Little-known facts about artist Mai Ngoc Can's career: 'Playwriting is a side job, acting is forever a passion'

The roles that made the name of artist Mai Ngoc Can

Artist Mai Ngoc Can was born and raised in his hometown Bac Ninh. Because of his passion for cinema, at the age of 19, Mai Ngoc Can went to Hanoi to audition for actors and was admitted to the first class of the Academy of Theatre and Cinema along with artists Tra Giang, Lam Toi, Ngoc Lan, Anh Thai, Duc Luu, Tue Minh...

He was also one of the artists who graduated from the first class of film actors (1959-1963). Audiences often remember artist Mai Ngoc Can through the role of Mr. Hao in the movieLand and peopleHowever, few people know that the role that has special meaning for artist Mai Ngoc Can is the movieOn the 17th parallel.

The simple life of artist Mai Ngoc Can. Photo: ST

In 2012, in an exclusive interview, the late artist Mai Ngoc Can revealed: "On the 17th parallelis the most memorable film in my artistic career. It not only marked my first role, but the film also brought back unforgettable memories of the time of making films between the two banks of life and death. In the film, I played the role of Xuan, a private in the armed police. The film tells the story of the heroic fight of the armed people's police force against the enemy on the Ben Hai River - the river that divided the two regions. The story seems simple but in the context of that time, it was extremely heavy and dangerous."

To complete the role, he had to courageously act out a scene of swimming into the middle of the river - the boundary between life and death - just to have 30 realistic, vivid seconds on screen.

Artist Mai Ngoc Can once revealed that at that time, filmmaking technology still had many difficulties and limitations such as old and poor equipment, but the working spirit of the actors was very enthusiastic. "Cameramen, props, lighting staff, actors... worked day and night without any demands. Just seeing the draft and seeing it was beautiful made everyone excited and happy," said artist Mai Ngoc Can.

After the character Xuan (North Coast Police) in the movieOn the 17th parallel,Artist Mai Ngoc Can participated in most of the classic films of Vietnamese cinema at that time such as:Kim Dong, Husband and Wife A Phu, An Early Autumn Day, White Smoke...

Artist Mai Ngoc Can - a gentle, ascetic old man on Vietnamese screen

Since the 2000s, audiences have begun to see artist Mai Ngoc Can appear on screen in the roles of poor, gentle, kind old men. Artist Mai Ngoc Can plays the role of a father in the movieCircle of loveof Vietnam Feature Film Studio.

Then there are many roles with different personalities and situations, such as the role of Mr. Hao in the movieLand and people; Mr. Trong in the movieCandles in the night; Mr. Tuu inProjector; Mr. Thang, head of the cooperativeLife path; Mr. Nam inTents and beds; Mr. Long inFamily…Artist Mai Ngoc Can also said that he especially likes the role of the father in the movie.Love at the end of the road.

Artist Mai Ngoc Can (right) in his youth. Photo: ST

The rare interview about artist Mai Ngoc Can was conducted in 2012, when he was 73 years old. At that time, he had participated in 83 films, including many long-running films.

According to the information in this interview, artist Mai Ngoc Can added that in 1969, while working at the Armed Police Art Troupe, he was sent to study stage directing at the School of Theater and Cinema. After that, he continued to be selected to study at Lomonosov University (formerly the Soviet Union).

In 1980, when the Vietnam Academy of Theatre and Cinema was established, People's Artist Dinh Quang - Principal of the school invited him to be the Head of Training Department and Head of the Actor Class.

Artist Mai Ngoc Can: "Acting is forever my passion"

Artist Mai Ngoc Can started writing plays in the 1980s. His first play wasSunlight shines on Pang Poi stream.After that, many other plays were performed by him.

In 1989, artist Mai Ngoc Can went to the Department of Performing Arts, after 3 months he went to Russia to defend his post-graduate thesis, after that, he continued to work at the Department. In 2000, he officially retired and returned to his passion of acting.

"I only consider writing plays as a side job. For me, acting is still a passion, I still participate in TV series with good scripts with gentle, simple and kind characters. People in the neighborhood often call me with the affectionate name: People's Artist. That is a noble reward for more than 50 years of my involvement with cinema", artist Mai Ngoc Can replied.

The photo celebrating the 50th wedding anniversary of artist Mai Ngoc Can and his wife once caused a "storm" on social networks. Photo: ST

In November 2018, artist Mai Ngoc Can was hospitalized for treatment of kidney cancer. When he discovered the disease, he had one kidney and part of his bladder removed a year before. In recent years, due to old age and illness, he has not acted in any films. The last film that artist Mai Ngoc Can participated in wasGet married before you're left alonedirected by People's Artist Khai Hung in 2018.

On the afternoon of November 2, the family of artist Mai Ngoc Can announced that he passed away after a long battle with illness at the age of 83. The funeral for artist Mai Ngoc Can will take place at 9:45 a.m. on November 5 at the Thanh Nhan Hospital Funeral Home. His passing has left colleagues, friends and fans heartbroken.

For Vietnamese film audiences, artist Mai Ngoc Can has become a part of many people’s childhood memories. The image of a gentle, austere old man in the countryside still remains in the minds of Vietnamese film lovers.