A Chinese Tall Story

A Chinese Tall Story, now showing in Shenzhen cinemas, is Fan's second movie. A Chinese Tall Story is doing well even though it's up against The Promise, director Chen Kaige's blockbuster with the biggest budget in China's movie history, and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, Zhang Yimou's return to his understated filming style.

Fan stands out in the movie even though she only plays a supporting role. Director Jeffrey Lau is full of praise for her stunning beauty and natural performance. Lau once said during an interview that he spotted Fan's talent in Cell Phone. "She appears so beautiful and talented in Cell Phone that I decided to put her in my new movie. And her cooperation was amazing. Her serious attitude towards acting really moved me. I will create more suitable roles for Fan in the future," Lau said.

A Chinese Tall Story ends Lau's A Chinese Odyssey series, which was such a hit more than 10 years ago that many Chinese can still recite some lines from the earlier films. Fan said that her teenage life was greatly affected by the series and that she never imagined that one day she could be part of it.

"It was my honor to be included in this classic series. But what is even more beyond my imagination is that I could appear as a princess from outer space in this movie based on a classic novel set in ancient China," Fan said.

A Chinese Tall Story tells a ridiculous love story between Tang Seng, a famous Tang Dynasty monk, an ugly monster and a beautiful princess from outer space.

Fan's new movie

Fan is now busy shooting a big-budget movie with the working title Mozi Tactics featuring Fan's childhood idol Andy Lau.

Pleased with Fan's professionalism in Cell Phone, Feng Xiaogang wanted her to appear in his A World Without Thieves, starring Lau. But Fan declined because of schedule conflicts. Now Fan finally has the chance to work with Lau and even get involved in a film romance with him. Fan couldn't hide her excitement.

But audiences expecting to find a gorgeous-looking Fan will be disappointed. For the first time, Fan hides her beauty behind a shabby warrior's garment and dirty face. But her greater challenge is acting the role while fighting on horseback against enemies. Some scenes are even dangerous. But Fan declined to use a stuntperson, insisting on doing everything herself.

"Sometimes using stuntmen can lead to regrets because they can do difficult actions but cannot express the same emotions. I want to be perfect and have no regrets," Fan said.

Fan also revealed that she expected a lot from this movie. "For me, romance movies cannot satisfy me any more. I don't want to act any more as a simple-minded 'beautiful vase' whose only possession is beauty. I need a role which is a real challenge. I want to show the audience my inner world, not just the pretty face. That is why I fell in love with the role the first time I read the script," Fan said. 

Some people say Fan Bingbing is the most beautiful actress in China and her beauty leads directly to her fame and her increasingly high status in the domestic movie scene. Some people say Fan is so lucky, becoming a household name in China after having a supporting role in the hit TV series Princess Huanzhu, created by Taiwan's romance literature master Qiong Yao. Some people say the woman in her early 20s is just so complicated, good at using small tricks to gain the favor of big directors.

Despite all the rumors and speculation, Fan remains silent, only saying that "acting is the only thing that deserves my attention." After appearing in a dozen TV series and achieving wide popularity, the beauty decided to expand her acting career from the small screen to the big screen.

She was picked by Feng Xiaogang, one of China's top directors, to play the leading role in Cell Phone, which had unexpected box-office success in the 2004 New Year's movie market. And the movie helped Fan to realize her resolution to leap to the silver screen.

(Shenzhen Daily January 4, 2006)