In all honesty, few actresses in Asian cinema have built a career as remarkable as Fan Bingbing. Fearless and endlessly versatile, Fan has spent decades proving herself as one of the most unforgettable actresses of her generation. She is known not only for historical films such as Sacrifice and Lady of the Dynasty, but also for intimate arthouse cinema and major international productions, including X-Men: Days of Future Past. She also has numerous television roles under her belt, including the stunning historical series The Empress of China, directed by Go Yik Chun, and Qin Shi Huang, directed by Yan Jiangang and Liu Wei. Without a doubt, Fan has always managed to transform herself for every role she takes on completely.

Many of us, however, first discovered her through the hugely popular television drama My Fair Princess, a 1998 period TV series which ran for two seasons. That said, it was her performance in Cell Phone, directed by Feng Xiaogang, that became a turning point in her career and earned her critical recognition, including the Hundred Flowers Award for Best Actress.

Her reunion with Feng Xiaogang in I Am Not Madame Bovary once again reminded the world of her extraordinary talent. The role earned her some of the highest honours of her career, including the Silver Shell for Best Actress and the Golden Rooster Award for Best Actress. 

Her latest project, which was also screened at the Far East Film Festival this year, Mother Bhumi, written and directed by Chong Keat Aun, earned her the prestigious Golden Horse Award for Best Leading Actress. In addition, the actress was recognised for her incredible work and received the Golden Mulberry Award for Outstanding Achievement at the aforementioned film festival.

On stage in Udine, Fan expressed her gratitude to her family and friends, and to the fans who have supported her across the decades, especially during the more difficult periods of her life. “This feels like the most important moment in my career,” said Fan, holding the trophy and brushing away the tears in her eyes.

The following day, we sat down with Fan to discuss her career and her latest performance in Mother Bhumi. 

View of the Arts: During the shooting process of Mother Bhumi, what efforts did you make to change your appearance and in the shaping of your character?

Fan Bingbing: Director Chong wanted to transform me into someone completely different. I tanned quite a lot, but that still didn’t meet his expectations. I had to wear very dark foundation, and they also fitted me with a large prosthetic. The idea was to turn me into a Southeast Asian farmer.

The shoot lasted roughly three months, all during the summer. Every day, before I even got into makeup, the director would look at me and ask why there was still dirt under my fingernails and toenails. He would say, “You’re a Virgo. How can you stand this? Don’t you clean them every day?”

But I was filming for over 10 hours a day, and just removing makeup would already take two hours. If I then had to scrub my fingernails and toenails with a toothbrush, it would take even longer. So, I had to tell him, “Just leave it like this.”

It stayed that way for nearly three months. By the time filming wrapped and I finally went home, it took me another month to properly clean my fingernails and toenails. For a Virgo, that was something really difficult.

VOA: You once mentioned that you used to shoot up to nine productions in a year. How did you balance the demands of different roles and transition between them in such a short time?

Fan Bingbing: There was a particularly intense period in my career, which coincided with a phase of rapid expansion in the Chinese film industry and the country’s development more broadly. At times, during a single year of filming, there would be a three-month period when I was shooting two television series while also working on a film. I would shoot a TV series from morning until 6pm, then change costumes at 6pm and go straight into filming another project, continuing until 6am the next morning.

My team was divided into three groups, so they could rotate and rest every 12 hours. But as an actress, I couldn’t rest. In reality, I was getting about three hours of sleep every 48 hours.

It was an incredibly intense time – the Chinese film industry itself was going through a very hectic phase, and I was caught up in that momentum. Under those conditions, there was simply no time to think deeply about the characters. Creative work requires time and mental space, but that wasn’t available then. This is also why some projects didn’t turn out the way we had originally imagined. Production companies wanted the fastest possible results, to enter the market quickly and generate profits.

Acting is only one part of the film industry, in which very little time was left for us to reflect or develop our roles. In fact, you could say there was almost no time at all.

VOA: How do you view your achievements and development throughout your career so far?

Fan Bingbing: Everyone considered me a very good actress during the first 15 years of my acting career. At that time, my biggest wish was to make directors and audiences feel that I was worth appreciating, that I deserved their attention, and that I was indeed a good actor.

Back then, in China, there wasn’t the kind of group interview format that exists today. I haven’t returned much to work or attend events recently, but from what I see online now, most interview questions have to be submitted in advance, reviewed, and aligned before answers are given. It wasn’t like that before – it was much freer and more enjoyable. But now, it feels less so.

At one point, I wanted to challenge and break those rules. By around my 25th year in the industry, I began trying to prove my worth in different ways, either to earn awards or to establish myself within the system. Gradually, I learned to process and let go of negative emotions within that system.

VOA: What kind of notes did you find helpful from the director in shaping your performance in Mother Bhumi?

Fan Bingbing: The language used in the film was completely unfamiliar to me. None of it belonged to a language system I had acquired. At the time, I felt a certain frustration because my English wasn’t strong enough, and I couldn’t speak those South Asian languages either. What was even more unusual was that, in China, after a film is edited, actors usually receive a first full cut. If there are imperfections in the on-set performance, they can be corrected later through ADR in a recording studio.

But in this case, the director told me that there was no need for ADR – not even a single line. I was shocked, as post-production recording is very common in China and in Hollywood. So I asked him whether the film would still work, and he said yes. The first time I saw this movie was at the Tokyo International Film Festival, along with an international audience. I was then struck by the sound design.

After that experience, I began training those languages consistently. By the time I arrived on set, I had completely discarded the script. I managed to memorise all the lines, including those that felt almost like incantations. As a result, my sense of fear was largely appeased.

VOA: Do you consider that your creative orientation or acting ambition has shifted since Buddha Mountain? 

Fan Bingbing: I started acting at the age of 16, and by now, more than half of my life has been connected to performance.

With Buddha Mountain, I won the Best Actress award at the 23rd Tokyo International Film Festival – it was at the age of 26, and I had been in the industry for ten years. Through my collaboration with director Li Yu, I gained a deeper understanding of art cinema. From that point on, I developed a strong interest in art films. It marked a very special beginning and an important shift in the way I approached my career and my thinking.

VOA: Could you share an update on your upcoming project, Diary of a Mad Old Man?

Fan Bingbing: Diary of a Mad Old Man is directed by Wayne Wang and stars Lily Franky, who played the father in Shoplifters. He is an incredibly talented and charismatic actor, and I learned a great deal from working with him. The story explores old age from a senior’s perspective in one’s final stage of life, touching on sexuality, love, emotions, values, and the self.

The director once told me that he was already 78 years old and that this might be the last film of his life. Hearing that made me feel a bit emotional, because he is a very good director with experience across many forms, including TV series, commercial titles, and art exhibitions.

The film has now completed. He mentioned that during the editing process, he felt a great sense of enjoyment, which suggests that he is satisfied with the result. I haven’t seen the final cut yet, but I’m very much looking forward to it.

Written and interviewed by Rino Lu, who was part of the FEFF Campus initiative for emerging film industry talent.

Featured image © 2026 Alice BL Durigatto

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to film, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. As we continue to grow, we aim to deepen our coverage of Asian music while remaining committed to exploring and celebrating creativity across the global arts landscape.}