"Tony Leung's successor" has been missing for 8 years and rarely appears again! 46-year-old Fan Zhiwei has become like this now. His former mentor feels sorry for him: Fate plays a trick on people

Fan Chi-wai used to be titled "Tony Leung Chiu-wai's successor". After returning to Taiwan in 2018, he completely disappeared from the entertainment industry and disappeared from the public eye for about eight years. The 46-year-old recently made a low-key appearance in Xinyi District, Beijing City, to support the premiere of the new film "Intermission" directed by his mentor Yang Fan at the Golden Horse Film Festival. He also posted a rare long movie viewing note and recent photos on Weibo, triggering a nostalgic discussion among movie fans.

Fan Zhiwei was discovered by director Zhang Zuoji in 1999 to star in "The Light of Darkness". With his handsome facial features and melancholic temperament, Fan Zhiwei emerged and his stardom was once highly anticipated. (File photo, taken by reporter Hu Shunxiang)

Fan Zhiwei wrote a lengthy review of the movie on Weibo, recalling that the two had met as early as 2002 when he went to the Venice Film Festival with "Beautiful Time". At that time, the two had dinner together at a private party, and he said: "Meeting director Yang Fan is a major event in my life." Talking about their reunion at the Golden Horse Film Festival, Fan Zhiwei praised his mentor for attending the Golden Horse Film Festival, and his attitude of being extremely solemn about everything was "enough". He also praised the rhythm of "Intermission" Bright, straightforward yet elegant and funny, he described: "The director's skill is like making a cup of fragrant coffee, and it seems to be done easily. My friends and I who watched the movie together said, 'It looks good, it looks good.'" He also emotionally mentioned that he met many of his former colleagues at the scene that day: "I also met many friends today. They are all well-known in this circle and have good ability to control the scene. We all took this opportunity to chat."

Director Yang Fan also retweeted Fan Zhiwei's text on Facebook and posted the poster of the film "The Prince of Tears" that the two collaborated on at the Venice Film Festival in 2009, personally recreating every detail of their collaboration back then. Yang Fan praised the leading actor Fan Zhiwei: "Looking at the poster, you know that his role should be the most important, the most difficult to play, and the least flattering. He scratched Junqiao's face handsomely and carried the whole role. His courage and acting skills are at the forefront." He couldn't help but sigh: "But It was fate. He disappeared until now. I finally found him to watch "Intermission". I also hope that everyone will have the opportunity to appreciate his art again on the 4K restored version in the future."

Looking back, Fan Chih-wai was discovered by director Zhang Zuoji in 1999 and starred in "The Light of Darkness". With his handsome features and melancholic temperament, he suddenly emerged and successively delivered masterpieces such as "Beautiful Time", "Salty Soy Milk", "Prince of Tears" and the TV series "Evil Son" and "Come to My House". In 2002, he won the best actor at the Nantes Film Festival in France. He was also shortlisted for the Golden Horse Award and the Golden Bell Award. His stardom was once expected. Unfortunately, around 2010, his acting image was severely damaged due to controversy over private photos and gaffes. After moving to China for a period of development, he returned to Taiwan in 2018 and completely retreated behind the scenes to live a low-key life. Now it is rare to show up again because of his support for his mentor, and the outside world is once again reminded of his on-screen grace.