Comedian Chien Thang: Each show's salary is enough to support a family for a month.

Each person has a destiny, a fortune

- Reporter:Hello comedian Chien Thang, during this time, all artistic and entertainment activities have been "frozen" due to the Covid-19 epidemic. Has your life been disrupted much?

- Comedian Chien Thang: Not only me but many other artists are also affected, shows are being canceled one after another. Except for programs that have been signed in advance such as TV game shows that are still being filmed, the rest of the music shows or drama shows have been temporarily canceled. I often joke that this year I have a long Tet holiday. If some artists work for organizations and still receive their salaries or receive 50% of their total salaries, at least they still have a stable source of income. I am a freelancer, so if I don't have shows, I don't have money.

-Because the pandemic is complicated and prolonged, many Vietnamese artists have turned to online business and online channels. What do you do in your free time?

- Honestly, I am very bad at calculating and trading profits and losses. Now, doing business also requires researching which items are the "hottest", so selling "hand sanitizer, masks" - this item is even more difficult and beyond my ability. But even if I had a source, I would never sell it. I am very upset when there are pharmacies that hide goods to increase prices for profit, they are so unethical and heartless. So I just stay at home and pursue my long-standing passion. I just want to be a simple artist.

-The passion you mentioned is painting?

- Yes. Besides playing with my children, I spend time drawing and writing scripts.

-Painting beautifully and being a famous artist will help you sell your paintings more easily, why don't you open an art gallery?

- Many people have asked me that question, but I don't want my paintings to become commercial. In the past, there were some rich people who loved and wanted to buy my paintings for tens of millions of dong, but I didn't sell them. If we were sincere and loved each other, I would paint paintings to give as gifts, as a souvenir. I paint to satisfy my passion, to help me calm down after the hustle and bustle of life, and I never intended to paint and sell my paintings. If I sell my paintings to raise funds for charity, I am willing. Currently, I am still only painting paintings to give to my relatives.

-Nowadays, artists focus on creating their own Youtube channels to put their products on there and easily earn money from advertising, but you stay out of it. Why is that?

- Each person has their own fate and fortune. Many people work hard on TV dramas and game shows, but I rarely appear for a reason. If I were to film a TV drama, it would take several months with the crew, while I still have to run shows outside. There have been some invitations, but I have had to decline them all. However, if there is a good script and the time is right, I will participate.

-Running shows regularly like that, how do you rate the salary you receive?

-The matter of salary is a sensitive issue for any artist. Perhaps no one wants to make this public in the press. In fact, the salary for each show is never fixed, because it depends on many factors. Artists can "shout" for a high salary if they have to work hard, spend a lot of time and effort on that show. But sometimes with charity shows, it is understandable that they do not take a single penny of salary. Currently, I perform many shows, but I have to arrange time to practice and participate. Each show is enough to support my wife, children and family for a whole month.

Traveling a lot is not a cause of divorce

-Honestly, aren't you afraid your wife will get jealous when you're away all the time? And have you ever thought that your constant absence from home was one of the reasons your previous marriage broke up?

- Wives and husbands who marry artists always suffer, even their children. Because we are public figures, we have to perform for the audience regularly, and our hours are different from everyone else's, so when we decide to be together, we have to be understanding. If we talk about the reasons for the breakup, there will be many reasons. When the fate ends and our feelings are no longer directed towards each other, we cannot do it no matter how hard we try. I have never been the one to make the decision to divorce and have always wanted to hold on and heal for the sake of the family and the children.

I agree that I am often away from home when I go to work, but I have never neglected my family responsibilities. Unfortunately, my job requires me to be like that, and it is very difficult to change. I do not want to blame anyone for my previous marriage, it is over so I let it go. At present, I am happy with what I have. My current wife is still young, but she is very understanding and sympathetic. I do not know what the future will bring, but at the moment we always trust and look to each other.

-How is living with your stepchildren and your relationship with your exes?

- I always try to balance between the “new” and the “old” so that things are not too heavy and complicated. For the children, I always have full responsibility. With the old people, we now consider each other as friends, taking care of the children together. In my family, there will never be a distinction between stepchildren and biological children. As a family, we must love and live together in unity. Luckily, my wife knows how to bring family members together.

-Although he doesn't appear too loudly, he is still involved in many scandals. How do those scandals affect him and how does his wife share with him?

- There are some "unfortunate" stories that fell from the sky, such as hiring bodyguards to beat up the audience, which is completely untrue for me. I also corrected this story in the media. Participating in a Tet movie with a "hot" scene that caused a stir in the media was my fault, and I also apologized to the audience. My mistake was not reading the script carefully. When I got into the role, when I got to the scene, it was like "the matter had already happened". After this incident, I was stricter with myself, carefully choosing the script before accepting. When those unfortunate things happened, my wife always sympathized and encouraged me a lot. She always reminded me to keep a clear head and handle everything, no matter how stormy it was outside, my family was always the one waiting for me to come home.

-In addition to building a house, he recently surprised the audience with his willingness to spend money when buying an expensive car from a famous brand. So people say that Chien Thang is actually a "hidden tycoon"?

- I built my house during the days of non-stop work. I live with my parents and children, so I want to build a spacious, comfortable house so that everyone doesn't feel suffocated. Besides, land in the countryside is cheaper than in the bustling city. The car is just a material thing, I've liked it for a long time but now the economy allows me to buy it. I often run shows in the provinces, travel long distances, so driving a good car is simply to protect myself. In showbiz, there are many people much richer than me, it's just that they don't reveal it.

-Nowadays, cosmetic artists are no longer strange, so do you intend to have plastic surgery?

- In the past, people at home often called me by the nickname "Thang mom" just because of my teeth. The word "mom" in Vietnamese has many meanings. Sometimes when I run out of money, people also call me "mom", when I run out of food, I also call myself "mom". In general, "mom" means lacking, which is not good, so I decided to do it. Moreover, besides acting in comedy, I also sing. The audience not only wants to listen, they also want to look, but seeing a singer with bad teeth is also unpleasant (laughs). So I decided to do my teeth and had no intention of doing any surgery on my face. Having my teeth done is painful enough.