Fan Bingbing Makes a Comeback with “Green Night”
Fan Bingbing, once celebrated as one of the most prominent and bankable stars in Chinese cinema, is set to make her long-awaited return to the screen this Friday with the online premiere of Green Night. This marks her re-emergence after a dramatic six-year hiatus following a high-profile tax scandal that significantly impacted her career.
At the height of her fame in 2018, Fan was a powerhouse in the film industry, boasting a string of blockbuster hits and lucrative partnerships with luxury brands. However, her life took a drastic turn when she mysteriously vanished from the public eye for several months. In October of the same year, she returned with a public apology, revealing that the Chinese authorities had imposed a staggering fine of nearly $70 million for unpaid taxes and penalties.
The repercussions of the scandal effectively put a halt to Fan’s film career in China, which is recognized as the largest movie market outside of the United States. Despite this, she avoided facing criminal charges and maintained her presence in the public sphere by expanding her business ventures, notably launching her own beauty brand, Fan Beauty.
In her comeback film, Green Night, directed by Han Shuai, a talented filmmaker from China, Fan takes on the lead role. The film is set in South Korea and will be available for streaming in the United States starting Friday, having first premiered on the festival circuit in Berlin last year.
In Green Night, the now 43-year-old actress portrays a Chinese woman who teams up with a young South Korean woman to emancipate themselves from oppression. Describing the film’s core message, she stated, “It’s about women helping women and women redeeming women,” during her appearance at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea last year. She also noted that some of her personal experiences and stories from recent years are woven into the character she embodies in the film.
During the Busan festival, Fan reflected on her lengthy hiatus, expressing that the time away had allowed her to “ground” herself. Although she was unable to be reached for further comment, her insights during the festival shed light on her journey back to the screen.
Fan’s fall from grace was ignited by an online accusation that she had received millions of dollars more than what was reported to the tax authorities for her work on a film. This practice of maintaining dual contracts to evade taxes was pervasive across various industries in China, but the specific allegation against Fan catalyzed a broader investigation into the entertainment sector.
In her 2018 apology, posted on the social media platform Weibo, she expressed deep remorse, stating, “I have had deep and profound self-reflection. I feel shamed and guilty for what I have done.”
China’s government exercises stringent control over the media, including the entertainment industry, and imposes censorship on content they consider inappropriate. While Green Night has yet to be released in mainland China, many internet users there appear to be accessing it through unofficial channels. According to Douban, a popular Chinese platform for reviewing movies, books, and music, approximately 38,000 users had already viewed the film as of Thursday.
