoiding attention and steering clear of strangers. When Zhang was 10 years old, a TV channel visited her school during a Christmas parade and a reporter asked for her thoughts. She remembers dodging the cameras before her friend leapt at the chance of being on TV. Her parents were frustrated—almost to the point of fury—when they found out. Deciding that they had to build up her confidence, her Dad pushed her towards sports, swimming and badminton. Meanwhile, her Mom had a vision of Isabelle enjoying the stage, so she enrolled Isabelle in Latin dance. Over the course of five years, she participated in countless competitions and won awards. Slowly, she began to enjoy the stage; slowly, she realised that performing fuelled her more than anything else. After being admitted to university in Hong Kong, she started modelling because it fuelled her desire to perform and seemed like a way to get her foot in the entertainment industry.
It was a decade ago when the thought of working with Chow was first planted. Isabelle and her Mom went to the cinema to watch Chow’s latest release, The Mermaid. “And here’s the best part, right?” Isabelle retold the story with awe in her voice, as if the incident was just yesterday. “My mom said, ‘You know, if Stephen ever actually got to meet you one day, he would really like you, and you would be in his movie.’” Then in 2023, when Chow announced open auditions for Kung Fu Soccer on Instagram, Isabelle knew it was an opportunity she could not miss. “As cocky as this might sound, I thought, ‘I’m going to be in it.’ There was just a gut feeling in me — there’s a good feeling about this one, and it feels like it’s meant for me.”
As cocky as this might sound, I thought, 'I'm going to be in it.' There was just a gut feeling in me — there's a good feeling about this one, and it feels like it's meant for me.
Isabelle Tian Yi Zhang
In the casting room for Kung Fu Soccer, Isabelle mustered the courage and rose to every challenge. First, two acting scenes. Then, she was unexpectedly tested on her dancing, boxing, English singing, and Cantonese singing (she went for the theme song of 1990 Hong Kong action-romance A Moment of Romance (天若有情), starring her childhood crush, Andy Lau ). Little did she know, it was only the beginning. Finally securing the role in Chow’s Kung Fu Soccer took eleven auditions that stretched over one year and eight months.
Isabelle confessed that the wait was the lowest point in her life. She had already graduated from university, but she didn’t know how much longer she had to wait, and she received no feedback from the casting team at all. Amid this period of internal struggles and uncertainty, it was her family who rebuilt her sense of hope. A major turning point occurred when her conservative Asian Dad, who had always pushed for a safe, traditional career, expressed support for Isabelle’s acting ambitions. He said, “This is my life—I belong to the office, and I’ve reached my potential, but for you, you really belong out there on the bigger stage, and I don’t want you to settle here.” Simultaneously, “I think where my mom comes to play is that she saw more in me than I ever saw in myself. And I’m already delusional,” Isabelle says jokingly, but the sentiment was sincere.
HEAD IN THE GAME
As a first-time actress, Isabelle felt lost on set, but never abandoned the high expectations she set on herself, personally performing all the stunts she could. For one of them, she was dragged on the floor for 50 meters at a time. In another, she had to run, fly and do a headshot, coordinating the timing of her actions with the camera, and ensuring her back was arched for the perfect angle. In hair and makeup, she had been made to look totally “damaged”; her face was covered in blood, her forehead and body were bruised, and her clothes were ripped and soiled. The moment Stephen saw her, he burst into laughter—it was one of her most memorable moments on set.
When we caught up, she had just returned from her first press day in Shenzhen, where she joined Chow, Lay and other cast members in promoting the film. Nerves were high leading up to the moment, but when she stepped on stage, she was overcome with a sense of peace because her parents and her younger sister were sitting in the front row.
“For the past three years, what people also don’t get to see is how much my family went on this journey with me. [It’s a completely different industry,] so they don’t know how to help, and they’re also scared. The entire family had to learn as well.”
When the movie was released in cinemas in Mainland China, her grandfather and aunt, both of whom had recently undergone surgery, booked the first tickets. At that moment, Isabelle realised, “This isn’t just about me getting a role anymore. It’s the energy, the light that you can pass on to the people that you know.”
When Isabelle envisions the type of artist she wants to become, she names legends like Anita Mui and Leslie Cheung—all-rounders with unmatched style and character. Not only does Isabelle want to continue acting, but she wants to venture into the music world where she can tell stories through lyrics and music videos. Is Hollywood the goal? It’s Isabelle Tian Yi Zhang; of course, the answer is yes.
Photoraphy: Chen Yung Hua
Styling: Cherry Mui
Makeup Artist: Vanessa Wong
Hair Stylist: Kit Li
Fashion Assistant: Mama Yiu
Photography Assistant: Samuel Chan
Editor
Karrie Lam
