娱乐英语新闻:Gong Li: John Cusack is amiable and talented

BEIJING, June 15 (Xinhuanet) -- Actress Gong Li says John Cusack, her co-star in the new WWII spy thriller "Shanghai," is an "all-round actor."

Gong and Cusack were in Shanghai on Sunday to promote the film. "There was this scene that the director Mikael Hafstrom couldn't do because he was sick. So John took the directing work," Gong told reporters at a press conference.

"He was trustworthy and amiable. He was more than willing to discuss the roles with us. He was like our leader in the cast. I learned many things from working with him," Gong said.

Cast members John Cusack and Gong Li pose for photographers at a press conference for their latest film, "Shanghai" during the 13th Shanghai International Film Festival on Sunday, June 13, 2010

In return, Cusack said he enjoyed the filming experience and was looking forward to working with Gong Li again.

"Shanghai," set months before the attack on Pearl Harbor, tells the story of American intelligence official Paul Soames (Cusack) who traces his friend's death to Japanese-occupied Shanghai and falls in love with a local woman named Anna (Gong Li).

The movie also features Chow Yun-Fat as Anna's husband Anthony Lan-Ting. Pianist Lang Lang contributed to the soundtrack.

"Shanghai" was produced by China's Huayi Brothers and American company Weinstein. It is slated to open in China on June 17.