My rugged appearance is my advantage.

He dyed his hair white to play the role of Mr. Mao in the movie "Don't be afraid to get married, just need a reason". Or sat under the freezing cold of the rocky plateau at 3-5 degrees Celsius to disguise himself as a beggar and a fire wolf in the movie "Tet in the hell village".

Turn a disadvantage into an advantage

Meritorious Artist Phu Don was born in 1960 in Hanoi . He is the youngest of eight children, his father is Meritorious Artist Lai Phu Cuong. Phu Don has been performing on stage since he was 6 years old. After graduating from high school, the artist passed the entrance exams for both art and police, but decided to choose the Vietnam Drama Theater because of his love for acting.

With a thin, austere appearance, Phu Don is often assigned the roles of gentle, honest farmers or weak, resigned husbands and fathers. Without a bright stage appearance, Phu Don has difficulty getting leading roles, but he always tries to make his roles stand out.

Phu Don believes that each person is endowed by God with a different body and appearance. God gave him a small appearance that seemed to be a disadvantage, but he never felt sad or deprived. On the contrary, the artist felt proud and considered it his trademark.

Phu Don has been involved in the stage for nearly 40 years. Photo: Vietnam Drama Theater

"Turn your flaws into advantages and try to exploit those "personal advantages" in your career. On stage, television or in movies, no one can compete with me in that aspect because no one has a face as harsh as mine," he said.

When mentioning Phu Don, the audience still remembers the comedy roles that made his name such as: Lien (Leaving Wife), Xuan Co (Xuan Co - the mediator)... He believes that in each scene, a comedian must make the audience laugh, not his co-star or himself. He focuses on acting truthfully to the end to make the audience laugh.

Phu Don believes that in art, there is no role that is the pinnacle or that makes him most satisfied. He affirms that when he reaches the peak, he will no longer have the will and emotions to do the job. Every time he watches his own performances, the artist has never had the concept of "satisfaction", always thinking that if he could do it again, he would definitely do it better. He said that even if he only appears on screen for 5-7 minutes, he must leave an impression on the audience.

Do all kinds of jobs to make a living

Few people know that in the early 1990s, when the theater scene was in trouble, Phu Don thought about quitting his job and finding a way to make a living. However, his love for the theater kept him going. To make a living, in addition to acting, he also worked as a production manager, assistant director, film crew assistant, voice actor, recorder, etc. The artist never hesitated to do anything, even though sometimes the salary was only a few tens of thousands of dong.

At that time, means of communication were scarce, so he often had to ride his bike to each person's house in the film crew to inform them of the schedule. Once, when working with the crew in Ho Chi Minh City, many people were surprised to see famous artists working as "errand boys", but he ignored them, affirming that if he wanted to devote himself to his career, he would accept poverty.

Phu Don's image of a crippled beggar in "Tet in Hell Village".

Trying on wolf makeup in the 3-5 degree cold of the rocky plateau for 12 hours.

At the age of 63, despite having retired from the Vietnam Drama Theater, the artist is still passionate about acting. He is playing the role of Mr. Mao - Yen's grandfather (Hoang Thuy Linh) in the film "Don't be afraid to marry, just need a reason". His character impresses with his white hair, marking his return to television after "Battle of wits". In addition, Phu Don attracted attention when he played two roles at the same time in the horror film "Tet in the hell village".

"Tet in Hell Village" is Phu Don's first project in the horror genre. The first time he worked on this genre, the artist was quite hesitant because he belongs to the older generation, and when embarking on a new path, he would not be as bold as the younger generation. However, he decided to give it a try because he received trust from the producer.

He played the role of a crippled beggar and transformed into a fire wolf in the later stages of the film. In addition to the character's psychology, the physical appearance was a big challenge for the artist and the makeup team. To create the image of a crippled beggar, Phu Don had to curl his legs, put on prosthetic knees and move on the cold, uneven ground in a sitting position. To become a wolf, the artist wore almost no clothes and spent nearly 13 hours in makeup in the freezing cold.

To be on time for filming, Phu Don had to get into shape at 12 noon. The artist did not dare drink water that day, only eating light meals. After finishing the scene, he was allowed to go to the toilet, then spent another two hours removing his makeup. Despite the hardship and poor living conditions, the artist still considered it a normal thing when making a film.

"I will definitely remember the day I sat down to try on the wolf character in the 3-5 degree cold of the rocky plateau. It took more than 12 hours to complete the job. Luckily I didn't faint!", he shared.

Married to a wife 2 generations younger than him, 20 years without ever arguing

During the two months of filming "Tet in Hell Village", Phu Don only returned home twice. During that time, he had to let his wife handle most of the household chores and take care of the children. He said his wife always sympathized and understood his job, accepted that he left early and came home late, and even had meetings with friends. This gave the artist more motivation to work.

Phu Don and his wife 25 years younger

Focusing on his acting career, Phu Don got married at the age of 45. The artist married Hong Van, a wife 25 years younger than him, through a family matchmaker.

In 20 years of marriage, the couple has never had a loud argument or conflict. Phu Don said that his wife is much younger but is mature and sensible. They now have a 17-year-old son and an 8-year-old daughter.

Phu Don affirmed that his wife loves him because of his simplicity, naturalness, and lack of pressure. He said: "The important thing is to love and devote yourself to your family. You have to sympathize, understand, and trust each other."

Artist Phu Don

I also have many love affairs, people have unrequited love for me too, I have unrequited love for people too, but I believe that love must come from both sides. And perhaps before loving my wife, I had no real love. The chance to meet my wife now is fate, she is also my fan.

Because he lives simply, he has never said anything romantic to his wife. Luckily, Hong Van is also a very simple person, with few demands. In the past, on holidays, Phu Don often gave his wife gifts, but now he does less, because his wife does not care about material values.

When returning home, Phu Don does not hesitate to help his wife with any chores, from cooking, cleaning the house to doing the laundry. He affirms that it is a matter of fairness and sharing in married life. The artist jokingly said that Thuy Khue's son is famous for his dexterity, so almost everyone can do the housework.

At the age of over 60, Phu Don believes that happiness is having a young wife who is sympathetic to his acting career, and having good children, both boys and girls. Although his life is not rich, it is still prosperous, peaceful and happy.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/nsut-phu-don-ngoai-hinh-khac-kho-la-loi-the-cua-toi-192231118000423924.htm