Xuan Lan: 2 times making films that did not achieve high revenue gave me a big lesson

You used to be a supermodel, reality TV judge, producer... But will this return to cinema as an actress make you nervous?

- I think it's not exactly nervous but a very different feeling. Before, I went to the film premiere as a producer, so the pressure was very high. I had to worry about revenue, media reaction, distribution, screenings... ...

But this time, when I came back as an actress, I felt lighter. I remember at the press conference, going to interact with everyone, I felt like I was returning to the simple work of an actress.

But because I used to be a producer, I understand their feelings much better. I understand why actors need to love and accompany the production crew. When I used to take the crew on movie tours or film promotions, I always hoped that my actors would give their feelings to the project. Now that I have changed roles, I understand that even more.

But in reality, audiences often remember Xuan Lan with a sharp, villainous image. Are you afraid of being framed?

- Actually, I used to have very gentle roles, like in the movie "The Price of Happiness", I played a mother, a wife who wholeheartedly loves her family. But audiences often don't remember such roles!

Perhaps my appearance creates a too strong feeling. People look at me and see personality, luxury, and coldness. I remember the first movie I starred in, I transformed into a woman in a fishing village, with black skin, wearing fish selling clothes, wearing a curly wig, but people still recognized "that's Xuan Lan".

That is, my image in audience recognition is too strong. After "Vietnam's Next Top Model", the image of holding a picture of eliminating contestants made many people assume that Xuan Lan is very fierce. But in fact, my most clear villain role in cinema is only in the movie "Long-legged Girls". And TV series are indeed evil, like "evil from the egg". Some movies are so hated by audiences that they even want to throw stones when they pass by.

Not many models are successful in acting. Is it difficult for you to accept roles?

- I just think that when accepting a role, you must do it completely. Having stood in front of the camera, you must be responsible to the director, to the producer, but more importantly, responsibility to the audience.

After they believe, they admit that they have acting ability. In fact, all investment in the role is still investing in themselves.

There was a time when you publicly announced your weight gain, age pressure and no longer wanted to walk on stage like before. Did you ever think you were "out of fashion"?

- I used to be a coach for the "Perfect Gentleman" program - a gathering place for many generations of Vietnamese models. Looking back, I realize that my generation trained the next generation of models, and then that generation trained many other generations.

How can I stand and perform next to my "nephew of the profession"? If Xuan Lan returned to catwalk regularly, the designer would certainly not dare to leave me in a normal position. But if I keep appearing in prominent positions, the opportunity to assert myself for young people will decrease.

I used to have glory. Now I prefer to stand behind, organize programs for students to shine. What makes me happiest is that when people mention Xuan Lan, they remember successful students.

You used to be very prominent in reality shows, but in recent years you have almost stepped back behind the scenes. Why?

- When doing reality TV, I understand that sometimes I have to create controversy to make the program pay attention.

I used to deliberately create controversial effects because I understand how gameshows work. If the program is bland from the beginning, no one will watch it. But what I want most is for my students to shine, not myself.

After the "Perfect Gentleman" program, I realized I was always too enthusiastic with others. I wholeheartedly support my students, but not everyone is wholeheartedly devoted to their careers. Some students lack decisiveness, lack willpower.

So I chose to step back, not accept many more invitations to avoid unnecessary collisions.

The story that has attracted the most attention in recent days is your public disclosure of a loss of 30 billion VND for investing in 2 movies. Why do you dare to speak frankly?

- Because that's the truth. People often like to build a successful image, hide failures. But I think I have to be honest.

This morning my mother even said: "I lost 30 billion, not a 30 billion debt". These two concepts are different.

Fortunately, my family still has the conditions to handle the economic consequences. But this is a huge lesson about caution. Cinema is a very unpredictable market. There are factors that determine success or failure that producers cannot control. 2 times making a film that did not achieve high revenue gave me a big lesson.

The movie "The Price of Happiness" is not rated badly, but the revenue did not explode. Do you regret it?

- It's a pity! I think the biggest lesson is the wrong release time. If the movie hadn't touched "Lat Mat" by Mr. Ly Hai at that time, we might not have lost money.

Many people assess that "The Price of Happiness" is a pretty good movie. I am still proud of that movie.

At least the audience recognizes that Xuan Lan and director Nguyen Ngoc Lam did not make a "nonsense" film. For me, that is a positive thing.

After this fall, do you still want to make movies?

- Currently, I don't dare to say it yet. Now my family is standing behind to support both mentally and financially so that we can compensate for the losses of two consecutive films.

Temporarily, my husband and I will focus again on model training and acting. We can open more branches, open more classes.

As for returning to cinema, perhaps we have to wait until we are truly calm and observe the market more carefully.

If I continue to do it, I want to do exactly what the audience needs, not just make it and then ask the audience to love me.

What are your biggest wishes for Vietnamese cinema at this time?

- I hope for more fairness in film distribution. A Vietnamese film, if it gets more than 2,000 screenings, is considered to have a chance to survive. About 1,000 screenings is almost certain to be a loss.

Not to mention that some films are classified into very difficult ticket sales hours such as 8 am, 12 noon or late nights.

If things continue like this, films and filmmakers will have no place to live. The market will eventually only have a few big names turning back and forth. That is very regrettable for Vietnamese cinema.