Do not hold your child’s hand and ask for help from this or that person
– A guy studying film directing in the US, whose works have a bit of an independent film feel, but participating in plays, is it reasonable to direct theater when the two fields are inherently separate, film directing is not necessary. Should I act or direct?
Laureate: I don’t think it’s ambiguous. Movies, plays, or any other form of art all have storytelling at their core. From the beginning, I intended to become a ‘storyteller’.
I clearly understand the differences between fields. Even though I studied cinema, I was still very curious about theater arts. When I was 5-6 years old, watching my mother direct plays about 1930s literature sparked my interest in becoming a storyteller, a career I have pursued until now.
Next, I want to support my parents with the company’s work, especially the theater sector. In the future, if I don’t direct theater, I still want to produce.
In short, my thoughts are towards cinema but have been attached to theater since childhood. That has always been the catalyst for my love for art. In addition, to become a storyteller, I do not refuse any opportunity.
People’s Artist Hong Van: Many movies released in theaters are criticized for ‘how dramatic they are’, but if the director understands the stage, he will make a clear distinction and not go overboard.
– Isn’t Ms. Hong Van tired enough carrying the stage, but is she also planning to ‘carry’ her son’s career?
People’s Artist Hong Van: Mother and son discussed the direction, but Khoi Nguyen would have to do it himself, not the mother holding her son’s hand and asking for help. I always want you to be sought after by your own strength.
Recently, I suggested that you play a very small role in a movie Light up directed by Hoang Tuan Cuong. Even though your role is small and difficult, you work hard and are loved by the director and producer.
The recognition of your seniors in the profession will start from there. I could have taken her to introduce her to this or that person, but I didn’t.
– Even if I didn’t ask for it, People’s Artist Hong Van’s suggestion must be very different from that of a certain parent! In a showbiz environment full of respect, it is not uncommon for stars to sing with rookies attached. How do you keep mother and daughter from falling into the situation of “beer and peanuts”?
People’s Artist Hong Van: Is it because I’m a People’s Artist that I’m not allowed to suggest directors and producers even if my child is suitable for the role? I always remind them not to be complacent and believe that today’s directors and producers are very professional and put the film first. If Khoi Nguyen cannot do it, surely no one will dare to accept it.
Laureate: Honestly, I have been quite independent since I came to America to study. I made movies, won small awards, and then told my parents about it. Back home, I participated in casting for many projects, only when I was informed that I passed or failed did I share.
People’s Artist Hong Van: I want Nguyen to roll on the thorny, rocky road. You have to know how hard directors in Vietnam work, meet deadlines and endure ‘hard work’.
In the past, I had to work on my own as a profession. My parents couldn’t help me because they worked in science. Therefore, I want to stand behind and point you in the right direction, avoiding wasting your time in vain.
I often tell Nguyen that everything he creates is his own. Parents only share the experiences they have collected.
My two daughters have stopped pursuing art, now only my son is left to follow in my parents’ footsteps, so my husband and I cannot help but stand behind and help our children in our own way.
It’s natural for us to support our children, so why wouldn’t strangers help our children?
The most comfortable thing about being the son of Hong Van – Le Tuan Anh
– According to Khoi Nguyen, what is the most comfortable and most uncomfortable thing about your career when your parents are famous artists?
Laureate: I am luckier than my peers who are pursuing art to have a very solid backing. When many of you don’t even have family support for your career, I can learn and ask for advice from my closest loved ones.
Of course, when my family has a tradition of making art and my parents have a position in the public, it is difficult for me to avoid pressure, and everything I do will be doubted. If I succeed, it will be taken for granted because I have my family’s back. If I fail, they will ridicule me or say I cannot overcome my parents’ shadow. However, I don’t often think about this issue unless asked. I don’t talk much, I just do it.
People’s Artist Hong Van: I can rest assured that Khoi Nguyen will always be loved no matter where he lives or what field he works in, many of whom do not know who his parents are.
You are not the type of person who is so individualistic that you are isolated in a professional environment. I believe you will rarely encounter situations like ‘there is you, there is no me’.
If something unfortunate happens, mother and child must sit down together to find the reason and how to fix it. Tuan Anh and I have both encountered such things many times, but we still solve them and overcome them ourselves.
My professional motto is to do my best to get what I want and what I have is not what others lose. If you win, they lose, there will never be peace. I summarized from decades of working in the profession and told Nguyen so that his children could follow.
– Did producer and former actor Le Tuan Anh help Khoi Nguyen much?
People’s Artist Hong Van: He and Khoi Nguyen often talk about film expertise. You follow cinema and are partly influenced by your father. That year, my friend was studying in high school in America and suddenly changed his direction to study cinema, which no one expected.
Ba Tuan Anh is both a friend and a teacher, from knowledge to relationships in this field, he is much better than me. He doesn’t show his face, he always stands behind silently helping.
For example, when filming Little Saigonthanks to his father’s relationship, Nguyen was able to borrow the most famous Gypsy Cafe on Bolsa Street (California, USA) to film from early afternoon to evening for 3-4 days – something almost unthinkable.
My mother and I often talk about plays or theater work. Nguyen never cared about showbiz gossip, who did what was their business.
Khoi Nguyen and Hoang Hai (son of artist Hoang Son) are discussing a project combining cinema and theater. Maybe Hoang Son and I will be the main investors because the actors include young people of the Hong Van Theater.
– When many young people have to ‘red eyes’ looking for investors, it seems that Khoi Nguyen is too convenient because investing or acting is already covered by his parents?
Laureate: That’s the ‘most comfortable thing’ you mentioned earlier! (laugh)
People’s Artist Hong Van: Not only his mother, Tuan Anh’s father always stood behind him and watched him.
Hong Van and her son in a conversation with VietNamNet
Quang Le performed a play with Mai Thien Van and People’s Artist Hong VanQuang Le and People’s Artist Hong Van will present an excerpt from ‘Stork Wing Flower’ to introduce to Hanoi audiences.
