People's Artist Minh Chau cried when mentioning actor Quoc Tuan

- After "Bánh đúc có xương" (Rice Cake with Bones), People's Artist Minh Châu hasn't acted in films for the past 10 years. Why has she been absent from the screen for so long?

Firstly, my age doesn't allow me to do many more films (People's Artist Minh Châu is 68 years old this year). I can't accept long-running television series due to health reasons. And also, I've suddenly felt bored; the hard work and many other things have accumulated, so I don't like taking on mainstream projects anymore. In the past, I was very enthusiastic; sometimes I took on several films at the same time in a year, like "The Provincial Party Secretary" and "Passing Through the Stormy Sea."

People's Artist Minh Châu looks youthful at 68 years old. (Photo: Quỳnh An).

- But when we went out, People's Artist Minh Châu still seemed very energetic...

(Laughs loudly) Oh, going on a trip is fine... I just drove across Vietnam from Hanoi to Saigon with some friends, combining work and leisure. I think going on a trip is completely different from going to work because your mind is relaxed and you're not stressed about having to study lines, costumes, and all sorts of other things.

People's Artist Minh Châu and Meritorious Artist Quốc Tuấn in the film "The Coolie Never Cries". Photo: ĐPCC

So what made you accept the role in the film "The Coolie Never Cries"?

Because I had previously worked on several films with director Pham Ngoc Lan. The first reason was friendship, and the second was because I always support young people. Seeing them work so hard naturally made me feel sorry for them, so sometimes I didn't want to accept the role, but because I felt sorry for them, I agreed, not because I was greedy.

Working with Lan, a young man who seems older than most, sometimes his demanding nature is actually good for me. I have to try harder, try harder tomorrow than today, and always come up with different acting options for each scene to satisfy the director. Lan's working style suits me very well because I'm also a demanding person.

Sometimes, after each day of filming, when I went home, I would think so much that I couldn't sleep. That kind of work was exhausting, and I think the director felt the same way. I once asked, if I didn't take on the role of Mrs. Nguyen, who would Lan invite? He thought for a long time but couldn't give an answer to my sudden question. Lan said he was very impressed with my eyes when he watched the movie "The Heir" at the age of 12. That's why later, when he abandoned architecture to study film, he said he had to invite Ms. Chau no matter what, so you could say it was fate.

People's Artist Minh Châu was emotional when speaking about actor Quốc Tuấn. Photo: Quỳnh An.

- "The Coolie Never Cries" also features actor Quoc Tuan - a close former colleague of hers at the Vietnam Feature Film Studio. What can People's Artist Minh Chau say about this on-screen reunion with Quoc Tuan in the roles of two old friends? Did she know beforehand that Meritorious Artist Quoc Tuan was also participating in this film?

For this film, Lan had a hard time choosing the actors. One person filmed a very difficult scene with me but then quit because they couldn't keep up. Even for Quoc Tuan's character, Lan had to invite many people beforehand.

I have a special bond with Quoc Tuan. When we worked together, we were in the same group and played tennis together for a long time. One time, I happened to watch a TV program about Quoc Tuan and his son. Quoc Tuan said something that impressed me deeply: when he took his son abroad for treatment, life pushed him to the point where he had no money left. And when Quoc Tuan had experienced such extreme hardship, suffering, and pain, he wasn't afraid of anything anymore. That statement of Quoc Tuan touched my heart.

I cried, I cried a lot. The next day when I met Quoc Tuan, I asked him , "Hey, why, after being friends for so long, did you never share anything with me or anyone else?" Looking into Quoc Tuan's eyes, I saw that he was a very strong person who didn't want anyone's pity. I truly admired him and thought I had to do something for him because I knew Quoc Tuan wouldn't accept any help; he was a very self-respecting person.

I invited some friends to my house to visit and meet Bom. Suddenly, I felt immense affection for Bom, like he was my own son, and he sensed it too, so he kept hugging Uncle Chau for photos. Therefore, when we acted together, we already had a sense of empathy and affection for each other. Quoc Tuan also really liked me, so it was easy for us to connect while filming. It was also a stroke of luck because Quoc Tuan hadn't taken on any films for a long time.

People's Artist Minh Châu cried when talking about Quốc Tuấn.

(Source: Vietnamnet)

Link: https://vietnamnet.vn/nsnd-minh-chau-khoc-nghen-khi-nhac-den-dien-vien-quoc-tuan-2338218.html

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/nsnd-minh-chau-khoc-nghen-khi-nhac-den-dien-vien-quoc-tuan-ar905492.html