Looking back at the role of Ngoc Ha in "Hanoi Baby", what are your current feelings?
- When I was young, every time people mentioned "Hanoi Baby", I didn't really fully feel the emotion. But the older I get, the more I absorb. I absorb from the content of the film, my acting style to every small story behind the camera. In the life of an artist, just leaving a deep impression through a work is already something extremely proud and honorable.
Audiences recognize her two most successful roles on screen - Ngoc Ha in "Hanoi Baby" and Nguyet Ha in "People Living Around Me" both named "Ha". What do you think about this coincidence?
- It's all random, but I also believe a little in the spiritual element. Perhaps the name "Ha" has brought me a lot of luck. That coincidence is so strange that it makes my subconscious awaken, creating an acting style or a highlight that I myself cannot explain. Later, every time I received an invitation to act in a movie, I always secretly hoped the director would name the character Ha.
If Ngoc Ha was a brilliant film milestone in her childhood, Nguyet Ha marked her special period on the small screen in the 90s. Later, audiences also saw her transform into edgy, even villainous roles. Is gentle appearance ever a barrier for her?
- People often remember me for my gentle image, but in reality in the stage field, I have been able to try my hand at many edgy roles. The directors are very confident in giving me all kinds of roles: from children, old women, thieves, gangsters to village girls...
As for movies, my most memorable edgy villain role is Empress Dam in the movie Grand Tutor Tran Thu Do. She is a cruel, extremely brutal woman. However, when performing, I try to explain the reasons behind that harshness: she is afraid of losing the dynasty, afraid that her children and grandchildren will not succeed, afraid of losing everything. She tries to hold on to the collapse of the Ly Dynasty at all costs. I don't want to play an evil character in a playful way according to the script, but must find their psychological roots.
What was the audience's reaction at that time to her role as Empress Dowager Dam?
- The audience reacted to me fiercely! Many people commented that: "Lan Huong is never allowed to act in films like this. The image of "Hanoi Baby" is already complete in the hearts of the audience, naturally now playing the role of a Queen screaming with fire.
They cannot accept that change. I read the comments and felt sorry for myself and scared to the point of not daring to continue reading, because I tried my best for the role but was hated by the audience in real life.
Is it because of that pressure that she later accepted the role of a gentle mother in the movie "Living with Mother-in-Law"?
- That's right. When I received the role of the biological mother of the character Minh Van (played by Bao Thanh), I felt very happy. That role was like an opportunity for me to "correct mistakes" with the audience. She is a gentle mother, a teacher, gentle, and patient.
Initially, I also reacted when the makeup team wanted to make me look older and darker. I said I was at the right age of the character, not to the point of being ugly. But the makeup artists said my skin was too bright, not suitable for the screen. So they smeared my face black, adding wrinkles. However, I felt satisfied because this role helped balance my image, avoiding the audience thinking that Lan Huong in real life is also as evil as in movies.
Not only the role of Queen, she has played very bold roles on stage since the 1990s. Can you share more about this memory?
- In 1990, I played a prostitute role on the stage and created a big fever. At that time, many audiences from provinces came to Hanoi to watch. There were girls who came to watch the play and cried, ran onto the stage to hug me and even gave me a ring. In my decades of working in art, I have experienced many types of roles like that.
Faced with the great competition from social media platforms, what advice and reflections do you want to send to the young generation of actors?
- Nowadays, anyone can be an artist online, but when stepping onto the stage or in mainstream movies, if young actors do not escape the shadow of TikTok, lack depth and real bravery, it is very easy to fail.
Looking back at my life, I realize that the world does not have absolute fairness in terms of money or fame. The most fair thing in this life is that everyone will get old and die without taking anything with them. My current happiness is simply peace, being remembered by the audience and continuing to write and pass on the profession to future generations.
