On December 19th, mainland Chinese actress Fan Bingbing, who recently won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actress for the film “Mother of the Earth,” held a press conference in Taiwan with director Zhang Jian and young actors Bai Runyin and Xu Enyi in attendance.
Despite not being physically present in Taiwan, Fan Bingbing later posted a photo of the three of them in Taipei on her Instagram, accompanied by a caption that read: “They said because I didn’t attend the premiere, they were a little unhappy. Haha! Keep going, love you all!”
Director Zhang Jian credited the success of the film “Mother of the Earth” to helping Fan Bingbing achieve her award. He shared that to help Fan Bingbing immerse herself in the role, he took her back to his hometown in Malaysia to learn about drawing symbols and warding off evil spirits from his father. Interestingly, Zhang’s mother, a loyal fan of Taiwanese variety shows, mistakenly referred to Fan Bingbing as “Bai Bingbing” upon meeting her for the first time.
Fan Bingbing was surprised by this unexpected case of mistaken identity and let out a laugh. Zhang Jian shared that his mother even bought a biography of Bai Bingbing. This amusing incident continues to be a topic of conversation among the film crew.
Zhang Jian revealed that the day after the Golden Horse Awards ceremony, he had a phone call with Fan Bingbing that lasted over an hour. Fan Bingbing was still emotional and tearful during their conversation. He mentioned that on the night of her award win, Fan Bingbing was in high spirits, chatting happily with director Ang Lee and receiving an overwhelming number of congratulatory messages on her phone. Fan Bingbing expressed her willingness to collaborate again in the future, jokingly calling Zhang Jian her “lucky charm.”
Xu Enyi, who plays the role of the “daughter” in “Mother of the Earth,” revealed that Fan Bingbing was the most hardworking person on set, always being the first to arrive and the last to leave. Despite filming late into the night, she maintained a radiant appearance by diligently applying face masks before and after work.
Zhang Jian also mentioned that he once tried a dish prepared by Fan Bingbing and commented that it tasted extremely bitter, stating, “I don’t think that’s meant for human consumption.” This highlights Fan Bingbing’s strict self-discipline and dedication to her on-screen image, bordering on self-sacrifice.