Zhang was juggling a lot while preparing for “Daggers.” Spending two months training to fight and dance came easily enough, but all that still had to be filtered through the experience of being blind. For that, Zhang turned to an unconventional teacher. “I lived with a real blind girl who was 14 years old,” she told IGN. The actress learned by watching and mimicking the girl’s movements and reactions, even asked the film’s assistant directors to record the process.

“The A.D.’s helped me by videotaping us together,” Zhang told Variety in 2005. “I’d then watch the tapes and see how the both of us react to the same things.”

In turn, Zhang recalled teaching the girl a few things as well. “I taught her some martial arts that use bamboo, because I think the reaction is different.”  There were other things that Zhang couldn’t teach. “She can’t run, the blind girl,” Zhang told IGN. “I took her to a very, very big empty space and she was so scared, she wouldn’t run. I told her, ‘Come on, please!’ but she was so scared.”

Ultimately, Zhang borrowed more than just mannerisms from her teacher. According to Variety, it was the girl’s inner-strength that inspired Zhang as well. It’s an inner-strength, maybe even a rebellious spirit, that has made Zhang such a force on-screen. Her dedication to all her roles, no matter the difficulty, always shines through. But what makes the actress so exhilarating to watch is her ability to make it all look easy.