In "Ho Linh Trang Si", Le Minh Thuan plays the role of eunuch general manager - a role that is completely different from all the roles he has played. This is also the first time he has taken on an ancient costume role.
Sharing with Lao Dong Newspaper, Le Minh Thuan said that he was not the first choice for the role of eunuch general manager. After that, he was introduced, went to casting and was assigned this role. "At first I was quite stressed, but that made me think I would have to do my best to not miss this opportunity," Le Minh Thuan shared.
According to the actor, the eunuch general not only appears next to the king but also holds an important position in the storyline. Le Minh Thuan's biggest difficulty is finding a way to build the image of a eunuch with a unique color, suitable for the Vietnamese cultural context and avoid creating a feeling of copying familiar models on foreign screens.
Besides the process of practicing martial arts at Johnny Tri Nguyen's martial arts school, the male actor spends a lot of time researching the lifestyle, posture, steps, eyes, voice and every gesture of the character.
“I practice walking and standing, figure, how to hold a cup of tea and drink water, how to speak. Every day after practicing martial arts, I continue to practice those details,” he recalled.
The practice took place continuously to the point that the character's gestures gradually entered everyday life. When eating rice with his family, Le Minh Thuan's way of holding chopsticks or movements also became softer, making his loved ones wonder.
The actor said that by the time of filming, he almost no longer felt like he was trying to "act" as an eunuch. The habits that had been formed for a long time made the character appear more naturally. "By the time of filming, I almost no longer felt like acting, but those actions were like my reflexes. It took a whole month after the film wrapped up, I gradually returned to my normal style," the actor shared.
To have a suitable image, Le Minh Thuan also said that each time preparing for the filming scene, it can take about two hours to do hair and complete the makeup part. Frequent contact with glue and makeup products causes the male actor to experience red skin, peeling and contact dermatitis.
However, Le Minh Thuan considers this a part of the process of transforming into the character. For him, eunuch general manager is not only a new role but also an experience that forces himself to move beyond the familiar images before.
