Tran Thanh is demanding, talkative, and a perfectionist.

Entering 2024, Phuong Anh Dao became a name that received much attention from the audience when she took on the lead role of Mai in Tran Thanh's film. In the film, the character Mai has a romantic relationship with Duong (Tuan Tran) despite being 7 years older than him. With her nuanced acting, Phuong Anh Dao made the audience believe that she truly was Mai and that she was in love with Tuan Tran.

In an interview with VTC News, actress Phuong Anh Dao revealed that she felt quite apprehensive when filming intimate scenes in the movie Mai.

Phuong Anh Dao speaks for the first time about rumors of dating Tuan Tran.

Tran Thanh is the most perfectionist director.

- What led Phuong Anh Dao to land the role of Mai in Tran Thanh's Lunar New Year film?

When the Mai project was first announced, Tran Thanh said he was looking for an actress to play the female lead. At that time, Phuong Anh Dao was at home watching the livestream of the project launch event and was very calm, thinking that Tran Thanh was probably about to make another interesting film.

Honestly, I've always been in the mindset of a very young actress, wanting opportunities to play many different types of roles, to be challenged, to explore how I can transform myself, how diverse my performances are, or to have the chance to work with many directors to improve my acting skills.

One day, a friend messaged me, suggesting I go to a casting call to see if I was suitable for the role of Mai that Mr. Thanh was looking for. When I met Mr. Thanh, it was a very relaxed meeting; we arranged to have coffee in the afternoon, and Mr. Thanh mentioned he had a project and asked if I was interested in coming to the casting call.

The day I went to the casting call was probably the one I'll never forget in my career. I wasn't allowed to see the script; I only heard Mr. Thanh describe a few scenes. I didn't know the story beforehand and had to come up with my own lines. Then, after I tried to perform in about three scenes and waited for about 20 minutes, Mr. Thanh unexpectedly said, "You're here!" And that was it! Mr. Thanh chose me for the lead role.

- How did Phuong Anh Dao feel when Tran Thanh chose her immediately after just watching her performance?

I was completely surprised. This was also my first time working with everyone. I thought it would take longer, but surprisingly, I got the role in just one afternoon.

It all happened so suddenly, I hadn't even had time to process everything that happened that day. However, it's truly a very memorable experience in my acting career.

- Tran Thanh is a filmmaker who consistently breaks box office records. What kind of pressure and expectations did Phuong Anh Dao face working with him?

Pressure is never lacking in life because it's pressure that motivates us to strive harder. People also see that Thành's previous films had high box office revenue because the content resonated with the audience, and this is something I'm trying my best to achieve when playing Mai.

Mai will be different from the characters I've played before. To be honest, I've been acting in films for about 4-5 years now, but this time, working on the Mai project, I'm still nervous and anxious. What I need is to play Mai in the best way possible, to portray the character with the most depth.

In terms of revenue, high figures demonstrate that the film has reached a wider audience and its message has spread more widely. Being understood and empathized with by the audience is a great source of happiness for both actors and filmmakers.

According to Phuong Anh Dao, Tran Thanh is the most meticulous director.

- Some people say that getting a leading role in a Tran Thanh film is like having your luck change and your life transform. Is that true for Phuong Anh Dao?

I've heard that many times too, but I think this: everyone's life has moments when we need to be bolder. That means we have to be ready to move beyond the old ways to thrive in our careers.

I never deny the past; I always cherish the colleagues, mentors, and fellow workers who shared my experiences in the past. They have contributed to me reaching the position I am in today. The path I take never has a single destination; it's a long journey of accumulating effort and fortunate circumstances. From the first step comes the second, and ultimately, the Phương Anh Đào of today.

Is Tran Thanh a difficult person to please?

Mr. Thanh is demanding, but it's a reasonable kind of demanding that leads to success. There are some of the challenges he sets that I find very exciting, as they give me the thrill of conquering a new task.

As people say, Mr. Thanh often changes the script, altering the details, but the basic structure always remains the same. This means the script is only one part; once on set, Mr. Thanh will make changes to suit the context and the characters' emotions.

Mr. Thanh is a perfectionist, always wanting the most profound scenes that capture the depth of the story. The script developed day by day, right on set; Mr. Thanh and everyone else worked on it, building it and living with it. Working with Mr. Thanh was truly amazing.

Every day of filming for Mai was a challenge for me. For example, scenes I already knew and had practiced thoroughly were completely rewritten on set. In just one morning, everyone had to rehearse everything again, essentially starting from scratch. This was both difficult and exciting for me.

People have asked me if Tran Thanh is the most demanding director I've ever worked with. How should I put it? If you say he's the most demanding, that's not accurate, because you can't really compare them. Every director has different skills for working with actors.

Mr. Thanh should be called the most meticulous director! Charlie is also very meticulous and taught me many lessons, but only Mr. Thanh is the most articulate, always using language to discuss everything. From directing scenes and acting to analyzing each segment and character psychology, Mr. Thanh explains everything so that everyone can understand and discuss it.

- During the course of working together, did Phuong Anh Dao ever get scolded by Tran Thanh?

Scolding someone to help them improve definitely exists. I don't know what experiences others have had working with Mr. Thanh before, but I was always surprised when I collaborated with him.

I had also heard people in the industry say that Mr. Thanh was very demanding, that working with him would be difficult, but when I came to the set, I felt that Mr. Thanh was very good at evoking emotions in the character. Mr. Thanh made me feel familiar and close to everyone on the crew, and this familiarity made it easier to work and be creative.

However, during filming, there was one instance where the two of us misunderstood each other. I invited Mr. Thanh to talk things over, and we resolved everything in one afternoon. After that, we were happy again and continued working extremely smoothly and efficiently.

Phuong Anh Dao admitted that acting in Tran Thanh's films would change her luck.

- Is Mai the role that Phuong Anh Dao is most satisfied with?

I think at this moment, the entire team, not just me, has the right to be proud of what we've done, dedicating our efforts to Mai within the given resources. We've done everything we possibly could. I've lived and experienced the character's emotions to the fullest, so I feel that, even if I wanted to, at this point in my life, I should be proud of what I've managed to accomplish.

I hope that after this project, there will be more projects with unique characters, so that, like today, everyone will give me applause and recognition for my transformation. That's something I cherish immensely. I'm really looking forward to sitting down and listening to all the audience's opinions.

Speaking out about the intimate scene in the film with Tuan Tran

- In the film "Mai," I noticed that Phuong Anh Dao and Tuan Tran had many intimate scenes. They even filmed some rather intense sex scenes. How was the filming of these scenes carried out?

I've never filmed scenes that didn't serve the story or the film's content. All the scenes I've acted in, including intimate scenes, have been to develop the narrative.

Intimate scenes make the two characters seem "transparent," allowing them to see through each other, understand each other's feelings better, and thus leading to absolute trust.

The intimate scene between me and Tuan Tran took three days to film. I was truly shocked, but I knew for sure that the filming was done safely; everyone covered us very carefully. It might seem steamy in the movie, but during filming, everyone tried their best to make us feel comfortable, and the scene met both emotional and aesthetic requirements.

Phuong Anh Dao plays the lead female role of Mai in Tran Thanh's Lunar New Year film, "Mai."

- Many viewers think the intimate scene between Tuan Tran and Phuong Anh Dao was quite intense. Were you aware of this?

It might only look that way on screen, but during filming, everyone followed safety protocols very carefully. The crew used techniques to get the best camera angles without revealing too much. Everyone was very considerate, ensuring the technical aspects were perfect so we felt less embarrassed. But I have to admit, it was only less embarrassing; saying we were completely free of shyness and embarrassment wouldn't be accurate. Thinking about it now, I still feel a little shy.

There's something else I want to mention: filming intimate scenes is really hot. I mean hot and tiring. Almost everyone, including Tuan Tran, felt awkward during filming those scenes, so we didn't share or talk too much; we just focused on the work, and once it was done, that was it.

- But I think you two should have talked to each other about something to make filming this intimate scene go more smoothly, right?

Oh, I just remember that during filming, Tuan said he would help me cover up. People mention the intimate scene because they think it's revealing, but in reality, it's not revealing at all. The issue between us was how to get everything back to normal after filming the intimate scene so we could continue working.

The most intense sex scene that people saw in the film was shot on the 10th day of the 40-day filming schedule. Before filming that scene, we tried to make the chemistry between us more genuine, to heighten the emotions to the level that everyone saw.

Phuong Anh Dao was surprised to receive a role in a film by artist Tran Thanh.

- Regarding the movie "Mai," many viewers believe that there was a real-life romance between Phuong Anh Dao and Tuan Tran. What does Phuong Anh Dao have to say about this?

Everyone should go watch the movie and they'll see. After finishing a film, we maintain a normal working relationship; we remain friends, support each other, and are great co-stars. Hopefully, there will be other projects for us to collaborate on.

Luong Y

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