Actress Fan Bingbing’s Comments on Age in Acting Stir Up Drama

Actress Fan Bingbing (42) has spoken out about her discomfort with playing younger roles. This has sparked speculation that she might indirectly reference actress Zhang Ziyi (45), who recently played a 15-year-old character. The situation has garnered significant media attention.

Fan Bingbing said in a March 23 interview with the foreign outlet Directube that she’s moving on from her student roles.

“In Europe or Hollywood, the 40s is the prime time,” Fan Bingbing confidently declared. She highlighted her accumulated life experiences, “Now is the perfect moment for me to showcase my acting abilities.”  She continued, “I think it’s good to play various roles. However, a young, fantastical character in a historical drama wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t feel right for me, and frankly, it would be strange for the audience.” She declared that she would not play younger roles.

Fan Bingbing’s interview gained a lot of buzz and went viral on social media. Some viewers raised suspicions that Fan Bingbing was targeting Zhang Ziyi. Zhang Ziyi had previously played a 15-year-old in the 2021 drama “Monarch Industry” when she was 42.

Social media buzzed with speculation on whether or not Fan Bingbing was poking at her rival Zhang Ziyi.  Comments like “Fan Bingbing might be referencing another Zhang Ziyi”, “The ‘winged girl’ role in a historical drama sounds familiar,” and “Zhang Ziyi must be embarrassed by Fan Bingbing’s interview,” fueled online discussion.

The rivalry between Fan Bingbing and Zhang Ziyi has been going on for a long time. Zhang Ziyi liked an article about Fan Bingbing’s acting controversy when she appeared in the 2014 drama The Empress of China, thereby directly acknowledging their “feud.”