Bao Anh: 19 years in the police uniform and the challenges of "The Line"
After 19 years of portraying the image of a soldier, actor Bao Anh faces a new challenge with the political drama 'The Dividing Line', which demands psychological depth and complex legal dialogue.
A new challenge for the political drama genre.
Actor Pham Bao Anh returns to the small screen with his familiar role as a police officer in the political drama "The Dividing Line". Despite having nearly two decades of experience, he admits that this role is "much more demanding and stressful" than his previous crime projects.
In the film, Bao Anh plays the role of Quyet Thang. He shared that political dramas are a genre he had previously avoided due to their difficulty, focusing less on action and more on psychological tension and dialogue. "Reading the script already felt stressful. Most of the dialogue in 'The Dividing Line' is specialized, with many complex professional terms. Actors must concentrate intensely to accurately portray the spirit of the character and the profession," Bao Anh said.
According to the actor, the most challenging aspect of the film is portraying the intense battle of wits between the characters in the investigative agency and the prosecutor's office. "Unlike previous crime dramas that only focused on investigation and chasing criminals, 'The Dividing Line' delves deeply into the legal aspects and the struggle between right and wrong. The difficulty lies not in the action but in the psychological depth and accuracy of each line of dialogue," he revealed.
19 years and a steadfast choice to wear the police uniform.
2025 marks 19 years since Bao Anh started playing police officers on screen. He considers this a special journey and humorously shared: "My ultimate goal is still to be the actor who plays police officers the most."
Explaining the appeal of this image, Bao Anh said that the role of a police officer represents justice and righteousness. "Many people ask why I don't try playing a villain, but doing bad is easy, doing good is difficult. I choose the difficult one because I want to spread positivity," he said. He affirmed that he always prioritizes the role of a soldier, even when offered a villainous role at the same time. "If offered two roles at the same time, one villain and one police officer, I would still choose the police officer role, even if it has less screen time."
From rejecting "Life and Death" to gaining confidence with "The Line"
Bao Anh stated that, despite wearing the same blue uniform, her role in "The Dividing Line" demanded greater precision in dialogue and a higher level of legal expertise compared to her previous roles, such as in the film "The Unique Path".
He also recalled his decision to turn down a role in the film "Life and Death" six years ago because he felt he wasn't ready yet. "When I read the script, the very first scene had two pages of dialogue. I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up with the filming schedule, so I decided to give the role to someone more suitable," he explained. At that time, even with 12 years of experience, he still felt he needed to accumulate more experience before trying his hand at political dramas.
After six years, Bao Anh said he has enough confidence and experience to take on the challenge of "The Dividing Line". "Now everything feels familiar to me. The specialized lines of the police force are like breathing, like everyday life," he said.
With his familiar image, Bao Anh shared that in real life, many viewers still think he's a real police officer. Through his role in "The Dividing Line," the actor hopes that viewers will feel the authenticity and psychological depth of a soldier on the silent front lines.
