Meritorious Artist Oc Thanh Van: I don't have enough time to worry about whether I'm still famous or not

She is taking on many roles at the same time: actress, MC, business, yoga lecturer and family care. How is Oc Thanh Van's day going?

- I am a very planner, so every day is fully booked. In the morning, I wake up early, take my children to school and then spend time for myself by doing Gym, Yoga. Then go back to work and livestream sales.

In the afternoon, I go to pick up the children, in the evening, if I don't have a filming or livestream schedule, I spend time with my family. Weekends are usually stage drama. I rarely let myself fall into a state of not knowing what to do. Even for resting, I have a clear plan.

But with such a schedule, why did you still accept to participate in the movie "Heo Nam Mong"?

- Because that is still my profession. I have never stopped working, it's just that there are jobs that are not too noisy in the media. I still perform regularly in the drama stage, it's just that the spread of the current stage cannot be compared to cinema.

There are projects I participate in, but not every movie is paid much attention to. Now I also don't go to film as crowdedly as before, doing MC is also much less. In the past, almost every day I wore high heels, wore beautiful dresses from morning to night, but now I choose more selectively, only accepting what is suitable. For "Heo Nam Mong", I filmed from last year, this year the movie is newly released in theaters.

Audiences still remember the image of MC Oc Thanh Van in "What I want to say", but in the past time she has put a lot of effort into the stage. "Nguyet Ha" also just won big at the experimental stage festival.

- I am very happy that everyone still remembers the stage. Honestly, that is what makes me most proud. I am not proud of myself but proud of the collective, of the Hong Van stage crew. After returning from Australia, I want to do something truly meaningful for the profession and for the place that has given me so many things.

Summer" is a project I do with the mindset of just going, no matter how difficult it is. Last year I worked a lot, just took my child to Australia to play in winter and then returned to Vietnam to film "Heo Nam Mong", then continued to rehearse "Summer", running continuously until the end of the year.

So what is the difference between the role of Jennifer in the movie "Heo Nam Mong" compared to your previous characters?

- Very different! Jennifer is not me, it's a completely different type of person. She is a Vietnamese-American woman with a very characteristic lifestyle and way of speaking. I have to observe many types of Vietnamese women abroad to build this character.

Some people wonder why the character speaks English interspersed with Vietnamese quite a lot, but in reality there are many people like that in real life. If anyone has a long-time relative living abroad, they will understand. There are people who do not intentionally "show off", it's just that their language reflexes change, English speaks out faster than Vietnamese. I want the character to have his own color and be closer to reality.

With a horror film with folk colors like "Heo Nam Mong", how do you prepare to get into the role psychologically?

- Cinema is inherently very difficult because everything happens quickly. Actors do not have much time to explain the psychology of characters like TV series. A glance or reaction that appears is that the audience must immediately understand where the character comes from and what they are thinking. Therefore, actors must truly believe in what they are doing, if they don't believe, they will break immediately.

I have been in the profession for many years but still admit that Jennifer is a difficult character. There is a scene in the movie that made me use up to 200% of energy. The most difficult thing is high concentration and transformation ability. It's not just believing that's enough, but also making the audience believe.

After living in Australia, what is the biggest thing you learned?

- Independence and balance. In Australia, my children and I almost do everything ourselves, from repairing furniture in the house, assembling furniture, washing clothes to cooking. The children all participate. In the morning, the children walk to school, in the afternoon they run to the park to play until evening.

There are days when it's cold, the sun is very beautiful, birds chirping, leaves rustling, it feels like a painting. I love Vietnam very much but also love Australia because that place gives me a feeling of lightness and healing.

But then she still decided to return to Vietnam...

- Because I realized I was starting to lose balance. I am the proactive type, so even when I only have my mother and 3 children in Australia, and my husband in Vietnam, I still take my children out to play continuously, enjoying life a lot.

But when I feel something is deviating, I choose to return. That does not mean I don't love life on the other side, it's just that I need to rebalance.

Returning to Vietnam, do you feel pressure to refresh yourself or "heat up your name"?

- Not at all. I have never planned how to become "hot" again. I just focus on doing my job well. If there are movies, I act in movies, if there are plays, I act in plays, if there are suitable projects, I accept them. I also have to worry about company work, employees, livestreaming, learning more things, so I really don't have enough time to think about whether I will still be famous or not. If I don't appear much now, I still feel okay. I don't have enough time to worry about whether I will still be famous or not?

You once said you didn't have time for negative things on social media. Is this true?

- That's right! I think before evaluating anyone, I must do my job well first. One night of performing, sometimes only a few dozen spectators come to watch, but I still have to perform my best because they have spent time for me.

Doing a decent job, the audience will feel it. I don't want to spend too much time judging or discussing others because I feel that I am not yet perfect.

How do the children react when they see their mother working at high intensity?

- The children are used to it. Sometimes the children jokingly say "mother doesn't have time to rest". Because every day when I pass by the office, I see my mother livestreaming. But I always inform the children in advance about my work schedule.

For example, if today my mother has to work until late at night, I will talk so that the children do not wait and then be disappointed. I think the important thing is that no matter how busy I am, I still have to spend quality time for the family. I still pick up and drop off my children from school, chat with the children in the evening before going to bed, and on weekends, the whole family goes for breakfast and play together.