Fan was a megastar until 2018, when she was fined tens of millions of dollars over unpaid taxes and her career tanked. “Green Night” is her first film since the scandal.
Fan Bingbing will return to the screen on Friday with the online release of “Green Night,” six years after one of the biggest names in Chinese cinema spectacularly fell from grace over a tax scandal.
Fan was at the peak of her career in 2018, with a long list of blockbusters and lucrative deals with luxury brands, when she disappeared for months. She re-emerged in October that year with an apology. The authorities in China fined her the equivalent of almost $70 million in unpaid taxes and penalties.
The scandal halted Fan’s film career in China, the biggest movie market outside the United States. She avoided criminal charges, however, and remained in the public eye as she expanded a beauty product business, Fan Beauty.
In her return to film, Fan is the lead in “Green Night,” a film by Han Shuai, a Chinese director, and set in South Korea. It will be available to stream in the United States on Friday after making its debut on the festival circuit in Berlin last year.
In “Green Night,” Fan, now 43, plays a Chinese woman who partners with a young South Korean woman to break free from oppression. The film is about “women helping women and women redeeming women,” she said last year at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea. “Some of my experiences and some stories in recent years are integrated into the character I present in the movie.”
Fan could not be reached for comment. Speaking about her hiatus, she said at the Busan festival that the break had given her “time to ground” herself.
Her downfall was triggered by an accusation online that she was paid millions of dollars more for her work on a film than was reported to the tax authorities. The practice of using two contracts was widespread in many industries in China as a way to avoid taxes, but this accusation prompted a wider investigation into the entertainment business.
“I have had deep and profound self-reflection,” Fan wrote in her 2018 apology, posted on the social media platform Weibo. “I feel shamed and guilty for what I have done.”
The authorities in China maintain strict control of the media, including entertainment and censor content they deem inappropriate. Movie stars and other prominent figures in the entertainment industry are expected to adhere to the government guidelines.
“Green Light” has not been released in mainland China, but many internet users there appeared to be able to watch it through unofficial channels. Douban, a Chinese platform where users can review movies, books and music, indicated Thursday that around 38,000 users had watched the film.
Jin Yu Young reports on South Korea, the Asia Pacific region and global breaking news from Seoul. More about Jin Yu Young
Claire Fu covers China with a focus on business and social issues in the country. She is based in Seoul. More about Claire Fu
