At the conference "Developing the Culture and Cinema Industry associated with Tourism and Heritage Preservation", held on the morning of September 9 at the Ho Chi Minh City Theater, the actors of the movie "Ho Linh Trang Si - Mystery of King Dinh's Tomb" shared special experiences in the process of transforming into historical figures.
At the event, Hai Yen had an emotional sharing. The actress said that she did not want to just approach the role of Empress Duong from historical facts, but tried to find "the woman behind the Empress's position". That is a mother, a woman with love, under pressure, hurt and having to make important choices.
According to the actress, the research and documents on paper cannot help her fully visualize the character. Only when she put on the Queen's costume, wears costumes and lives for many days in the Ninh Binh setting, the atmosphere of the historical period gradually "absorbed" into her.
Through the film, Hai Yen does not expect the audience to remember all the historical milestones. What she wants is for the work to arouse curiosity, so that viewers, especially the younger generation, can continue to learn about the era and the people recreated on the screen.
Also choosing to return to the historical space to understand the character, Hua Vi Van - who plays Quan Van - recalled the scene of standing looking out at the river in Ninh Binh after King Dinh was assassinated. For him, that setting feels sacred, helping the actor to better understand the mood, thoughts and decisions of people 1,000 years ago.
Regarding the detail of heroes sacrificing themselves causing controversy surrounding the film, the actor explained that the spirit of sacrifice of those heroes came from the worldview of the ancients: sacrifice for righteousness is not the end. When they fell, they merged into the "spirit of rivers and mountains", continuing to follow, bless and protect their homeland and country.
Meanwhile, Danis Nguyen plays Nguyen Bac - a real character in history. Before filming, Danis Nguyen went to Ninh Binh to visit Nguyen Bac Temple. On the way to inquire at a pho restaurant, he was surprised to learn that the restaurant owner was a descendant of the historical character he was about to transform into. The stories about the clan still holding annual death anniversaries made him feel like he was hearing a living witness recount history.
When wearing armor, wearing a beard and standing in the space of Ninh Binh, Danis Nguyen said his demeanor completely changed. He felt like he had become a general, forgetting his current self to live fully in the world of the character.
The experiences of the actors show that with "Ho Linh Trang Si", the role-playing process does not only take place in the studio. Finding space, people and historical memories becomes a part for characters from the past to get closer to today's audience.
