The heartbreaking story of the actor with the 'evil smile'

Artist becomes painter and the heartbreaking decision

In 1985, right after graduating from high school, Mai Dung decided to pursue an artistic career by enrolling in the School of Dramatic Arts (now Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Cinema). In 1989, with his diploma in hand, he worked at the Cuu Long Province Song and Dance Troupe.

However, Mai Dung shared: "At that time, there were many viewers in Ho Chi Minh City but very few in the province. After working with the provincial troupe for a while, I couldn't stand it anymore and thought about not doing it anymore."

Refusing to give up, he returned to Ho Chi Minh City and joined the Kim Cuong theater troupe, accepting extra and supporting roles with a small salary, even having to play many different roles in one play.

He could not hold back his tears remembering those difficult days. "Being a debt collector, an old man being beaten, a child, a police officer... I always had a pencil ready to draw a beard and constantly change my clothes," artist Mai Dung recalled.

Artist Mai Dung was moved to tears as he told about his difficult life:

The economic pressure was heavy when Mai Dung got married. His salary was not enough to live on, so he put his career on hold to open a curtain shop and become a painter.

In the early 1990s, when the Kim Cuong theater troupe was preparing to stage the play Loi Vu , artist Lam Hung went abroad, Mai Dung was chosen to play Chu Xung - a big role that could change his career. However, because he had just gotten married and could not travel far away to perform regularly, Mai Dung had to decline this opportunity and introduced Quyen Linh as a replacement.

"Ghostly" smile and 5 minutes of "survival"

Around 1991-1992, when he was in a deadlock, Mai Dung was joined by teacher Huu Luan to establish the comedy group Tuoi Doi Tuoi at Stage 135 Hai Ba Trung.

The comedy group gathers talented young faces such as Phuoc Sang (group leader), Hoang Son, Nhat Cuong, Phuong Binh, Cat Phuong, Ngoc Trinh, Minh Thuy. In the play Thi Mau Len Chua , Mai Dung was assigned the role of a man who is infatuated with women.

"I acted like I was looking at the beautiful girl. Every time she looked at me, I was so fascinated that I grabbed the chair leg, the electric pole, the table, and then laughed, making the audience burst out laughing," Mai Dung described. Since then, the image of Mai Dung with a "ghostly" smile and passionate eyes has become a unique brand, forever remembered by the audience.

This success opened up opportunities for him to participate in many fairy tale films such as: The Hundred-Joint Bamboo, Wooden Sail... However, common success does not mean that all members have equal opportunities to develop. When Phuoc Sang was busy with film production, Nhat Cuong separated to form his own group and became successful, Mai Dung felt great pressure.

He said: "All my friends are becoming famous, their names are called comedians. Meanwhile, I also have a comedy group but am not as famous as my friends. Many show producers require Hoang Son to invite the group to perform, so when he goes to act in a movie, we stay home unemployed."

Around 2000, Mai Dung decided to split with Phuong Binh and Phi Nga to form the Mai Dung comedy group. The vest with light bulbs that he made himself from 1989-1990 and kept until today - is a souvenir marking the first performance of the new group.

Mai Dung shared: "My group only gets to perform for 12-15 minutes, at most 20 minutes. But if the audience doesn't laugh by the 5th minute, they won't invite us again" causing the artists to "watch" the audience: "Listen to which parts the audience laughs at, keep them, and fix the parts that don't make us laugh right away. It's a headache, having to remember while performing, having to look at the audience to know the effect".

Struggling with choices

After many years of working as an actor, Mai Dung felt the need to find a new direction. In 2009, Mai Dung decided to take the entrance exam for the directing department. He chose the work-study program to balance his work and life. In 2013, he officially graduated from college with a major in Film Directing.

As early as 2012, while still studying, Mai Dung was invited to be a director. In 2013, he started filming his first film. His typical directorial works include Thuong lam do oi, Di qua mua mua, Cuoc chien nhan tam...

However, the role of director brought Mai Dung new pressures and concerns. "I am carrying a huge amount of money on my shoulders, the responsibility is too heavy," he confided. Although he had planned to keep small roles for himself, in the end he did not dare to participate. Almost all of the films that Mai Dung directed did not have him in them because he did not dare to be both director and actor.

Having gone through many ups and downs in his career, Mai Dung has drawn profound philosophies in life. "Goals must be suitable for each person. They must be suitable not only in terms of learning ability, financial ability but also in terms of timing. Sometimes it is suitable but sometimes it must be adjusted," he shared.

Mai Dung frankly admitted that after many years in the profession, he felt tired because of his choices but had no regrets.

Artist Quang Minh, U70, diligently takes care of his young child, Diep Lam Anh confidently shows off her figure . Artist Quang Minh enjoys the joy of his old age with his nearly 1-year-old son. Beauty Diep Lam Anh happily lives single after a breakup.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/chuyen-dau-long-cua-nghe-si-tung-bo-nghe-lam-tho-son-2411883.html