Talking to Lao Dong reporters, the actress had open shares about the solid family support from her husband (actor Hong Quang) as well as a realistic perspective on the pressure of the profession of artists today.
After many years of absence from the small screen, has your life and work encountered many upheavals when you return to acting?
- To be honest, there are not too many upheavals because I am lucky to have a very solid rear. When I went to make films, my husband was the one who supported me a lot, from tutoring and urging the children to study to managing everything. My house also has a maid who takes care of housework properly, so family lifestyle is almost not affected.
Even, there is a very wonderful thing that because my driving skills are a bit weak, my husband often takes on the task of picking up and dropping off my wife to work and then picking her up. Whether the filming location is in Hanoi, Soc Son or even Nghe An, he is still willing to take me there, taking care of me carefully in every detail. Sometimes the troupe's car is not convenient for the time to pick up actors, I want to be proactive so as not to bother everyone, so he always supports me wholeheartedly. My husband understands that my biggest passion is to work, to perform and meet colleagues, so he always creates maximum conditions.
Working at the Vietnam Drama Theater, acting in TV series and also doing business, do you ever feel overwhelmed?
- Absolutely not! As I shared, I have a husband, someone to support me and everyone around is always ready to share. That is the greatest luck of my life.
Currently, many young artists are under income pressure when they only rely on acting in movies or plays, leading to having to do many side jobs. How do you personally see this issue?
- When acting, our biggest "achievement" is fame, being a face known and loved by the audience. That recognition supports a lot if artists develop more external business. However, I always keep in mind the teaching of a predecessor artist: Doing anything must put all your heart and seriousness into it, then there will be fortune, everything will be sustainable.
In fact, currently, there are many young actors struggling to make a living. Many of you only worry about enough money to rent a room or save every penny to invest in personal image.
For me personally, right from the time I graduated, I determined to proactively create balance: Do more business jobs to have a solid economy. I have to do business so that when I perform, I can fully live my passion, be in the profession with the most comfortable and happy mindset; and when I step out of the role, I focus wholeheartedly on business to develop the family economy.
A veteran artist once shared that in the old days, doing art was very hard, having to sell each theater ticket themselves. According to you, is the current generation of actors more advantageous?
- I think each period has its own specific difficulties. In the old days, there was a lack of material things, but the number of actors was small, and the media channel was small, so as soon as there was an impressive role, the audience remembered it for a long time. But nowadays, the level of competition is harsh in another way.
Besides movies, there are currently many digital platforms and new content creators appearing. Sometimes when attending events, actors don't receive as much attention as those who do TikTok or YouTube.
Each year, about 20-30 young actors are born, but this profession is really extremely harsh. Recently, actress Thanh Huong and I confided in each other that only 100 to 200 actors may have 1-2 people known and remembered by the public.
That is a truth that is not paved with roses as everyone thinks. Making a film is one thing, but leaving an impression in the hearts of the audience to let the audience know about you is another story, requiring great effort.
What is the reason why you have been absent from the small screen for the past 4 years before deciding to accept a comeback?
- Actually, partly because directors and colleagues see that I am busy with children and business, so they are afraid to contact me, afraid that I cannot arrange time.
After so many years in the profession, do you set stricter criteria when choosing roles?
- I myself have never been "tired" or picky about any type of role, I'm just afraid that directors... are "tired" of me and don't dare to assign gentle roles (laughs).
Thank you for the conversation!
