Taiwanese actress Shu Qi hopes her latest drama will inspire women to stand up for themselves. Photos: Handout
The last time Taiwanese superstar Shu Qi graced the small screen was nearly two decades ago in the 2006 series Stephen’s Diary, where she made a brief cameo.
Fast forward to 2025, the 49-year-old is marking her return to television with Netflix’s latest Chinese-language series The Resurrected.
“I wanted to try a different shooting style for a change,” she told StarLifestyle in an exclusive interview in Taiwan, just a day before the show premiered on Oct 9.
We were seated in a cosy lounge of a five-star hotel in Taoyuan.
It was late in the evening, and Shu had already spent hours doing back-to-back interviews and a virtual roundtable with other media outlets.
Despite her packed schedule, the ever-professional actress remained radiant and enthusiastic as she spoke with us.
“Filming a series is a much longer journey than shooting a movie. In films, there are one or two plot twists at most, but in dramas, it’s an endless cycle of twists... It’s fun to try something new.”
Malaysian actress Lee Sinje (right) stars opposite Shu in the nine-episode Netflix series.Directed by Leste Chen Cheng-tao and Hsu Chao-jen, The Resurrected follows two desperate mothers who unite to exact revenge after their daughters fall victim to a telecom scam ring.
With the help of a mysterious “goddess”, they bring the ringleader back from the dead – only to torture him as punishment for his crimes.
As the truth behind the scheme unravels, both women are forced to confront the moral cost of vengeance itself.
The nine-episode thriller marks Shu’s sixth television project in her prolific 31-year career.
It also stars Malaysian actress Lee Sinje, Taiwanese actor Fu Meng-po, Thai actor Sukollawat Kanarot (better known as Weir) and Thai-German artiste Patrick Nattawat Finkler.
Shu plays Wang Hui-chun, a meek housewife whose daughter lies in a vegetative state after falling prey to the scam’s mastermind.
Over time, her character transforms from a soft-spoken mother into a woman teetering between justice and retribution.
'The Resurrected' marks Shu's first TV series in 19 years and her sixth overall.“By the end, you’re not even sure if she’s good or bad, but that’s what makes her fascinating,” Shu said with a knowing smile.
A game of emotion
Shu’s career has been anything but linear.
She began as a model in 1994 before gaining recognition with the 1996 comedy Viva Erotica, which won her Best Supporting Actress at the 16th Hong Kong Film Awards.
From there, the gorgeous movie star transitioned into mainstream cinema with movies such as Millennium Mambo (2001), The Transporter (2002), The Assassin (2015) and more.
With over 90 film credits to date, Shu – who is married to Hong Kong actor Stephen Fung – stands among Asia’s most sought-after actresses.
Despite her vast range, she said she rarely gets to play housewife characters.
“It’s why I felt so strongly about Hui-chun,” the actress said, before candidly sharing. It’s also the one that made me cry the most since I started acting!”
Portraying Hui-chun demanded considerable emotional depth as the character wasn’t just a grieving mother but also a survivor of domestic abuse.
Yet, instead of seeing it as a hurdle, the versatile actress approached it with playful curiosity.
Shu plays Wang Hui-chun, a mother desperate to exact revenge after her daughter falls victim to a telecom scam ring.“I love exploring different characters, so switching personalities wasn’t daunting.
“For this role, I’d start with very intense emotions, but the director would tell me to tone it down sometimes. I get to act out the same scene in many ways, so it’s like playing a game.”
And just as easily as Shu descends into the depths of a character’s psyche, she can effortlessly step out again – no matter how heavy the role.
“I think I’m a psychopath at this point,” she joked.
“I’d be bawling for a scene one moment, and once the cameras stop rolling, I’d casually walk up to the director and ask him what’s for dinner. He’d then stare at me like, ‘What’s wrong with you?’”
Still, not every moment on the set of The Resurrected was a walk in the park.
Shu recalled that her greatest challenge was to keep her emotions in check while shooting the brutal torture scenes with Fu, who plays the scam kingpin Chang Shih-kai.
“Whenever I get into a role, a lot of things flow naturally. Meng-po didn’t have any wires or protective gear when he was tied up, so he had to rely entirely on his core strength to stay lifted,” she said.
“I had to be really careful because I didn’t want to accidentally kill him for real,” the actress added, laughing.
Standing strong
Across her longtime career, Shu has embodied countless characters – from fearless assassins to morally ambiguous heroines – yet no two have ever felt the same.
Shu made her directorial debut with her film 'Girl' in August 2025.“While filming The Resurrected, I truly felt that we women should really stand on our own feet and find strength within ourselves. In the face of abuse, we need to do our best to rise again in whatever way we can,” she said.
Earlier in August, Shu turned a new page in her artistic journey by making her directorial debut with Girl – a raw film about a young girl navigating domestic abuse.
The movie earned her the Best Director award at the 30th Busan International Film Festival in September and was inspired by her own childhood with her alcoholic father.
While those wounds have long healed, the actress admitted that their echo remains.
“Whenever I hit a low point, I tell myself to just do it and keep fighting bravely,” she said.
As the final minutes of our conversation neared, StarLifestyle asked Shu what lies ahead, now that she has accomplished so many things.
To this, she paused for a moment, then smiled and said she has long freed herself from any grand ambition.
“I’ve never really made plans for my life ever since I was little. Even today, I just go with the flow – if there’s a project I like, I’ll do it. Right now, I want to enjoy life and embrace whatever opportunities come my way.”
All nine episodes of The Resurrected are available on Netflix.
