Phi Ngoc Anh: From stuntwoman to 'action beauty'

Phi Ngoc Anh was born in 1987 in Binh Duong (old). Before making an impression with her roles in the films Wild Grass Scent, Monochrome Rainbow, Life Garden, Fragile Evidence, Chongless Tycoon, Oil Spill... the beauty was known as a stuntwoman. Phi Ngoc Anh's transformation journey is a long one with many challenges.

Phi Ngoc Anh became involved in the stunt acting profession after a chance meeting with director Quoc Thinh. Being passionate about martial arts, after learning about the stuntman job, the actress decided to apply for the club. "Because of my martial arts background, I quickly integrated with the team. It took me 3 months of training to get my first role in the film Tiger Team by director Peter Gersina. Because I looked like the female lead, I was given the opportunity when I came to the casting," she shared.

During her career, Phi Ngoc Anh is not afraid to perform risky scenes such as jumping from the 3rd floor, swinging from the roof to the ground, being thrown out of a container truck running on a mountain pass... "Committing" to dangerous scenes also causes the actress to face many injuries, typically a broken shoulder bone, peeling off all the skin on her hands...

Phi Ngoc Anh is one of the female stuntmen who has collaborated with many film crews in Germany and India.

But instead of giving up, Phi Ngoc Anh still tries her best to do her job well. She shared: "Many people say this job is too much for women, because it requires physical strength and endurance. The training process is the same, I practice exactly the same way as the men. What helps me overcome prejudices is passion. When I see that the results I create are valuable, it motivates me to continue on this journey."

Phi Ngoc Anh said that once she and actor Sy Toan were filming a scene where explosives were thrown at them, each of them flying in different directions. The explosion made her ears ring for a whole week. Not to mention, even though she timed her jump out 2 seconds in advance, her shirt was still burned by the flames. "At that time, the sawdust made my eyes uncomfortable, I couldn't see the road. When the director asked me to stand up and run, I did as he asked and was hit in the face by a tree branch," she recalled. The next day, when she received news that her close brother had died in another horrific explosion, Phi Ngoc Anh was almost haunted to the point that "now, when I hear about filming an explosion scene, I'm scared."

Passion helps Phi Ngoc Anh keep her passion for the profession despite facing many challenges.

Photo: FBNV

The transformation of "action beauty"

From a stuntman, Phi Ngoc Anh gradually transformed herself into an action actress. For her, it was a long journey with many difficulties. To become a professional actress, she needed to have good looks and acting skills. Therefore, she chose to improve her profession, while also taking care of her appearance to meet the director's criteria, in addition to practicing martial arts. "I'm not afraid to look for opportunities from the smallest roles or participate in competitions to gain experience. Gradually, the director recognized me not only for my ability to act in action scenes but also for my acting skills," she shared.

When she became an actress, Phi Ngoc Anh aimed to be an action actress without a stunt double. This means that she would perform martial arts scenes or dangerous scenes herself. Sticking to that point of view, Phi Ngoc Anh received good news when she received the award for Best Asian Action Actress at the Korea Culture & Entertainment Awards (Korea) in 2016.

When asked what "keeps" Phi Ngoc Anh in the profession, the actress shared that her passion has "seeped into her blood". She confided: "When I can perform dangerous stunts that others cannot, it feels so "satisfying". Those are the things that help me maintain my passion for the profession until now."

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phi-ngoc-anh-tu-cascadeur-den-my-nhanh-dong-185250801231919263.htm