Formidable Fan Bingbing Star

SET TO CO-STAR IN THE FORTHCOMING, FEMALE-DRIVEN THRILLER 355 WITH JESSICA CHASTAIN, LUPITA NYONG’O, DIANE KRUGER AND PENÉLOPE CRUZ, LIONISED CHINESE ACTRESS FAN BINGBING TALKS TO AZZA ARIF ABOUT THE LATEST CHAPTER IN HER LIFE, THE CHILDREN WHOSE LIVES SHE HAS HELPED IMPROVE THROUGH THE HEART ALI FOUNDATION, AND HOW ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IS IMPERATIVE RIGHT NOW

Fan Bingbing glides gracefully into the studio, the picture of elegance, even in a pink casual oversized t-shirt and jeans, with the cutest bunny ear hair band holding her dark locks from her porcelain, doll-like face. It was pretty obvious that we were in the presence of a star—one who can appease fans in Asia, as well as Hollywood, and their sudden desire for diversity. She spoke to us about the moments in film and fashion that shaped her career, along with the much-anticipated Hollywood flick 355, a movie that revolves around a group of spy women. “The movie requires a lot of physical training—I tried activities that were completely new to me, like boxing!” she laughs. “For someone like me who doesn’t like sports, it was quite challenging! But, I found it to be quite fun, too.” For a woman with the celebrity credentials that mirrors that of her co-stars Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong’o, and Penélope Cruz, Fan is remarkably warm and approachable, and especially easy to work with—she was completely open to wearing a bright auburn wig for our cover shoot!

Fan rose to fame in late 90s' with the TV series My Fair Princess, before booking projects like Cell Phone (the highest-grossing Chinese film of that year), The Matrimony, Lost in Beijing, Buddha Mountain and Double Xposure. Fan's career sky-rocketed even further when she started getting roles in international movies such as the Korean film My Way, French film Stretch, along with Hollywood's X-Men: Days of Future Past. A fashion and beauty icon, her gorgeous face was on almost every major brand, from Adidas, Guerlain and Louis Vuitton, to Gentle Monster and De Beers. Fan's rise to success was largely due to her hard work and determination. Raised in the port city of Yantai, her father was a pop singer, while her mother was a dancer and an actress.