On her Chinese adventures

© Kinema Films

soFem: Filming in China must have been a fascinating experience - can you tell us all about it?

Naomi: Well, the first challenge is when you arrive and you try to communicate, which was difficult! Even simple things like taking a taxi are challenging, because you can’t even tell the driver the address you're going to, and you can’t write it down. So everything was more time consuming and harsh. But it’s all part of the adventure and China is such a fabulous, gorgeous and generous country.

People truly opened their arms to us and without the help of the Chinese we could not have made this film. I mean, we were shooting in totally remote places and sometimes it would take hours to get to such-or-such a location. So we really were fortunate to have such passionate and devoted individuals working with us.  

soFem: You talk of the film as being a journey in every sense of the word. What will you always remember about it?  

Naomi: The memories...We ended up shooting in places we would never have gone to otherwise, and those memories are forever printed in my mind and body. The film itself was so powerful and the screenplay was very deep and very rich. After The Painted Veil I'm maybe going to try and communicate with people around me better because you can never be under the illusion that you understand everything - you only see part of reality. It was so much more than just a film. It was a journey and an extraordinary experience I'll never forget.