Accordingly, in Tran Thanh's Tet movie project "Too oi!!", the two male leads chosen by the male director are Quoc Anh and Vinh Dam.
On Quoc Anh's side, the actor is already a familiar face to the audience and once played the male lead in the movie "Bo tu bao thu" - a project previously also directed by Tran Thanh.
Meanwhile, Vinh Dam - a model, is a fairly new face of Vietnamese cinema. Tran Thanh said that he chose Vinh Dam for the male lead role because of his suitability for the character. The male model also had to go through a rather strict casting round to convince the director.
Before the question about Vinh Dam having made controversial statements related to the LGBT community, causing him to be chosen for the movie "Tho oi!!" to create mixed reactions, Tran Thanh said he had never known about this statement.
The male director affirmed that he chose actors based on suitability for the role. According to Tran Thanh, if Vinh Dam once made unprofessional statements, partly it may have stemmed from the impetuosity of his youth. He also frankly shared that he himself made many imprudent statements when he was young. However, Tran Thanh hopes that the audience will listen from many sides, and most importantly, how Vinh Dam perceives and explains that statement.
Unlike "box office star" choices, choosing Vinh Dam shows that Tran Thanh continues to be loyal to his familiar style: prioritizing actors who can create empathy instead of just relying on fame.
On Vinh Dam's side, this is considered a major step forward in his film career. Although he was previously mainly known for his role as a model, taking on the male lead role for the first time in a Tet movie directed by Tran Thanh is a rare opportunity, and also a significant pressure. His character in "Too oi!!" is described as an important role line throughout the story.
Besides sharing about Vinh Dam's role, Tran Thanh also spoke out about the controversies surrounding "box office monopoly". The male director affirmed that he did not take away anyone's opportunity and did not compete with anyone outside the box office. For Tran Thanh, he is simply a filmmaker, like many other directors.
He said that every time a new project is released, the biggest desire is still for the film to be welcomed by the audience. Revenue is of course very important, but Tran Thanh emphasized that what he needs most is for the film to be profitable or at least not lose money to have more motivation to continue implementing the next projects.
Vinh Dam once caused controversy when answering an anonymous question on social networks: "I'm not gay. No more gay content" (I'm not gay. Don't send (or post) gay content anymore), considered to be discriminatory towards the LGBT community.
After being strongly reacted to, Vinh Dam publicly apologized, admitting that the statement stemmed from impulsiveness and lack of emotional control at the age of 18. He affirmed that he did not intend to discriminate, and at the same time accepted all criticisms and asked to withdraw from some related activities.
