Father's career
It is known that artist Phi Phung is the daughter of a talented artist of the Phi Thoan period. Originally a "muse", many audiences thought that her career path would be paved?
- I started this profession at a very young age, 20 - 21 years old. It can be said that I myself am considered a child of the poor - the child of the late artist Phi Thoan. In the past, my father used to sing in a theater troupe and said that Bong Hong often took me with him. But it is true that I hate whoever gave me that, I hate the number and was assigned to be the treasurer, so I lost 800,000 VND, which at that time, this amount was very large. Bong Hong collective reviewed the books every 3 years and found them lacking, so the father and son worked for no reason to pay off the debt.
After that time, I was suspended from work, but after a week, with no one to remind me, I was called back to the group. I remember at that time when there was the play "Handsome teammates", I was able to play a very charming role. When I quit my job, no one dared to take the role. Therefore, even though I was 7 months pregnant at the time, I still had to perform because the audience loved me.
After the Bong Hong group disbanded, I no longer work. After that, I met Mr. Huu Cau, who invited me to perform for a comedy group. A while later, he switched to another comedy group, while I returned to my father's comedy group.
Where did the turning point that helped artist Phi Phung become attached to the theater stage as well as open up opportunities for her in the film industry come from?
- In 2003, I entered the Idecaf theater stage at the invitation of Thanh Loc. I have to thank Trung Dan because when I first joined, Trung Dan invited me to play the role of Mrs. Bay Lai in the play "On the People Under thefield". That was the role of a rich, handsome person who specialized in talking about religion.
The audience also loved my role. But the role that brought me closer to the audience was when I played the role of Huu Chau's wife in the movie "The Ball with My Husband". After this role, I participated in more TV series.
My life has been full of hardship, my mother passed away in 2001, my father passed away in 2004. My regret is that when I performed at Idecaf, my father still couldn't watch it, due to poor health.
Artist Phi Thoan is known for his charm on stage, but in real life, he is quite strict. For her, is that the motivation or pressure on her journey to follow her father's career to become a stage and performing artist?
- From the days I was slow to enter the profession, my father taught me, and supported me with a loyal couple. Since I was a child, I have been passionate about singing folk songs and hometown music, but "in the end, it passed comedy". Although I am a child of a poor family, I am a low-class person, not taking an entrance exam to the theater school but following my father. Every time I go to the show, my father often takes me.
Every day on stage, I get beaten. My father is very hot-tempered, not only with his children but also with his colleagues if he does tuong sai sai sai, he is strict. That's why everyone is afraid of my father. It's just that I'm hot, I don't want to be belly- dead. I myself was beaten several times, bowing my head to drink.
Traditional art cannot fading away if you know how to develop
Up to now, after many decades in the profession, when many young artists have innovated their images and caught up with newer art forms, artist Phi Phung is still loyal to traditional art, the stage play. Are you afraid of being left behind?
- To me, nothing is outdated or left behind if I still maintain my passion for traditional art. Stage is a profession that has been around for generations. Although there were times when the theater stage encountered many difficulties in finding a new direction, I gradually believed that with the perseverance of artists like us, the stage would reach more audiences, especially young people who were passionate about traditional arts.
Moreover, with older artists like me, we are also versatile in the fields of art. I not only acted on stage but also acted in TV series, movies, comedies... Therefore, it can be said that the stage has trained us very well, with enough foundation and experience to be flexible in new fields.
From the perspective of artist Phi Phung, will the stage become a thing of the past as society increasingly demands new things?
- I think the stage will flap over if we keep acting in a boring play with old details, without renewal or investment. On the contrary, if you know how to innovate and approach the current audience trend, the stage will still develop and be welcomed.
I am happy because currently, many theaters in Ho Chi Minh City have invested heavily in plays in costumes, stage effects, etc. Recently, the number of audiences coming to the stage to watch the play has also increased. That is a good sign.
So how can traditional arts such as Cheo, Cai Luong, stage drama, boy song... be preserved and developed for many generations to come?
- I think we should not only shout mouthfuls but also take action. Preserving traditional art does not mean we limit it from developing or keeping these art forms original, but in parallel with the beauty of traditional art, I think we need to combine other factors to approach the general public.
Moreover, I think the most important factor is the script. Dramas, stage productions... are lacking good scripts. I think that if this problem is solved, it will help traditional arts attract more audiences.
Starting her acting career when her colleagues were famous, did artist Phi Phung feel pressured or saddened by herself at that time?
- Actually, at that time I was sad, not because people were famous, but because at that time my family did not have a house. Because I want to work really hard to help my family.
But at that time, I got married, and my husband was also very poor, so he couldn't help me at all. I gave birth to two children but still lived on the floor without a room to sleep. I passed by the houses of colleagues, seeing them with big houses and luxurious rooms, I felt sad and thought that I would never have a new house.
My fate is very uncertain, I have not had any dreams in a short time, but the future will come. After many years of perseverance in the profession, now I have built a house, have my own room, have a refrigerator and I like it, no need to have a mansion or a car.
Currently, I have a happy and joyful life. I feel that I am no longer disadvantaged but see the profession as a pleasure, a gift that makes me transform.
After about 4 decades in the profession, does artist Phi Phung find herself famous too late, while with her talent, she does not need to wait until now to become famous?
- I am a "late blooming flower". The media and the audience all call me that. I remember a few years ago, someone gave me a fortune. At first, I didn't dare to watch because if the news was good, I would be happy and sad, I would worry and not give up.
But I didn't expect her to say that I was 50 years old and became famous thanks to a movie and that was true. At the age of 50, I became famous for the movie "The Ball with My Husband" shown on HTV7. In the film, I play the role of Huu Chau's wife, Thanh Thuy is Thanh Dien's wife... that role is also considered my main role.
I played a cheerful wife who was a housewife, I and a few other housewives lurked around and worried about jealousy over my husband and had many funny and sad situations. "The Ball with Husband" is a multi-episode comedy, everyone who watches it reviews it as good and really likes my role. Thanks to that film, I became famous and became known to many audiences.
For you, how much art is enough for an artist's life?
- The acting profession, no matter how old or young, is still a good job, when I run out of steam and do my best, I will stop acting. If I get old, I will play the role of a grandmother, a grandmother... and will also be remembered by the audience. I think that acting is about dedicating myself to art for the rest of my life, and when the Company is out of love, then stop.
Recently, she joined the group "Ngu dragon du ky" by artist Phuong Dung to do programs to visit veteran artists in difficult circumstances and lonely. Where does this idea come from?
- That is a YouTube channel of the group. First, Phuong Dung invited me, Thuy Muoi, Miss Diem Huong and Nam Cha to participate. The purpose of creating the canal is partly for entertainment, the rest, if we have money, we will do charity.
We have set up a fund to see which artists are sick to help. They are poor artists, after many years of dedicating themselves to the audience, they are sick and have no one to take care of them.
We have called for donations on YouTube to get some money to help such artists. In addition, we also target the poor and those in need to help materially and spiritually through the money earned from YouTube and sponsors.
What are your wishes for the U70s?
- I have no distant wishes, I just hope to have enough health to do the job. As a child of a poor family, I want to keep my father's job.
