'Sister Tu Hau' Tra Giang talks about her 'champion eyes'

When she played the role of Sister Tu Hau, People's Artist Tra Giang was only 20 years old - Archival photo.

More than 60 years have passed since the film "Sister Tu Hau" was released, and the image of the woman with the deep, dark eyes filled with so much emotion has remained deeply etched in the memories of many Vietnamese viewers.

After this role, People's Artist Tra Giang was dubbed by the public and critics as "the expressive eyes of Vietnamese cinema". The character of Tư Hậu also became a classic of Vietnamese cinema.

Tra Giang talks about "the champion's eyes".

In the program Cine 7 - Memories of Vietnamese Films broadcast on VTV3 on the evening of February 22nd , Tra Giang recounted that in 2012, the Vietnam Film Archive organized an exchange between the audience and artists (including Tra Giang, People's Artist Bach Diep , and People's Artist Hai Ninh).

At that moment, director Bach Diep blurted out a sentence that drew applause from the entire audience: Tra Giang has "unbeatable eyes".

Tra Giang was very happy, but she thought, "Not only Tra Giang, but all genuine actors who love their profession and are responsible for their work must always seek to explore and create. Then all of that will be fully reflected in their eyes."

Director Pham Ky Nam traveled throughout Northern Vietnam searching for a Southern Vietnamese woman to play the role of Sister Tu Hau. After watching " One Day in Early Autumn ," Tra Giang's debut film, he decided to invite her to star.

" The role of Tư Hậu marked a significant milestone in my career," she recalled. At that time, Trà Giang was only 20 years old, and the role of Tư Hậu was a very demanding one. The actress had to portray an older woman, who had a husband and children, and was living during the resistance war.

However, she brought all the material from real life, the pain and suffering in her family, out into society to embody this iconic role.

Tra Giang shared: "For an actor, nothing is more important than living in the character."

Tra Giang was once very angry with director Pham Ky Nam.

At Cine 7 - Memories of Vietnamese Films, Tra Giang also shared for the first time about the kissing scene in the film "Sister Tu Hau" . In this scene, Khoa (played by People's Artist Tran Phuong) kisses his wife (Tra Giang) to forget all the suffering and past events.

However, director Pham Ky Nam did not discuss the inclusion of this kissing scene in the film beforehand.

"We didn't discuss it beforehand, but when we started filming, I knew (the plot) would have to be like that, so I still acted properly to do a good job in that scene," she recounted. "After that, I was angry with the director for several days, refusing to look at him or talk to him. On set, everyone did their own thing."

Tra Giang recreates the knitting scene from "Sister Tu Hau" more than 60 years ago.

Later, the director explained that he was afraid Tra Giang was too young and wouldn't accept it, so he didn't discuss it with her.

Speaking to young actors, veteran actors shared their thoughts, saying that each era has different needs and different ways of working, but one thing remains constant.