'Boss' Phan Quan was disappointed when 'The Judge' ended

A few minutes after the final episode of the movie “The Judge” ended, VietNamNet contacted People’s Artist Hoang Dung - who played the role of “boss” Phan Quan in the movie that has been causing a stir for the past few months to ask him some questions.

What do you say when there are many reactions to the ending of the movie "The Judge"?

- I don't think there's any other ending, my friend. It's an inevitable ending. It leaves the audience with many thoughts. If Mr. Phan Quan hadn't joined the criminal group, a happy ending that would satisfy many people would be appropriate. But since he's embarked on a dangerous path that could mean death in the near future, there's no way to protect his family.

People's Artist Hoang Dung plays "boss" Phan Quan in the final episode of the movie "The Judge".

It has been a long time since the audience has shown affection for a Vietnamese film like “The Judge”, but if their love for the first half of the film was as great as it was for the last part, it seems to have diminished, and now the ending is disappointing with illogical and somewhat “dramatic” situations, don’t you think?

- Audiences who watch their favorite movies often develop more imagination than the creators. Sometimes they watch based on their emotions, based on the love and affection of the characters. If the movie has a happy ending, no one dies, I think the good-natured way to please the audience's opinion is not suitable for the development that the movie has. It must be a painful ending to send a message to the viewers that if you want to protect your family, you must live a decent life.

I also have to tell you that I was in contact with the movie "The Judge" for quite a long time, we calculated carefully and decided to leave the ending as the audience saw in the last episode.

Luong Bong and Phan Quan - the boss and trusted disciple of the underworld in the movie are loved by the audience to the core. Have you ever feared that your portrayal of the role will have the opposite effect on the audience in real life?

- I understand what you mean. But I think that if the audience loves the roles of Luong Bong and Phan Quan, they will be alert and intelligent enough to realize the lessons learned about what to do and what not to do in real life.

He once confessed that it had been a long time since he had watched a film as eagerly as “The Judge”. In fact, thanks to the role of “boss” Phan Quan, he became more famous, more loved by the audience and especially had more shows to make money. So when the film ended, were you disappointed?

- Disappointed? I had this feeling since a week before the show ended. An indescribable feeling of sadness as I kept counting each episode as it got closer to saying goodbye to the audience. The show has truly brought me a lot of love from the audience. Like this afternoon when I went to VTV to answer a program, there were more than 20 people waiting for me to take pictures.

I joked with them: “I have been to the station countless times, participated in countless programs, but I have never received such affection from the station’s own people!” There are feelings that are sometimes more valuable than all the others, my friend.

When the movie was half-way through, in an interview with VietNamNet, you shared many touching stories from the audience. So, as the movie comes to an end, do you still continue to receive the love of the audience?

- I received a lot of love from domestic audiences - they expressed their admiration for me when meeting me directly or indirectly through social networks. But what surprised me the most was that Vietnamese audiences living abroad also loved the film very much.

People's Artist Hoang Dung.

I even received a lot of information from abroad, group photos of Vietnamese people in Taiwan watching this movie or many audiences living in Dubai wrote to me expressing their love for the role. They even told me about the advertisement asking their friends: Have you seen this movie yet? If not, then watch it to feel happy, to feel proud that Vietnamese movies can be attractive...

Not only my colleagues in the drama or cinema field, but also many artists in other art fields continuously expressed their feelings for me, such as Thanh Van (Cai Luong Theater), Lan Anh (Cheo Theater) also said that I never missed any episode of the movies you acted in. If I was busy and couldn't watch them, I had to watch them again the next day.

"Boss" Phan Quan, the role that helped you leave an impression on the audience in 2017 and in your acting career, do you still hope to have better and more beloved roles?

- I think that in my life, there are not only this one movie but also plays, movies with many roles that I have been loved. There was a time when the audience called me “Trang Quynh” and then called me “Mr. Ket” in the movie King Oasis… Until now, people remember “boss” Phan Quan more.

Maybe after the movie "The Judge" I may not have a better role or my performance may not be as good, but one thing I am sure of is that to immediately erase Phan Quan's image from the hearts of the audience who love the role is not an easy thing, my friend! (laughs)

- Thank you for the chat!

According to VNN