Fan Bingbing: "The acting of Jeon Do-yeon and Sol Kyung-gu in 'Possible Love' was shocking; AI cannot replace it" [Comprehensive] [31st BIFF]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actress Fan Bingbing reflected on her journey of continuously expanding the possibilities of acting by crossing over into new works and countries.

On the 7th, a press conference was held at BIFF Hill in the Cinema Hall, Haeundae-gu, Busan, for Fan Bingbing, who starred in "Diary of a Mad Old Man" and "She Said," at the 31st Busan International Film Festival.

Regarding her impressions of visiting Busan, Fan Bingbing said, "Every time I come to Busan, and every time I attend the opening ceremony, I always feel excited. It is truly a joy to meet directors from around the world, including Korea, as well as various actors."

She continued, "Busan gives me a familiar and comfortable feeling every time I visit. In particular, when I walk along the seaside, I feel my mind become much lighter," expressing her affection for Busan.

Fan Bingbing visited the Busan International Film Festival with "Diary of a Mad Old Man" (directed by Wayne Wang), invited to the Window on Asian Cinema section, and "She Said" (directed by Ivan Tan), invited to the Wide Angle short film competition category.

Regarding her criteria for choosing works, she said, "While the final product is important, I value most how much fun I can have during the filming process."

She added, "Of course, good characters and good scripts are important, but I believe that the process of meeting new works, characters, and directors and working together must be happy in itself," stating, "If I and the staff work happily, we can find better conditions and receive less stress."

On collaboration with various countries, she said, "I am a Chinese actor, but I have worked with film professionals from many countries. I believe that each country has different styles of cinema, languages, and unique characteristics," adding, "Every time I challenge myself with a new work, I always learn something new."

In particular, while filming the movie "Diary of a Mad Old Man," she said she directly learned the local language. She stated, "Every time I have such an experience, it feels like a new window opens for me," and shared, "I discover that the world of cinema outside is this interesting and has so many possibilities."

She further added, "I believe finding new possibilities is a very precious experience for actors. Only with possibilities can we achieve something new," stating, "I hope many actors go out into a wider world to experience diverse possibilities. Through such processes, I believe one can discover new diversity and reach another dimension."

She also revealed her affection for Korean cinema. She said, "I have had the experience of collaborating with many Korean film professionals over the years. When filming 'Green Night,' it was during the COVID-19 period, but I stayed in Korea for about two months to shoot the movie."

She continued, "Watching Korean movies, I often thought they were enviable. Director Zhang Yimou has also spoken about this; Korean actors and directors have a very global sensibility and express themselves freely. It is also impressive that films of various genres exist," she revealed.

Among recent Korean films she watched, she cited "Possible Love" directed by Lee Chang-dong. She said, "I saw 'Possible Love' at the Toronto International Film Festival, and it was really good; I received a new shock," marveling, "The actors in the film felt so natural that it seemed they were swimming very freely within the work."

She also added, "While filming 'Green Night,' I saw the very professional demeanor of actor Lee Joo-young and received much fresh stimulation from the process," stating, "I believe these diverse collaborations and new attempts have brought changes to my acting as well."

She also shared her thoughts on AI. Fan Bingbing said, "I know that AI is continuously developing and is already being used in various areas of life. In China, many short-form dramas utilizing AI are being produced, and I sometimes watch them."

She continued, "When watching such works, similar faces and similar images often repeat. Whether you watch one or several, only the style changes; the appearance of the actors feels similar, and there are cases where the characters' faces do not remain in memory," revealing, "It may change over time, but as it stands now, it seems difficult to regard it as a good work."

She also expressed concern, thinking, "Perhaps the younger generation is not being exposed to enough good works. I have cultivated my aesthetic sense for looking at the artistry and aesthetics of works by watching feature films from various countries," stating, "I would like to refrain from speaking about what kind of aesthetic sense the current younger generation will develop while mainly being exposed to short-form dramas."

Nevertheless, she drew a line regarding the possibility of actors being replaced by AI. Fan Bingbing emphasized, "I do not think short-form content or AI can replace actors. I believe that the emotions that come out when a person acts and the way they convey them, as well as the experiences and skills accumulated in real life, are areas that AI cannot substitute."

She explained further, "So far, videos made with AI give me the feeling that emotions or narratives are expressed directly, contain many stimulating elements, and that process is omitted."

In particular, mentioning Lee Chang-dong's "Possible Love," she added, "Even when I watched that work, I thought, 'Such acting can absolutely never be replaced by AI.' It was very shocking, and I felt the power possessed by actors once again."

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*This content was translated by AI.