In this project, Ngoc Huyen combines her partner - actor Dinh Tu in the role of the main male and female couple. Sharing with a reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper, Ngoc Huyen shared her feelings about the pressure when facing her husband on the film set and the interesting things behind a marriage of 2 artists.
Taking on the female lead role in the TV series "Going Against the Road, Going Against the Sun" set in a traditional fragrance making village, is the character Mai played by you this time different from the previous images you have played?
- In the movie "Going Against the Road, Against the Sun", I play Mai - a girl who carries the enthusiasm of youth but is extremely attached to traditional values. Mai yearns to preserve the long-standing profession of her family and homeland in the face of the changes of the times.
This is a character with a complex interweaving of personality, stubbornness and emotion, lovely. For me, Mai is not just a simple role but also a symbol of the young generation's efforts in connecting the present and the past.
When you know you will co-star with your husband, actor Dinh Tu, in the main male and female roles after marriage, what was your first feeling?
- Honestly, right from the moment I knew that both husband and wife were participating and acting together, I felt more worried than excited. I was afraid that I would inadvertently bring personal emotions from real life into the film, blurring the boundaries of the character. Besides, the pressure of conflict is also something I consider. On the film set, everyone has their own acting views, which can easily lead to unnecessary conflicts. I even had to tell Mr. Tu that if I don't perform well, he should give gentle advice or... temporarily don't give advice to avoid causing tension during filming.
People often think that real couples acting in romantic scenes will be a big advantage. Is this true for your case?
- The reality is completely the opposite. I don't understand why when filming romantic scenes with my husband, I feel shy and face more difficulties than when acting with other colleagues. Perhaps because we have had a long enough journey of love, have gone through a romantic stage of getting to know each other to enter a stable married life. When having to recreate the shy and awkward feelings of the beginning in front of the camera, both of us could not avoid embarrassment. Many times just looking into each other's eyes, we laughed because we saw the huge difference compared to our everyday images.
There are kissing scenes that have to be filmed many times because many camera angles are needed, at such times I am quite understanding. On set, the director always reminds me to act emotionally to the fullest extent. I also feel quite embarrassed if relatives or parents watch the scene of my husband and wife showing affection on screen when the movie airs.
Are you worried that the audience will be more strict when evaluating the "chemistry" of a couple who are already husband and wife in real life?
- I have a more optimistic view. I believe that when the audience knows we are husband and wife in real life, they will assume that harmony and "chemistry" are obvious. That is both pressure, but also an advantage on set.
The most interesting thing is that when reading the script together, both of us couldn't hold back our laughter because we realized that the characters were so similar to us in real life. In the movie, the two characters often confront and argue, and in real life I am also quite stubborn and difficult to control. The stubbornness of me and Anh Tu on screen is the most truthful reflection of our real relationship.
Speaking of private life, many people are curious about the life of Ngoc Huyen and Dinh Tu after officially getting married. What kind of person is he in your eyes?
- After marriage, I am most impressed with Mr. Tu's neatness and maturity. Currently, because my private house is still in the process of completion, my husband and I are living with my biological parents. Since Mr. Tu came to live with me, my mother... has been less likely to scold me. Before, my mother often complained about her daughter's laziness and messiness, but now the atmosphere in the house is always cheerful and bustling. Sometimes I even think my mother cherishes her son-in-law more than her own daughter.
Anh Tu is a very understanding and hardworking person. Since we were in love, he has regularly cared about my family. Knowing that my mother likes flowers, many days when he comes home late from work, he still visits the flower market to buy flowers to bring home for his mother to arrange. In housework, he also proactively cleans up, his wife's clothes are all taken care of by his own hands.
Dinh Tu is known as the charming man of Vietnamese cinema. When you first met, did you ever feel hesitant about this?
- Actually, at first I didn't have a special impression, and Mr. Tu was not the guy I liked either. Even what he said when we first met made me feel a bit "cursy". But after just over 1 month of chatting more, we felt very compatible as if we had the same frequency, there were days when we talked from 8 am to 4 am the next morning, sometimes Mr. Tu took me home, we still sat down downstairs to continue talking. There were days when there was no filming schedule, we still found excuses to buy food and coffee for the crew to see and talk together.
We build trust based on self-esteem. Both never check each other's phones, set GPS or ask questions like: "Where are you, what time are you leaving?". Mr. Tu even forgot my phone password, and only asked when needed.
We are also very comfortable when mentioning each other's ex-lovers, sometimes still joking around and never being unreasonably jealous. Most of the time I just tease Mr. Tu, because I used to be secretive in love, I don't have a bustling past like him.
It seems that Ngoc Huyen is very confident in her position in her husband's heart?
- Confident but also with our own principles. One small detail is that before agreeing to let Mr. Tu publicly post affectionate photos on social networks, he and I had to complete the marriage registration first. He had to wait a while after proposing to be officially shown off to everyone.
Up to now, even though I am married, if I see my husband's heart is in the post of a beautiful girl on social networks, I will request immediate removal. This does not stem from blind jealousy, but simply because I do not want to hear bad information like my husband "flirting" or being too focused on interacting with other female friends in cyberspace. That is how we maintain our image for each other.
You two are having a very beautiful start with a new home and a promising joint film project. After your private house is completed, have you and Mr. Tu planned to welcome a new member to make the home more bustling?
- Actually, this year Mr. Tu is 35 years old, and I am almost 30. I told my husband that after finishing the movie "Going Against the Road, Going Against the Sun," I would think about having a baby, but acting in movies is too fun, so I am planning to ask my husband to let me act in 1 more movie. Besides, both parents are very comfortable, so we don't feel pressured and are free to decide.
After "Going Against the Road, Against the Sun", what does Ngoc Huyen expect for her next steps on the artistic path?
- I hope this collaboration with my husband will bring a breath of fresh air to television viewers. After this project, we will spend time regenerating energy before starting new challenges. I myself am still looking forward to roles that are deeper and more multi-faceted to escape my own comfort zone. The support of the audience is the biggest motivation for me and Anh Tu to continue to strive, whether independently or when standing in the same frame.
