After Months Of Rumors About Her 'Disappearance,' Chinese Actress Fan Bingbing Finally Breaks Her Silence
After months of absence on social media and amidst rumors about her being arrested or banned from acting, Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, best known for her roles in "X-Men: Days of Future Past" and "Iron Man 3," has finally broken her silence in regard to the tax evasion allegations against her.
Yesterday, China's state-controlled news agency Xinhua reported that the actress was facing over 880 million RMB ($128 million) in tax fines. According to Xinhua, if Fan paid the sums in full, she would avoid criminal prosecution.
Shortly after the Xinhau report, Fan Bingbing posted a lengthy apology on her Weibo account addressing the charges. In her statement, she admits to engaging in tax dodging practices, such as dual contracts, for her work on films such as the upcoming "Air Strike," a Chinese war action film starring Fan and Bruce Willis. The dual contract system, which consists of one "official" contract and one "hidden" contract that is off the books, previously allowed China's celebrities to declare a smaller amount of their pay to tax authorities.
In her apology, Fan Bingbing writes that she wholeheartedly accepts the financial penalties for her wrongdoings. According to her statement, "without the good policies of the state, without the support from the people, there would be no Fan Bingbing." She also concludes her apology by saying, "I have failed my country which has nurtured me and I have failed the trust society has bestowed on me."
The wording of Fan's apology, which might strike some as odd, is a reminder of how much China's entertainment industry remains under the control of the political administration and how deeply interconnected are the ties between politics and showbiz in China. After news of Fan's tax evasion scandal broke out in late May, the government began an extensive crackdown on tax dodging in China's movie and TV industries. To discourage what it saw as "excessive pay rates" and "money worship," the administration also enforced salary caps on its performers.
While Fan Bingbing has seemingly dodged a bullet — unlike fellow actress Liu Xiaoqing, who was imprisoned for one year for tax evasion in 2002, Fan should be able to avoid criminal prosecution — the actress's fall from grace has been hard. A few years ago, she was one of the most notable celebrities that pledged to adhere to "morally upstanding conduct" in line with Xi Jinping's vision of wholesome Chinese culture. She also frequently topped Forbes' list of highest-paid Chinese celebrities and highest-paid actresses around the world and was the face and ambassador of many luxury brands.
Fast forward to right now and her status as one of China's most recognizable A-list actresses is seriously threatened. Her relationship with the many brands she represents seems to have been severed or put on hold. And last month, in a study from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences that ranked the social responsibility of China's movie and TV stars, Fan Bingbing scored last with a low social responsibility index of 0%, a further indicator of how much her public profile has taken a hit in the eyes of China's political and academic elite because of her tax scandals.
The future of many of the project Fan's still involved in has also been called into question. One of the most high-profile projects is the Jessica Chastain-produced all-female action film "355." While sources close to the production claim that it's still too early to begin worrying about whether Fan's tax woes will affect the filming of the movie, it seems unlikely that the actress, who's currently facing heavy public scrutiny as well as an ongoing investigation from China's tax authorities, will be able to participate in any major projects anytime soon.