Fan Bingbing occasionally watches microdramas created by artificial intelligence. He doesn’t believe they do any good for young audiences in China.
At the Busan International Film Festival press conference, the Chinese star presented Wayne Wang’s “Diary of a Mad Old Man”, which was screened in the A Window on Asian Cinema section, and Ivan Tan’s short film “She Said”, which had its world premiere in the Wide Angle section’s Asian Short Film Competition. This is his third time at the festival.
Pointing to the popularity of artificial intelligence-generated microdramas in China, Fan questioned whether they offer young audiences the artistic nourishment he finds in cinema. “I feel like young people in China are not eating very well,” he said, referring to the on-screen content they consume.
The fan pointed to Lee Chang-dong’s “Possible Love”. “Human performances involve many emotions and expressions,” he said. “Performances in ‘Possible Love’ cannot be transferred or replicated by AI.”
In a special conversation following the screening of Park Chan-wook’s movie “The Handmaiden,” which was chosen for the festival’s Carte Blanche program, Fan talked about his admiration for the danger and freedom represented by the film’s two female leads. “I first watched this movie 10 years ago. Since it had never been released in China, I had to make a special effort to find a way to see it,” he said. “But its impact on me is just as strong 10 years later.”
She also recalled serving on the Cannes jury with Park in 2017 and described him as kind and gentlemanly. Although he spoke sparingly, he said, “His observations were sharp.” Fan added that he would be happy to work with him if the opportunity arises.
Reflecting during the conversation on what has sustained his commitment to acting for three decades, Fan placed his career within the broader development of Asian cinema, which he says has found its place and voice over the past two decades.
“My generation of actors in China hold themselves to an internal standard,” he said. “We belong to a generation that connects what came before with what comes next. We have a responsibility to carry this legacy forward, and we hope to be remembered, too.”
Fan described his belief in “yuanfen,” the Chinese concept of closeness or connection shaped by fate. “You can’t force the connection between an actor and a role or between an actor and a director,” he said. “But I believe that only by constantly accumulating experience can you continue to challenge who you are and extend your life as a player.”
Fan largely disappeared from Chinese screens following the tax evasion case in 2018. She has since worked outside China, winning the Golden Horse award for best actress for the Malaysian drama “Mother Bhumi” and starring in the Korean feature film “Green Night.”
Fan joked that she was “forced” to adapt as her job took her beyond the static screen image and into different languages, but said she was grateful for the pressures that led her to unexpected roles.
“Following the story that fate gave me and doing justice to my talents as an actor is already a source of happiness,” he said.