Vo Dang Khoa: ‘I poured my money into my first movie’

Actor Vo Dang Khoa was born in 1992, grew up from the Hong Van theater stage, is known to the audience for his web-drama series. Trader, let go, Cheating someone, exploiting Western life. On March 25, the actor released the movie in theaters Western girls love do he starred and produced, with the participation of Hoai LinhDai Nghia, Kim Xuan…

– How did you put your energy into your first work?

– I put a fortune in this movie. I spent about 70% of my own money, the rest mobilized acquaintances, each person contributed a little. In the world, I am considered a well-to-do family, but in the past seven years, since entering the profession, I have never received support from my family. I made a living on my own at the age of 20, started to accumulate small dong, from online trading to filmmaking. I don’t have much savings, to make a movie, I have to sell the property I have. On the day of the movie’s release, even the costumes for the event I had to borrow from other people.

The cost of the work is mainly in the context. In the web-drama version, I usually use existing scenes. On the big screen, to make everything as realistic as possible, I set up a theater troupe for the Huong Thu Loot group. I also invested billions of dong for cultural scenes of worshiping in the West.

– Why did you choose the topic about transgender people – the story is not new to the domestic screen?

– Before I made the film, many people advised that the topic of transgender identity was quite old, many works reflected – for example Bingo (2017). However, I ask another question: why do some transgender people not love people like them, but put all their love in “straight men”. I asked many artists in the profession such as Lam Khanh Chi, Lo Lo …, collected to have materials to write the script. It took me half a year to return to the countryside in Can Tho to understand the life of the previous generation transgender, then spent another year completing the script.

Hoai Linh performs comedy in a movie about the West

– How did you invite Hoai Linh to play a transgender role?

– When I wrote the script for the role of Bay Tinh, I immediately thought of Hoai Linh. Seven Tinh is a transgender person of the first generation, living with gratitude and affirmation, playing an important role in Men’s life – the main role. Artist Hoai Linh and I have a long-standing friendship, often calling ourselves “uncle – grandchild”. When I first started acting, he and artist Minh Nhi drove to the West, convincing my family to let me follow the profession because they believed in my qualities.

When I invited, Hoai Linh refused because she had long declared not to pretend to be a girl. It took me weeks to convince him, explaining that this is not a character who pretends to be a girl just to get laughter, but a role with identity and personality. Although I explained, he still refused. After that, I went to find another veteran actor, but was rejected because it was not suitable for the role. In the end, I went back to beg artist Hoai Linh because other than these two, I don’t trust anyone to play the character better. Luckily, this time he accepted.

– After noisy volunteering, Hoai Linh’s return may affect movie revenue. What do you think?

– I think the movie would be a big hit without those noises. However, I accept it because of the notion that everything happens for a reason. I once shared with the media my personal perspective on the scandal of artist Hoai Linh. He texted back: “Thanh fake self-voice. You don’t need me to explain anything about you anymore”. On the day of the movie premiere in Ho Chi Minh City, I invited him but he did not come.

I would like to thank you for fully embodying Seven Loves. On the set, he gave me a lot of valuable acting advice, such as how to feel the first emotions of an LGBT person, or how to react when seeing the person you love being beaten. Honestly, when I made this work, I just wanted it to be a warm work about transgender status, instead of being affected by the noise on the sidelines. I even want to reduce the ticket price so that the film can reach the masses, but this depends on the distributor.

– After a week of release, the film earned about four billion VND in revenue. How do you feel?

– Now I don’t have high expectations, just hope the movie breaks even. When the web-drama version was released in 2019, I was surprised when the film was successful and became a phenomenon. Every time I go out, everyone calls me “Miss Men”. I also won the title Favorite actor of the Blue Star and many other awards. My life turned to a new page, closer to the audience.

It’s too late for me to make a movie now. Many brothers and sisters in the profession took advantage of the heat of their films, continuing to make the movie version right after. However, I still do it because I think Who are you trolling? deserves to be enjoyed in theaters. In addition, I also love Miss Men – my passionate role for the past three years. I want the character to have a more special place in the hearts of the public.

– What do you think when entering the profession for a long time but still struggling?

– Actually, sometimes I wonder if I’m going the wrong way. If I were in business, I might be rich by now. Up to now, my mother still has not accepted that I pursue art because she wants her children to follow in the restaurant business. My mother used to say that if I wanted to open a restaurant, she would lend me the money, and take care of myself in acting. Last year, when the epidemic broke out, I was unemployed, just staying at home. She both loved and reprimanded: “There, just follow these frivolous things, now where do you translate to make money?”.

But I know I was born just to be an actor. I love this profession because I like the feeling of being transformed into characters, living colorful lives. I want my youth to be marked with movies.

Vo Dang Khoa sings “It’s no longer us” (music “Love Western Girl”

Tam Ky