Zhu Zhu, who plays the Blue Princess of the Bayaut tribe Kokachin on Netflix’s new original series Marco Polo, stars opposite Italian actor Lorenzo Richelmy in the epic streaming show.

Zhu Zhu On ‘Marco Polo’

Taken by Kublai Khan, Zhu Zhu’s character Kokachin is a prisoner of the leader of the Mongol Empire, who encounters Marco Polo after he arrives there on his travels. Not long after making each other’s acquaintance, the two fall for one another.

> WATCH ZHU ZHU’s uBIO NOW!

“She is Marco Polo’s love interest, so basically Kokachin and Marco Polo have the responsibility for the romance of the show,” Zhu Zhu told uInterview exclusively. “But she also has a lot of secrets. The reason I think that they connected with each other is because both of them are from outside of Khanbaliq. One is a guest and the another is a prisoner. A guest and a prisoner in the environment like that is probably not that different. She’s trying to survive and Marco as well. I think both of them are also trying to break free.”

Check Out Lorenzo Richelmy’s uRant On Nude Scenes HERE

In order to channel Kokachin, the Chinese actress had to undergo two months of grueling physical training, while also working on her dialect and other skills.  Getting up at 7 a.m. everyday, her schedule included, “two hours of physical training, two hours of dialect training, lunch break, two hours of horseback riding and one hour of archery.”

Zhu Zhu added, “Also, we have on set a culture supervisor from Mongolia, so he will give us lectures and speeches and presentations about Mongo people and how Mongo women should be.”

While filming in Kazakhstan, Zhu Zhu and the other actors and crewmembers soon learned that they were not in for the first class amenities available elsewhere. Making up for the lack of five-star hotels, however, was the first class view of the countryside.

“The view outside my window probably beats anywhere in the world,” Zhu Zhu revealed. “Everyday we traveled to set, we would see snow mountains, desert steppes, canyons, and white camels, running horses and sheep, little villages and children running around, lonely wolves. It’s really, really amazing.”

The first season of Marco Polo is currently available in full on Netflix.

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Q: Can you describe your character in ‘Marco Polo’? -

Well, I play, Kokachin, which is the Blue Princess of the Bayaut tribe, and she was taken by Kublai Khan, under his wing, and that is where she met up with Marco Polo and fell in love with him. She is Marco Polo’s love interest, so basically Kokachin and Marco Polo have the responsibility for the romance of the show. But she also has a lot of secrets. The reason I think that they connected with each other is because both of them are from outside of Khanbaliq. One is a guest and the another is a prisoner. A guest and a prisoner in the environment like that is probably not that different. She’s trying to survive and Marco as well. I think both of them are also trying to break free. That’s how she felt connected to him and maybe even a little bit of compassion.

User
Q: How was it shooting out in the middle of Kazakhstan? -

Well, I enjoyed it a lot – even though it is really difficult to find 5 star facilities. There is no Mandarin Oriental on the dessert. Even though the view outside my window probably beats anywhere in the world. Everyday we traveled to set, we would see snow mountains, desert steppes, canyons, and white camels, running horses and sheep, little villages and children running around, lonely wolves. It’s really, really amazing.

User
Q: How did you prepare for this role? -

I arrived in Malaysia before we started shooting almost two months in advance. Everyday my schedule is 7:30 pick up in the morning, two hours of physical training, two hours of dialect training, lunch break, two hours of horseback riding and one hour of archery. It was like that for almost two months and that’s what we did to prepare for the show. During the filming process, when we had days off, I also kept training like horseback riding and archery. Also, for the background stories and research, history and facts, we also did a lot of study like that. Also, we have on set a culture supervisor from Mongolia, so he will give us lectures and speeches and presentations about Mongo people and how Mongo women should be.