She disappeared from the public eye in July 2018, prompting concerns that she might have angered the Chinese government.
Then international superstar actress Fan Bingbing resurfaced in October of that year, only to be charged with tax evasion to the tune of $70 million.
Now seemingly rehabilitated and back in the motion picture industry, the 37-year-old actress has spoken to the New York Times about her crime and imprisonment for a piece published Friday.
Back in the light: Chinese superstar Fan Bingbing has resurfaced with a New York Times interview after being detained in 2018 by Chinese authorities and fined $70M for tax evasion
While Fan was out of the public eye, she was being detained by Chinese authorities as her tax records and vast wealth were scoured.
Though her detention has been described as ‘house arrest,’ reporting by the Times indicates that the detention may have been at a secret location rather than her home.
The law allowing for these detentions has been widely criticized by human rights actresses due to the wide array of reasons used to justify detention.
Recently, Fan has returned to social media with charity promotions and an announcement of her break-up from fiancé Li Chen on Weibo, a Chinese equivalent to Twitter.
She’ll also be returning to screens across the world in the action thriller 355, starring and produced by Jessica Chastain.
After her release, Fan said she would be nothing ‘without the party and the state’s good policies.’
High profile: In addition to a role in X-Men: Days Of Future Past, Fan has been featured in major international productions and will appear in Jessica Chastain’s upcoming action thriller 355
In October, China revealed that she was being fined $70 million for a fraudulent form of film fraud called ‘yin yang contracts.’
She reportedly was provided two contracts by films studios: one featuring her true salary and another featuring a considerably smaller salary, which she reported in order to secure a smaller tax bill.
Her studio was also hit with a $60 million fine.
The practice of deceptive tax filings is believed to be rampant in the Chinese film industry, though all high-paid stars and creative figures have come under scrutiny in the wake of Fan’s arrest.
The move also comes as China seeks to transform its film industry into a mouthpiece for its nationalist attitudes.
Some of Fan’s projects before her temporary exile included Air Strike, about Chinese forces countering Japanese strikes prior to World War II, and Sky Hunter, a contemporary military feature that was described as jingoistic ‘Chinese propaganda’ by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post.
Vague: ‘There are regrets, pain and fragility. But I still feel that I need to keep on living,’ she said, though she ignored any specifics about her crime or treatment while imprisoned
Fan’s downfall was initiated in May 2018, when she announced she would star in the sequel to the 2003 film Cell Phone, which had been lambasted by a popular television host because it allegedly bore striking similarities to his own wife.
After Fans announcement of a sequel, the host released photos of her contracts for the film, one valued at $1.6 million and the true one valued at $7.8 million.
She was subsequently charged with four counts of falsifying contracts.
‘It is impossible to have the best of everything,’ she said cryptically during her interview.
‘There are regrets, pain and fragility. But I still feel that I need to keep on living.’
The Times report doesn’t specify whether Fan was accompanied by a minder during her interview, and anything she says would have to present the Chinese government and the Communist party in a positive light to ensure her safety and freedom.
Notably, the interview features few new statements from the actress, most of which read more like Zen proclamations than statements of fact.
In October 2018, Fan made a statement of apology after charges were brought against her.
‘I have come to realize that, as a public figure, I should have observed the law, setting a good example for society and the entertainment industry. I shouldn’t have lost the ability to control myself in the face of economic interests, allowing myself to break the law.
‘As an actor, I take pride in showcasing our country’s culture on the global stage, and I do my best to be in the forefront of this. I owe my success to the support of my country and the people. Without the great policies of the [Communist] Party and the state, without the love of the people, there would have been no Fan Bingbing.
‘I failed my country which nurtured me; I failed the society which trusted me; I failed the fans who loved me,’ she wrote. ‘I offer my sincere apology here once again! I beg for everyone’s forgiveness!’
Apology: ‘I failed my country which nurtured me; I failed the society which trusted me; I failed the fans who loved me,’ she wrote in a statement from October
