Profile | Scandal-plagued actress Li Xiaolu gains comeback support amid calls for equal tolerance
Many believe female stars who have been involved in affairs deserve same level of tolerance as their male counterparts
Chinese actress Li Xiaolu is described by many, including herself, as “a person who destroyed her own reputation” after her extramarital affair ruined her blossoming career and marriage some years ago.
Beijing-born Li, 42, whose father is a film director and mother is an actress, began acting in films at the age of three.
She starred in the film Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl directed by Chinese-American actress and director Joan Chen and won the prestigious Golden Horse Best Leading Actress Award at the age of 17.
Li was reported to hold grudges against Chen as she found the film misleading others to think she did nudity, despite the scenes using a body double. She later denied the reports.
Li returned to the spotlight in the 2000s as a successful TV drama actress, starring in multiple hit series such as All the Misfortunes Caused by the Angel (2001) and Struggle (2007).
In a 2017 speech, Li said she was living up to the three life goals she wrote down after the Golden Horse award win – making a phenomenal film, being a successful woman, and living a romantic life.
Li married actor Jia Nailiang in 2012 and gave birth to their daughter, Tianxin, in October the same year. She said she valued her daughter’s happiness more than her career success, as she grew up with her absent parents who were always busy at work.
