Van Mai Huong: Rising Star’s Acting Debut

The singer spoke with Thanh Nien to reveal interesting details about Hai Lan’s role.

There were times when I felt helpless and had to apologize to the entire film crew.

Avant « Tho Hi », you were already a recognized V-pop singer. What was it about playing Hai Lan that made you try something new, instead of continuing to play it safe with music – something you excelled at?

Van Mai Huong: I am truly passionate about cinema. I even released an entire album inspired by movies (Vol. 4, « Minh Tinh », published in 2023) and performed on numerous film soundtracks over the last sixteen years. However, I had never considered acting in films and I had no plans in this direction, despite the offers I received. The opportunity to play Hai Lan in « Tho Oi” was totally unexpected. I often met Tran Thanh on entertainment shows and in everyday life, but we never talked about cinema.

While I was busy with a show, my team informed me that Mr. Thanh’s production team invited me to a casting call. At that point, I was only thinking about making an appearance or singing a theme song. During the casting, the emotion was indescribable when, after my audition, Mr. Thanh exclaimed: “Here is Hai Lan! »

When you found out this was an important role, what was your first feeling: excitement, apprehension or fear of revealing your weaknesses because you are an amateur?

I felt a mixture of joy and apprehension. Anxious because I couldn’t imagine what the adventure of a feature film would be like, and if my inexperience and my novice status would have an impact on the project, within a team of hundreds of people working together to create a poignant film. However, I felt lucky because, for my first film role, I benefited from the valuable advice of Tran Thanh, an exceptional coach. He gave me self-confidence, allowing me to overcome my own anxieties.

Artists work primarily with emotions; What do you think is the biggest difference between singing a sad song and acting out a painful scene on screen?

The music reflects who I am at different stages of my life, and I sing with contemplation, in complete honesty with my own emotions. Cinema, for its part, gives me the opportunity to live and explore the lives of the characters I play.

Music sometimes has the power to enhance emotions through its melodies and lyrics, while cinema requires authenticity through image, acting and body language… How did you have to adapt your approach to emotions to play Hai Lan?

I focused a lot on controlling my gaze and my dialogue, because Hai Lan’s character goes through many emotional phases, notably the dialogue scene with her little sister in the hospital, which is very psychologically intense and which extends for more than five pages. During the more than a month and a half that I spent on the project, everything was not always easy. There were times when I felt helpless and had to apologize to the entire team because we had to reshoot scenes several times without getting the desired result. But these difficult times have become beautiful memories; I regained confidence in myself and learned to control my emotions thanks to everyone’s advice and patience.

Allow me to fully experience the life of this character.

Hai Lan’s character is a strong and accomplished woman, but inside she is deeply hurt and fragile. What aspects of your life have helped you connect to this inner world?

It’s about feeling empathy for the character. I wasn’t trying to imitate Hai Lan as she was portrayed in the script. I immersed myself in his life, deeply understanding his joys, his sorrows, his loves and his hatreds, so that my gestures, my personality, my language and my outlook were as authentic as possible. Her joys, her sorrows, her sufferings, her regrets and her hopes allowed me to portray a woman who had lived a lot.

Are there any details about Hai Lan that you find very similar to your own real-life self, and are there any details that required you to fight against your true instincts in order to interpret the character accurately?

Hai Lan resembles me in her frankness, her eloquence, her charm and her humor. However, this character is very different from me: she has a very different age, many hidden aspects, and lives in constant insecurity because of past traumas, going so far as to fear abandonment, which breeds uncontrollable jealousy. In everyday life, I’m not like that. Arguments are inevitable in a romantic relationship, but insulting or insulting the person I love is unacceptable. If I’m angry, I usually prefer to keep quiet to let things calm down.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE SUBJECT

Does the initial success of Hai Lan worry you, knowing that audiences are often enthusiastic about a foray into the world of cinema, but critical if an artist wants to stay in the film industry for long?

I am much happier to have the opportunity to step out of my comfort zone, gain valuable experiences and lessons, and connect with new colleagues and collaborators. For now, I want to enjoy the newness and naivety I feel in the world of cinema, and as for the future, that is up to destiny. After « Rabbit My Dear”, music will remain my top priority and my choice of choice.