Bao Anh: 'Not into luxury cars or villas'

The artist is loved by the audience for his lifestyle of leaving the city to return to the countryside. He has the opportunity to return to acting with the role of Khai in the seriesHappy Garage, will air on August 8, he will be interviewed about his family and work.

- You only act in one movie a year, how do you ensure income as the breadwinner of the family?

- I think the current TV show salary is not too low, it is worth the labor, still ensuring the needs of the family. My family left the city to return to the countryside, living in the suburbs, the cost of living is lower than in big cities. Every day, we spend money on meat, the rest of the vegetables and fruits are grown by ourselves. I have few relationships, rarely drink or hang out. Before, I had a vermicelli business, the job was favorable but busy. When I was filming from morning to night, no one was at home to deliver the goods to customers for me.

I graduated in finance, I am an amateur in acting but I am not too passionate about making money. I consider my acting as a contribution to the art business. I am not an ambitious person, I do not like luxury cars or villas, I just want to live on the large land where I live, with trees, grass, and fields. I also like to bury myself in manual work to relieve pressure, instead of worrying about how to get rich.

Bao Anh celebrated his birthday with his wife and two daughters last October. Photo:Facebook Pham Bao Anh

- Returning to filming a new movie, how do you arrange your family?

- In addition to my 10-year-old eldest child, I now have a nearly three-year-old youngest daughter, so the housework has doubled. For example, before, the whole family ate together, but now I need to cook porridge for the baby. Unless I have to go to work too early, I still maintain the habit of going to the morning market for the whole family. If I can't do that, I will be restless all day, wondering what my wife and children eat at home, and whether they are healthy. I have more than ten years of experience going to the market, so I know everyone. Usually, I am the first person to open the shop, I don't bargain, when I get there, I just smile and loudly shout out what I need, and everyone will automatically reduce the price.

I have only been on the set for two months, playing the main role, so my schedule is very tight. I usually come home late at night, I listen to audio books and help my wife clean the house. I think life is limited, at most we will only live to be a hundred years old. Therefore, I do not want to bury myself in work, ignoring the moments with my loved ones. Children only need us for a certain amount of time, and I do not want to be absent from their journey to adulthood. Therefore, I only accept one film a year, focusing on filming for about 5 or 6 months.

Actor Bao Anh at the press conference introducing the film "Gara Hanh Phuc" on the afternoon of July 26 in Hanoi. He was born in 1981 and is associated with many upright police characters in crime films, the most famous being Bao Ngau in the film "Nguoi phan xu". Photo:VFC

- Associated with the upright, cold image on film, in real life, what kind of husband and father are you?

- I am very soft-hearted with my relatives, always wanting to take care of my family myself. In the past, when I first had my daughter, every time I went to work and heard her call me "Dad", I would cry. Now that she is older, she has started to like playing with her friends, and no longer hangs around me all day like before.

I am not too strict, but let my children develop naturally, and express their personalities. During summer vacation, I let them stay up late as they want, and sleep until noon the next day. They are free to run and play in the fields and on the lawns, and are very healthy. Now my eldest daughter is smart and often bullies her father. Sometimes I get so frustrated that I hit her, but it probably doesn't hurt at all, so she just laughs. Raising a daughter, I think we shouldn't be too rigid. Many times, after scolding her, I have to explain why I did that, how much I scolded her, but how much I felt hurt. I think I teach my children less, but they teach me more. As a father, I learned how to live responsibly, lovingly, and tolerantly.

When I can't reconcile with my children, I ask my wife to intervene. At home, my wife is number one and everyone has to listen to her.

Actress Bao Anh and his wife Minh Tam. Photo:Facebook Pham Bao Anh

- Your wife works in administration, and you are 11 years apart in age. How do you two reconcile in life?

- I thank my wife for enduring so much hardship as a wife and mother. I always feel that women have too many burdens when they have to take care of their husband and children, and also deal with both domestic and foreign affairs. Therefore, I advised my wife to quit her administrative job and stay at home to have more time to rest. When I'm not filming, I always try to do everything for her.

We have been together for 10 years, never arguing about anything, because I always take the initiative to give in. The only problem between us is "What to eat today?". Every day, I ask my wife that question, she answers "Anything is fine". When I go to the market, I rack my brain to think of this or that dish to change the meal, but then my wife still complains (laughs). I don't care, that's how women are. Since I was a child, I have loved cooking, taking care of others, and don't mind spending hours in the kitchen. Men in the kitchen do not lose their masculinity but also show responsibility and sharing with women. If there is a role of a housewife who is good at cooking, I think no one is more suitable than me.

My wife is not a fan but she watches all the movies I act in. I always play the role of a cold, serious police officer, so my wife commented: "Your acting is too stiff and monotonous. Find a way to change." I replied: "I'm using all my inherent qualities to act in movies. I was born that way, so it's hard to change. The director doesn't criticize me, so don't say anything." That said, I appreciate my wife's comments.

- So what's new about your new role in the movie "Gara of Happiness" compared to your previous roles?

- For the first time, I got to play a police officer but I didn't expect it to be so difficult to play a normal person. Khai in the film has a criminal past so he always feels inferior. He is cold on the outside, only gentle with his younger sister who has psychological problems. Later, Khai has feelings for Son Ca - a strong girl played by Quynh Kool. The character is similar to me in that she is quiet and reserved, but her inner self is much more conflicted and complicated. On set, I always have to sit quietly in a corner to maintain high concentration and nurture my emotions.

Paired with Quynh Kool, I was also surprised by her will and acting ability. The script had a scene where Son Ca got drunk in the hospital and beat Khai. After completing about 30 source shots, I was slapped and scratched by Quynh until my whole body was bruised. According to the current progress, the main couple has not had any deep emotional developments. The film's name isHappy GarageBut I see that every character's fate is sad, they have not found happiness anywhere.