Chinese actor Fan Bingbing on working in Hollywood: Learning to speak English has been most challenging

Fan Bingbing is one of the most prominent names form the Chinese film industry, who has in recent years made a name for herself in Hollywood.

With big-ticket films like X-Men: Days of Future Past, Iron Man 3 and the recent The 355, in her filmography, the actor is now raring to go in the West. But she admits that it has not been without challenges.

“I would have to say that language was the most difficult part for me. I had to learn a lot of technical language in the script. It is very hard for me. I just memorise all my lines in the screenplay. Learning to speak English has been most challenging,” she tells us.

But if one looks at her Hollywood choices, it can be deduced that Bingbing is more gravitated towards action and superhero films.

“I just like action movies more. When I was young really liked to watch Jackie Chan’s films. He is my idol, he is my best friend and I really watched all his films. I think that is the reason,” she says.

The actor, who has starred in Chinese films such as Lost in Beijing (2007), Buddha Mountain (2011), Double Xposure (2012) and I Am Not Madame Bovary (2016), says that she happy to represent Chines culture and the film industry in Hollywood.

“Chinese culture is highly respected and to be able to represent that as a Chinese actress and to be able to promote Chinese culture as well as the strength of Chinese films is amazing. Being a female actor, it is an amazing advantage. The power of women should be recognized because we have our own way to create arts and express ourselves,” the 40-year-old explains.

Sharing her views on the conversation of representation and diversity in Hollywood as an Asian actor, Bingbing says, “While working in Hollywood, I got to see the diversity of Hollywood first hand. Even in my new film, The 355, there are five women from different countries and back grounds working together, and creating the chemistry. It definitely impacts the audience.”