Ngo Thanh Van: 'The director of the movie Kong and I are just friends'

The "action actress" shared that she admires the talent of American blockbuster directors and shared what she learned from filming a recent $90 million project in Hollywood.

- Jordan Vogt-Roberts - director of Kong: Skull Island - and you have often shown your closeness when appearing together or talking about each other. What is the truth about your relationship?

- I am fortunate to have the opportunity to know and work with many foreign filmmakers, including Jordan Vogt-Roberts. To me, Jordan Vogt-Roberts has always been a friend and a talented director. Working with him and his crew has given me a lot of useful experience for my future filmmaking.

When Jordan Vogt-Roberts and his crew were preparing for the film and first arrived in Vietnam, I assisted and advised them on some issues related to the set and filming activities. I thought it was just a small help to show my goodwill and admiration for them.

- Recently, you went to the US to film "Bright" - a big Hollywood project. How did this opportunity come to you?

-My American agency sent me a resume to audition for various projects, and from there I was invited to be in the film Bright directed by David Ayer. I admired his work last year, Suicide Squad.

Four months of filming abroad also coincided with the Lunar New Year in Vietnam. I didn’t have the chance to celebrate Tet with my family and friends back home, but I felt energized by participating in an international project like Bright.

Honestly, going abroad is just to study, but for me, to get a role with dialogue, I have to wait in line "far away". No job is easy, no challenge is simple to overcome. However, I believe that as long as you are dedicated to your job and try your best,,The opportunity to reach the Hollywood dream will no longer be too far away.

Ngo Thanh Van's character in "Bright" has platinum hair.

- How does your martial arts strength help you in your new role?

- Although I was affectionately called a “female fighter” by the audience, I still had to practice a lot to have the best scenes and meet the crew’s standards. To transform into my role as Tien, I had to learn shooting, practice martial arts, practice physical training as well as follow a strict diet to have the most thoughtful and suitable preparation.

But it cannot be denied that my previous martial arts experience has helped me a lot in keeping up with the high intensity training process. After each role, I always feel that I have to try harder and try harder to perfect my skills for the profession.

- What lessons did you learn for filmmaking in Vietnam from your experience filming the $90 million project?

- I am a person who loves to work and always wants to be in contact with the world's advanced cinema to "learn" what they have been doing and are doing, to improve my understanding of the profession. From there, I can do what I want, be free to create with my passion; but art always requires constant creativity, so for me nothing is enough. I am still setting myself higher challenges to continue to move forward. I wish that one day there will be a "made in Vietnam" film with a budget of 90 million USD like Bright.

Working with an international team has always been my dream. So, even though I am just a small dot in the big picture, I am still happy with what I have learned.

Ngo Thanh Van wears ao dai at the premiere of "Co Ba Sai Gon"

- As a director, actress and producer with many active projects, how do you balance your work?

-Right from the first years of returning home from abroad to enter showbiz, I told myself that I must always be ready to accept challenges and difficulties in order to find success. Over the years, I have never sat still. Even though there were countless difficulties and scandals on the road, once I chose, I had to live bravely like a warrior. I believe that any woman deserves to live like a goddess and their life is the greatest novel.

I have always liked to live with a clear purpose and goal in life. Once I do something, I do it with full concentration and seriousness. Once I complete a task, I will continue to strive to achieve the next higher goal.

According to VNE