BEIJING • The gradual comeback of Fan Bingbing shows no signs of abating, as the Chinese superstar accepted a media interview for the first time since her tax-evasion scandal broke in May last year.
The 37-year-old actress disappeared from public view for several months last year over the scandal before resurfacing on social media in October last year and apologising for her indiscretion.
She was also ordered to pay more than 800 million yuan (S$162 million) in overdue taxes and fines.
She appeared in public for the first time last Monday when she turned up on the red carpet of video-streaming company iQiyi’s ninth anniversary gala in Beijing.
She followed that up by launching a water gel mask for her beauty brand Fan Beauty and promoting the facial mask on its official Weibo account.
In the latest development, she was interviewed by Jumeili (JML), an online media focusing on news in the beauty industry.
She was asked by JML about the pros and cons of celebrity-endorsed products.
Fan replied that anything can happen at any moment in the world, but the best solution would be to face the problems directly.
“I believe I am someone who can manage my emotions well and I hope my team is a rational one which can manage their emotions too,” she was quoted as saying.
Fan rejected JML’s claim that she is China’s Kylie Jenner, the 21-year-old American media personality and founder of Kylie Cosmetics who was named the youngest self-made billionaire of all time by Forbes magazine last month. Fan topped Forbes’ China Celebrity List in 2017.
“Everyone in this world is unique,” she said.
Well-known as a keen user of facial masks, Fan disclosed in the interview that she has also done lots of research on skincare products.
She admitted that her beauty brand is currently closely linked to her celebrity status, but she hoped that consumers would soon be convinced by the quality of her products and gradually forget the celebrity connections.
