Fan Bingbing reportedly banned from acting for three years
HONG KONG: The Apple Daily here has reported that top actress Fan Bingbing has been banned from acting for three years for alleged tax evasion.
The current whereabouts of Fan is unknown. Her last message on social media was posted at the end of July, while her last public appearance was in early July, when she visited a children’s hospital.
Her management firm, Fan’s Workshop – as well as CAA, which represents her – have not commented on the latest report.
In June, reports of Fan’s alleged tax evasion first surfaced when Cui Yongyuan, a television presenter, claimed to have evidence that she had taken multiple contracts for projects.
The so- called ‘ yin-yang’ contracts are parallel contract, with the much lower income being declared to tax authorities. Fan denied the allegations.
Fan’s personal film studio has steadfastly defended her, maintaining that she had never taken part in any of the socalled ‘ yin-yang’ contracts. Her publicists also stated that both she and the studio would ‘ fully cooperate with the relevant authority.’
Fan had recently completed filming on Bliss Media and Kylin Media’s The King’s Daughter and is still set to appear in the upcoming thriller Unbreakable Spirit, alongside Bruce Willis and Adrien Brody, although her name will now be stripped from all publicity materials for the film.
It remains to be seen what will happen with the film 355, an allfemale action movie that was set to star Fan, alongside the likes of Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Marion Cotillard and Lupita Nyong’o.
That film was a hot commodity at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and managed to secure a distribution deal from Universal after a multi- studio bidding war.
Chinese financial newspaper The Economic Observer had reported that the police were questioning several of Fan’s staff members, and that her brother, who has not commented on the matter, had also been barred from leaving China.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, outlets in Taiwan and Hong Kong have been reporting on rumours of Fan’s arrest, as well as of those of her manager and personal assistant, and the possibility of her scenes being omitted from the movie Unbreakable Spirit.