Doan Quoc Dam - The 'eccentric' of Vietnamese cinema
Unlike many young artists, Doan Quoc Dam says “no” to showing off luxury cars and branded goods. He dresses freely, likes to sit on the sidewalk and doesn’t like being called a “handsome guy” on screen.
 Doan Quoc Dam in "Love the Sunny Days" (left) and "Street in the Village" - 2 films currently being shown on VTV. |
Difficult at work
Doan Quoc Dam was born in 1988 in Thai Nguyen. Before becoming an actor, he was a member of a famous school dance group in the province. Due to his naughtiness, his teacher once affirmed that Doan Quoc Dam could not graduate from high school. However, he later passed the entrance exam to the University of Theater and Cinema with high professional scores. Before becoming an actor, Doan Quoc Dam worked many jobs such as a set assistant for film crews to make a living.
After asserting himself with a series of roles in "The Judge", "Quynh doll", "The Maze", many fans call Doan Quoc Dam "the screen's handsome guy" but he affirms that he hates this phrase. "I never had the thought in my head that I would be"handsome"Due to the influence of Western culture in my professional thinking, I almost don't "feel" these types of beautiful words," Quoc Dam shared.
Doan Quoc Dam also admits that he is a picky person at work. "To win over the audience, an actor not only needs appearance but also depth in the way he performs. The actor's creativity with the character he plays is a key factor, bringing appeal and charm to the role. I always research the character carefully, "coloring" my role with unique things so that it is no longer monotonous," said Quoc Dam.
Although he often gets "ruffled" when it comes to "his profession", in life, this man born in 1988 is extremely simple. He likes to sit in cafes and drink iced tea on the sidewalk, often choosing to dress freely and casually instead of being fussy and well-groomed: "It's not that I don't know how to dress neatly and politely, but simply that I like comfort. When necessary, I can still "groom" myself well. The important thing is what to wear in what situation, not always being messy, always being stylish".
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| Unlike many young artists, Doan Quoc Dam says "no" to showing off luxury cars and branded goods... |
In his dealings with people, Doan Quoc Dam affirms that he is simple: "I never impose anything, nor force anyone to do what I want, they can live however they want. I don't care too much about other people's business, if I'm not happy I don't mention it, don't pay attention. My point of view is that if you like this, it's your business, you enjoy it. If I like this, it's mine. So both of us are happy, clear-headed and do our own things."
Don't want to be a "half-assed actor"
Doan Quoc Dam has just decided to join the Hanoi Drama Theater. He said that this is not a big decision: "It's simply that I haven't done theater for a long time, so I want to relive the space and feeling of standing on stage. I like performing live and feeling the direct interaction from the audience."
"The stage is a temple, cinema is also a temple. When you don't have enough capacity, talent, and sophistication, no matter what temple you stand on, you won't reach the top. For me, whether making movies or plays, if the actor doesn't truly love it, doesn't live and die for it, and doesn't dare to do things that others don't do, isn't afraid of hardship, difficulty, or ugliness... then that person will always be just a "so-so" actor, not an artist," Doan Quoc Dam affirmed.
Recently, Doan Quoc Dam returned to VTV's "prime time" with the new drama "Thuong ngay nang ve". Although only aired a few episodes, the drama has already received attention from the audience and is predicted to be the next "blockbuster" of Vietnamese television. After many thorny roles, Doan Quoc Dam transformed into the anonymous painter Dong Phong. He has an uncle-niece relationship with Van Van, a female student 13 years younger than him, played by Ngoc Huyen. "My role this time has many differences from previous roles, it can be said to be gentle and romantic. It brings a new breath for people to see my professional ability", Doan Quoc Dam shared.
Speaking more about transforming into the role, Doan Quoc Dam said: "I don't feel any difficulty when transforming into this type of character. It doesn't have a very multi-dimensional or complicated psychology. If we make a comparison, this character doesn't take me as much time as the complicated psychological roles I've played. In this role, I don't have to change myself, I just change the character. I've had a "bank" of characters for a long time. When needed, I will choose, for example, how to act this character with his personality."
Doan Quoc Dam frankly said that when participating in any film, he has expectations, but those are not expectations of fame. "For me, when I go into a film, I have to do my best with passion, I have to see it as okay, whether it creates a "fever" or not depends on many factors," Quoc Dam said.
In 2020, Doan Quoc Dam received the first "Golden Kite" Award in his career in the category "Best Supporting Actor in a TV Series" for the movie "The Labyrinth"./.
