I just want to be a "beloved people's artist".

Acting as if not acting

Hong Anh had a packed schedule of performances, rehearsals, and filming all week, so our conversation lasted for several days.

Hong Anh's portrayal of Hanh in director Vinh Son's film "Moon at the Bottom of the Well" is considered by both the public and critics to be her most successful role.

Hong Anh shared: "My daily joy comes from going to the film set, performing on stage, and meeting my co-actors and everyone else. This regularity and diligence bring me small, everyday happiness. Some roles are new and unconventional, while others are repetitive and formulaic. I happily accept both praise and criticism from viewers, professionals, and the media."

Hong Anh was born in 1977 in Tra Vinh. She possesses a beauty that is both stunning and gentle, with charming dimples.

To date, Hong Anh is the first and only person to have won all three major awards in three categories: Promising Actress; Best Leading Actress; and Best Supporting Actress at the Vietnam Film Festivals.

In 1995, Hong Anh won the "Most Charming Beauty" award in the "Promising Film Actress" competition organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Film Association. However, Anh is the type of actress who is suited to certain types of roles in film.

To this day, both the public and critics consider Hong Anh's portrayal of Hanh in director Vinh Son's film "Moon at the Bottom of the Well" to be her most successful role. For this role, she also won the Best Actress award at the Golden Kite Awards, the Vietnam Film Festival in France, and the Dubai International Film Festival.

Hong Anh's acting style often focuses on the character's actions through small details to reveal expressions that are not fully expressed on the face. She doesn't overuse facial expressions like some other female actresses.

That's what makes Hong Anh special, and it's precisely because of this that she thrives in films with excellent scripts and talented directors, such as "The Dark Staircase," "The Sleepwalking Woman," "The Desolate Valley," and "Blood Moon Party"... For Hong Anh, whether it's a leading or supporting role, she takes her artistic work seriously.

Hong Anh's most recent role was a supporting one, playing the mother of little An in the film "Southern Forest Land" directed by Quang Dung.

Screenwriter Doan Minh Anh said: "Choosing Hong Anh for a role in a script gives the screenwriter peace of mind, and the director will be proud. Because with Anh's excellent acting ability, even if it's just a supporting role, she will portray the character even better than in the script. When she takes on the role, she's not acting anymore, but rather living the life of the character."

Once, writer and screenwriter Nguyen Quang Lap said about Hong Anh: "That girl acts so well," which in Quang Binh dialect means praising Hong Anh's dedication to the character, or rather, her exceptional performance in the role.

A fated connection between stage and television.

Hong Anh became a familiar face in showbiz from her role as Bach Van in the once-popular television series "The Beauty of Tay Do". After that, she participated in many other television series such as "The Paths of the Alluvial Plains", "The Tree of Tears", "The Storms of Marriage", "Along the Black and White Road", "Thuy Co", "The Apple Tree Blooms", "The Flower King"...

Hong Anh in the film "The Desolate Valley".

Unlike in film, Hong Anh's acting in television dramas is more diverse, encompassing many different types of characters, including villainous and comedic roles.

In the field of theater, Hong Anh found other successes, in roles as diverse as those in television. She has participated in dozens of popular plays, including roles that are widely talked about by the public such as the role of Nguyen Thi Lo in the play "The Secret of Le Chi Garden" and playing both Huong and The in the play "Half a Lifetime of Fragrance and Powder," a remake of the Cai Luong play of the same name.

When acting in films, Hong Anh transforms into a completely different person from the calm and composed person she usually appears in real life. She shared with Giao Thong Newspaper: "For me, the more I get to know the world, the more boundless and endless the artistic universe becomes. There are no longer barriers of borders, language, background, genre, or even age."

I used to think I was approaching the limits of my artistic universe. But looking back, it seems I'm still searching and exploring more of my own boundaries in acting."

Reluctant to "ask" for titles.

After achieving success in her acting career, Hong Anh went to study directing in Singapore. Her debut film, "Island of the Residents," although not warmly received by the Vietnamese public, was highly praised by critics and won three important awards at the ASEAN International Film Festival: Best Film, Best Leading Actor for Pham Hong Phuoc, and Best Cinematography. In addition, the film also won several other international awards.

Hong Anh behind the scenes of the film "Blood Moon Party".

As a producer, Hong Anh also has a knack for it. Blue Productions, the film company she manages, achieved success with the documentary "The Last Journey of Ms. Phung" by director Nguyen Thi Tham.

To date, the film has broken all box office records in the history of Vietnamese documentaries. Previously, the film "The Race," also produced by Hong Anh, did not achieve commercial success but received much praise from film critics.

Hong Anh also regularly participates in national and international film festivals as a judge, such as the FY Short Film Festival 2018, the Golden Kite Awards, the Hanoi International Film Festival 2014, and most recently the ASEAN International Film Festival 2023...

Hong Anh's personal life is also praised by the public because she always says no to scandals and gimmicks.

So what else does the public regret about her? Perhaps it's the titles. With her contributions and awards, Hong Anh fully meets the criteria for Meritorious Artist or even People's Artist. There are many talented actors with less impressive achievements than Hong Anh who have already received the title of Meritorious Artist. But Hong Anh did not apply for it.

To this day, Hong Anh continues to work diligently and often refuses to answer questions from the press whenever reporters want to ask her about the titles she should have received long ago.

She said: "I've always been like this! I've always been a Hong Anh who genuinely cherishes every award and title. For me, no award or title is small or insignificant."

I am proud of all the positive feedback I have received from professionals and the public who love film, television, and theater.

My colleagues often ask me about Hong Anh, who is "easygoing" but "hard to get along with" when it comes to titles like Meritorious Artist or People's Artist. I don't know how to explain it. Maybe it's because of my personality, my professional style, the kind where I just throw myself into working on film and stage projects, avoiding conflict and even hesitant to ask for or receive favors.

But I've never felt resentful or sad about not having received those titles. I don't feel disadvantaged either. Deep down, the title has a warm name: "People's Artist nurtured," "People's Artist cherished." That's more than enough!

Most of Hong Anh's film roles share a common theme: women full of emotion, living with dreams, torments, and unfulfilled desires, and rarely finding true happiness. This seems to contradict her personal life – a quiet, happy life with media expert and businessman Nguyen Thanh Son.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/dien-vien-hong-anh-toi-chi-muon-la-nghe-si-nhan-dan-thuong-192240111213902947.htm