Lust, Caution 色，戒 (2007): A Banned Chinese-Language Film That Changed Two Lives Forever

In 2007, a Chinese-language film won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.

Director Ang Lee said it was the film he "invested the most in, with the deepest emotion — shooting it was like walking through hell." Tony Leung said afterward that he "couldn't bear to look back." And the female lead, Tang Wei — overnight, she went from an unknown supporting actress to the center of international cinema. And overnight, she disappeared entirely from Chinese screens.

That film is Lust, Caution.

Today, I don't want to talk only about the film itself. I want to talk about what happened after the cameras stopped rolling — the completely different fates that befell its two lead actors.

Part One: Seven Minutes of Footage, Twenty Days of Shooting

Lust, Caution is adapted from Eileen Chang's short story of the same name. Set in Shanghai during the War of Resistance Against Japan, a young female student named Wang Jiazhi (Tang Wei) is ordered to seduce and assassinate a traitorous collaborator, Mr. Yi (Tony Leung) — only to fall in love with him at the last moment.

The film's most controversial scenes — three extended sex sequences — took twenty full days to shoot, with countless takes. Ang Lee's attention to detail was obsessive. According to reports, during filming, only the cinematographer and essential crew remained on set. Late into the night, both actors performed fully nude, trying again and again.

Tang Wei later recalled that the experience felt "like taking a hot bath every day." But that "hot bath" was clearly not comfortable. On the 13th take, Lee finally didn't yell "cut." After it ended, Tang Wei and Tony Leung collapsed in each other's arms and wept.

Lee himself nearly broke down. On set, he fell into fear and despair, unable to hold back his tears. Tony Leung comforted him: "Director, I'm only exposing my skin. You take care of yourself."

On the last day of shooting, Lee walked up to Tang Wei and said: "After this film comes out, I worry most about you. So I'm adopting you as my goddaughter."

Lee's concern would later prove prophetic.

Part Two: The Same Performance, Two Different Fates

In 2007, Lust, Caution was released.

The film won the Golden Lion at Venice. It swept the Golden Horse Awards in Taiwan, winning Best Feature Film, Best Director, and other major prizes. Tony Leung's performance was elevated to legendary status — called "the peak of his acting career." Ang Lee thanked "the freedom of cinema" from the Oscar stage.

But Tang Wei's fate went in the opposite direction.

After the film's release, China's media regulator issued a ban on promoting Lust, Caution. All promotional content involving Tang Wei was removed. Her commercials disappeared overnight. Her film contracts were suspended. Her boyfriend at the time — Tian Yu, with whom she had been discussing marriage — broke up with her because of the film.

For the next two years, Tang Wei had no acting work.

On a talk show, Jin Xing spoke out for Tang Wei: "She wasn't the only one who acted in Lust, Caution. Why was she the only one banned?"

Her question pointed to a brutal reality. Director, screenwriter, and male actor — all collaborated on the creation. But the risk was borne by the actress alone. Tony Leung's intimate scenes were praised as "Oscar-worthy acting." Tang Wei's performance was stigmatized as "using her body to get ahead."

Feng Xiaogang also spoke out: "Why not ban Ang Lee or Tony Leung? What kind of justice is it to bully a young woman?"

Part Three: Tang Wei — From "Banned" to "Pride of Asia"

After the ban, Tang Wei received her salary for Lust, Caution — 1.4 million yuan. She took the money and went to England.

Her early days in England were extremely difficult. She couldn't get into university. She couldn't afford tuition. She could only afford cheap training courses. To make a living, she performed on the street as a living statue — wearing clothes made of newspaper, drawing portraits, coaching badminton, working as a sparring partner.

She spent three months mastering English and was eventually admitted to the University of the Arts London.

In 2010, Tang Wei's career turned around. She starred in the South Korean film Late Autumn. To prepare for the role, she went to a U.S. prison to experience life firsthand, delving deep into the inner world of prisoners. After the film's release, she quickly became a beloved figure in Korean cinema, winning over a dozen Best Actress awards.

She later married the film's director, Kim Tae-yong.

In 2022, Tang Wei reached the peak of her career with Decision to Leave. She won the Best Actress award at the Korean Blue Dragon Film Awards — becoming the first Chinese actress to do so. Korean media hailed her as "the pride of Asia."

From "banned actress" to "international star" — Tang Wei took fifteen years to make that journey.

Part Four: Tony Leung — "Couldn't Bear to Look Back," Yet Unscathed

Compared to Tang Wei's turbulent journey, Tony Leung's post-Lust, Caution life was remarkably stable.

He wasn't banned. He didn't lose endorsements. He didn't lose a relationship. He continued making films. He continued winning awards. In the decade after Lust, Caution, he starred in The Grandmaster, The Silent War, and other major works. He remained "Tony Leung, the award-winning actor."

But he was not unaffected.

Leung admitted that filming the intimate scenes in Lust, Caution caused him immense psychological strain. He said he "couldn't bear to look back." After filming ended, he locked himself at home for three months, refusing to see anyone. He also once said: "I'm afraid of acting — afraid I won't be true enough."

But unlike Tang Wei, his pain was seen — and respected. No one mocked him for his vulnerability on set. No one banned him for his "sacrifice."

Tony Leung's ease was a cushion society gave him. Tang Wei's ease — that was self-repair, calcified layer by layer, earned through survival.

Part Five: Why This Double Standard Deserves to Be Remembered

After Lust, Caution, Tang Wei and Tony Leung walked completely different paths.

It wasn't because one was more talented than the other. It was because society's tolerance for a male actor has never been the same as its tolerance for a female actress.

Leung's performance was called "a breakthrough." Tang Wei's was called "a scandal." Leung was praised for his "professional dedication." Tang Wei's morality was questioned. The same performance. The same sacrifice. The same commitment. The rewards were worlds apart.

This phenomenon is not unique to the entertainment industry. It reflects a broader social regulation of women's bodies. Tang Wei's experience was not an isolated case — it was simply magnified under the spotlight.

What matters is that Tang Wei was not defeated. She took the "coat of shame" and cut it into a cape. She proved herself on a higher stage.

Final Thoughts

Many people asked Tang Wei: "You almost lost everything for Lust, Caution. Was it worth it?"

Her answer: "To encounter a Wang Jiazhi once in a lifetime — that's enough."

Not every actress gets such an opportunity. Not every opportunity has someone willing to take the risk. Tang Wei did. And she played Wang Jiazhi as a character that time cannot erase.

Some say: if today's tolerance had existed back then, would Tang Wei have had to wander for fifteen years?

That question has no answer. But we can at least remember this: the young woman who was crushed by fate was not destroyed. She climbed back up from the bottom. And step by step, she walked to places far beyond where she started.

That, truly, is Lust, Caution.

Tom De · The Movie Prince 🎬