When actors become directors

A breath of fresh air for Vietnamese cinema.

Recently, Khương Ngọc's film "Sister-in-Law" has been highly praised by both critics and audiences, grossing over 100 billion VND to date. Besides featuring a cast of talented actors such as Hồng Đào, Việt Hương, Đinh Y Nhung, and Lê Khánh, Khương Ngọc's directing skills have also become a topic of discussion. He has shown significant improvement in this role, especially after his "setback" in "Live ".

Previously, Khuong Ngoc was known as an actor, having made his mark through a series of works such as "Wild Sunflower," "Heroic Destiny," and "Scandal: The Red Carpet Secret "... Transitioning to directing, despite facing many challenges, has brought him many interesting experiences. "As a director, I can act in films, write characters, and perform them myself. I'm not dependent on or expecting anyone to appear and give me a role I like. When I was young, I thought no one would create opportunities for me forever. There will come a time when I can't wait anymore and have to take action myself," Khuong Ngoc said.

Tran Thanh has continuously achieved success, becoming a billion-dollar director in Vietnamese cinema.

The Vietnamese film market is not lacking in cases where actors venture into directing and achieve success, and Tran Thanh is a prime example. After gaining attention with films like "Ghost Hospital" and "Getting Back My Pregnant Wife ," Tran Thanh began trying his hand at this new role. Remarkably, his directing career has been consistently successful, notably with " The Godfather " (co-directed with Vu Ngoc Dang) grossing 427 billion VND, " Mrs. Nu's House" grossing 475 billion VND, and "Mai" exceeding 520 billion VND. This achievement makes him the first "billion-dollar director" in the Vietnamese film industry.

Building on his success, for Tet 2025, Tran Thanh revealed he will release the film "The Four Venomous Men ," featuring a cast including Le Giang, Huynh Uyen An, Le Duong Bao Lam, and others. Based on the information revealed by the production team, many are curious about this new project in which Tran Thanh continues his role as director.

This period also saw Thu Trang's foray into filmmaking as she took on the role of director for the film "Billion Dollar Kiss" (starring beauty queen Thien An, model Le Xuan Tien, and actor Ma Ran Do). This project is considered Thu Trang's "all-in" venture after more than 20 years in the profession, as she also served as producer and actress.

Thu Trang sees directing "The Billion Dollar Kiss" as an opportunity to gain experience and learn.

A positive sign.

In reality, before making their mark with audiences through films like "Sister-in -law" and " Mai ," both Khuong Ngoc and Tran Thanh faced skepticism from viewers when they "changed direction." For many, directing is a far more complex role, requiring a broader perspective rather than just focusing on the character as when acting. Khuong Ngoc said that in this role, he lost more sleep. "I had to think and plan many things, but in return, it made me happy because I received positive energy from everyone on the crew," he shared.

Speaking to Thanh Nien newspaper , Thu Trang admitted to feeling pressured by this foray into directing. Understanding that this new path wouldn't be easy, she carefully considered her options and sought support from several colleagues to confidently produce "The Billion Dollar Kiss." Thu Trang frankly stated: "I'm fortunate to have a strong team by my side, supporting me wholeheartedly. As a director for the first time, I also relied on their help and advice. I learned as I went along and gained a lot of new knowledge during this journey," the 8X director expressed.

Furthermore, adapting oneself to a new role is also a difficult challenge that many actors face when transitioning to directing. Regarding this, People's Artist Dao Ba Son commented: "From the role of an actor, you only handle one character and portray it. But when you switch to directing, it's a completely different job. Now you have dozens of main and supporting characters in your hands. You have to regulate all the actions of the characters in your film."

According to People's Artist Dao Ba Son, to excel in a new role, an actor requires daily learning. The director shared: "When transitioning to directing, you must have a relatively good understanding of film editing, sound, etc. This is a major challenge that an actor must overcome when deciding to change direction, but I believe that once overcome, success will follow."

However, along with the challenges, an actor will have many advantages when venturing into this field. Among them, the experience gained during their acting career is considered key to boosting their confidence. "They have already been in the profession, have interacted with many directors and read many scripts. If they are observant, that's their learning and exploration process. In turn, they have learned a lot from that experience to embark on the path of becoming directors," said People's Artist Dao Ba Son.

Thu Trang shared that during filming, she closely monitored each scene to provide support whenever the actors encountered difficulties, whether they were veteran or new. The director affirmed that she did not choose to impose acting styles on young actors or create pressure, but rather to give them the opportunity to develop the emotions of their characters in their own way. Only when necessary did Thu Trang direct and guide the actors' performances using her own experience.

According to People's Artist Dao Ba Son, the success of Tran Thanh, Khuong Ngoc, and Thu Trang's courage to overcome her own limitations and try her hand at directing is a positive sign for the Vietnamese film market. He further advised young people intending to change direction: "I don't know where you come from, but as long as you make good films, the first people to benefit are the audience. Wanting to become a director doesn't mean you have to study in school, but you can't become a director without studying."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/khi-dien-vien-lam-dao-dien-185250114204628334.htm