Chinese actress Fan Bingbing has made it clear that she's not filming 'Mother Bhumi' for monetary reasons. Photo: LOW BOON TAT/The Star
Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing almost lost her chance to star in local filmmaker Chong Keat Aun’s upcoming movie Mother Bhumi as she was deemed “too pretty” for the role.
At a recent press conference attended by StarLifestyle in Kuala Lumpur, Fan revealed that Chong, 46, initially hesitated to cast her.
The reason? He was worried that her striking looks might overshadow the film’s storyline.
But as an avid fan of Chong’s previous works, including The Story Of Southern Islet (2020) and Snow In Midsummer (2023), Fan was determined to secure her place in the cast.
“That’s why I urged him to treat me like garbage during our meeting last year. I told him that I would showcase my best look as a star at film festivals and on the red carpet.
“But on a movie set, he can mess up my looks and make me appear as sloppy as he wishes,” the 43-year-old said.
Fan first met Chong during her visit to Malaysia last December, with her manager facilitating the introduction.
At the time, the actress was in Johor to meet His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia.
Earlier in June, Fan went to Melaka to fulfil her duties as the state’s tourism ambassador.
The Chinese megastar was appointed Melaka’s tourism ambassador earlier in June. Photo: China Press
She later stopped by Kuala Lumpur to have costume fittings for Mother Bhumi.
Top-tier commitment
Set in 1990s Kedah, Mother Bhumi sees Fan playing Hong Im, a farmer grappling with the loss of her husband while raising their two children near the Malaysia-Thailand border.
While using her magic to assist the villagers with their daily problems, she encounters a ghost who reveals a shocking secret about her husband’s mysterious disappearance.
Fan doesn't feel uncomfortable nor insecure with her transformation for 'Mother Bhumi'. Photo: LOW BOON TAT/The Star.The film also stars Hong Kong actress Natalie Hsu, Taiwanese child actor Bai Run Yin and Malaysian actress Pearlly Chua.
To deliver an impactful performance, Fan learned the local Chinese accent alongside the Malay, Hokkien, Thai and Pali languages.
She also gained 6kg and set aside her signature glamorous makeup in favour of a more rugged appearance.
“My job is to be a performer. If you play a peasant woman, you can’t have skin that’s too fair or long eyelashes and big eyes.
“We actors need to convince the audience to believe in the character and present their emotions, feelings and state of mind as authentically as possible,” she said.
Fan also opened up about her physical transformation for Mother Bhumi, revealing that several friends failed to recognise her during their visits to the set.
When asked if she felt insecure or uncomfortable with such a major transformation, the actress replied in the negative.
“There’s no such thing as a good or bad looking character in a movie. Although the character in the film doesn’t look like me, I’m satisfied with the impact it has.
“Plus, I love eating and was already planning on gaining weight for my role,” she said.
In addition to learning new languages and putting on some pounds, Fan had no qualms about planting padi under the scorching sun for Mother Bhumi.
The movie star even offered to ride a motorcycle herself despite having a stunt double on set.
Fan’s work ethic left a lasting impression on Chong, who described the former as a highly dedicated, cooperative and flexible actress.
Fan received praise from director Chong Keat Aun for her fantastic work ethic. Photo: LOW BOON TAT/The Star
“She had many scenes that involved planting rice in the padi fields.
“Although I had arranged for a stand-in with a similar build to handle those shots, she had no hesitation about stepping into the fields herself.
“We ended up planting rice together, and she completed it in just half a day,” said Chong.
The downfall of a star
Fan made her acting debut in the 1996 drama Powerful Woman and found success three years later for her role in the Chinese television series My Fair Princess.
In 2003, she earned a Best Actress laurel for her performance in Cell Phone, which raked in 56mil yuan (RM34mil), becoming China’s highest-grossing film of the year.
Over the years, Fan has starred in major productions such as Lost In Beijing, X-Men: Days Of Future Past, I Am Not Madame Bovary and many more.
The actress stars as Blink in 'X-Men: Days Of Future Past'. Photo: Handout
The Chinese megastar also emerged as the highest-paid celebrity on the Forbes China Celebrity 100 list for four consecutive years, from 2013 to 2017.
Fan was at the peak of her career, with a long list of luxury brand deals under her belt, when everything came crashing down due to a tax scandal in May 2018.
She was slapped with a 883mil yuan (RM535mil) fine for tax fraud, which brought her acting career to a nosedive in China, the largest movie market outside the United States.
It’s the largest amount of money a single celebrity had paid in a tax case in the country’s history, according to South China Morning Post.
Fan later issued an apology on her Weibo account, writing: “I have had deep and profound self-reflection. I feel ashamed and guilty for what I have done.”
Although Fan avoided criminal charges, the scandal greatly impacted her career in China.
She doesn’t get much media coverage in the mainland and remains banned from acting and producing films there.
Rising back up
Despite the scandal, Fan remained in the public eye and found success with her beauty brand Fan Beauty, which achieved a gross merchandise value of 1.1bil yuan (RM666mil) last year.
The actress made her long awaited return to the big screen with the movie Green Night, which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2023.
Fan made her big screen comeback with 'Green Night' in 2023. Photo: Handout
Speaking about her comeback, the Shaolin star said the hiatus was a “restart” for her.
“I was dealing with some things, but you know, everybody’s life has highs and lows, and when you reach a low, you steadily, gradually climb back up again.
“It’s a tough process, but you learn a lot of new things at the same time and a lot about the world and a lot about people,” she said, as quoted by US entertainment portal Deadline.
During the press conference in KL, Fan made it clear that she’s not filming Mother Bhumi for monetary reasons.
In fact, she doesn’t mind a lower pay as long as the project is of high quality.
“Salary isn’t the most important thing. What matters is having impactful roles in my portfolio.
“High-paying roles often come with poorly-written characters! This is because producers often try to entice you with bigger pay cheques when you turn down a role,” she said.
On her aspirations for Mother Bhumi, slated for a 2025 release, Fan hopes her performance will resonate emotionally with the audience.
She also praised the Malaysian cast and crew for their professionalism, adding that she doesn’t mind collaborating with Chong on another movie in the future.
“Director Chong is a very detail-oriented person, and it’s a pleasure to work with him.
“The whole team was very professional, gentle and organised. Everyone did their job in a timely manner and put in 100% effort,” she said.
