The Desperate Past of the Handsome Man Who Played Quang in the Movie 'Red Rain'

Often tease, joke and invite Do Nhat Hoang to go out for coffee

- In the movie "Red Rain", Quang's role is a villainous officer with many internal conflicts - how did you prepare mentally and research materials to portray this character?

First, I consulted historical documents about the battle at Quang Tri citadel and read novels.Red Rainto understand exactly the intention that writer Chu Lai wanted to portray for the character Quang.

At the same time, I learned about the soldiers on the other side. Director Dang Thai Huyen has always been by my side since the first days of working on the script, giving me many suggestions to help me deeply understand the character's personality. In particular, Huyen also invited veterans - people who actually experienced the war - to help me feel most clearly the image of the soldiers on the other side.

- The movie "Red Rain" is set in the 1972 Quang Tri Citadel battle - what do you think the role of Quang represents in history?

In my opinion, the character Quang represents the tragedy of war. He is not only an officer on the other side but also the image of the young generation caught up in the whirlpool of history, forced to take up arms and enter a meaningless war.

After studying the character carefully, I saw in Quang a conflict between reason and emotion, between duty and human desire. That helped me see Quang not as a villain but as a person with pain and conflict.

- How did you interact with Do Nhat Hoang or Le Ha Anh to have a good performance on screen?

Hoang is a very energetic person, so whenever we have to do fighting or action scenes, I have to put all my strength into it because he is younger and stronger. The two brothers often joke around and go out for coffee together, so we understand each other and have great chemistry in acting.

Ha Anh is very delicate and easy to create emotions. There is a scene where Ha Anh only needs to look at me once, I feel completely immersed in the character Quang - no longer acting but living with the character.

Many times casting was eliminated in the first round

- Where does your passion for acting come from? What made you decide to pursue this career?

To be honest, I don't know where my passion started, maybe I inherited my artistic genes from my parents. When they were young, my parents often sang and participated in performing arts. I was the same, when I was in school, I often participated in artistic activities at school: singing, acting... After graduating from high school, I immediately enrolled in the University of Theater and Cinema to study, then graduated and followed the profession until now.

- Before becoming famous for the role of Quang in "Red Rain", you spent nearly 10 years struggling to find a foothold in the acting profession. What is the most disappointing moment during that period that you remember the most and the lesson that helped you persevere in pursuing your passion?

Before the role of Quang inRed Rain, I struggled for 10 years looking for opportunities and had moments of near despair. Too many times I went to castings and was eliminated in the first round, when I came home I lay thinking: I don't know if I studied correctly, if I was diligent enough, if I practiced enough... why am I so bad?

There were times when I was discouraged and thought about stopping. But in the end, I told myself that if I stopped now, all my years of studying and training would be wasted. After those failures, I realized that if I wanted to pursue my passion, I had to be persistent and know how to stand up after failure. Thanks to that, I had enough courage to get to where I am today.

- Do any of your friends from your military service days share their feelings with you about your new role in the film? How did your military service affect your outlook on life and do you have any funny or touching stories from that time?

I joined the army in 2012, it's been a long time now so I lost contact with almost all my friends at that time. But thanks toRed Rain, some of you recognized and found my Facebook again. You were quite surprised, even found it interesting that I played the role of a soldier on the other side. Some even joked:"You were a soldier back then, why are you playing the other side now?"

My time in the military taught me a lot of life skills. I learned discipline, camaraderie and most importantly, I realized that nothing is impossible when you are truly determined.

The secret to a handsome body, loves singing, and assembling Gundam models

- The image of a "body-fighting CEO" is going viral on social media, but behind that appearance, what is Steven Nguyen's training process to maintain his body shape?

The image of a "body-fighting CEO" that people often talk about is probably just a joke. To maintain this body shape, I still have to work out regularly every day, combining gym and cardio. During periods when I need to lose weight or prepare for a role, I have to weigh every hundred grams to eat according to the diet my teacher gives me, not daring to eat carelessly.

Sometimes I crave sweets and greasy foods, but I have to hold back. Most of the movies I participate in have action scenes, so maintaining exercise also helps me have enough health and physical strength to complete those scenes well.

- Besides acting, do you have any hobbies or passions that make you feel comfortable and mentally balanced? What is your daily life like outside the spotlight?

Besides acting, I also like singing. I don't dare to say that I'm good at it, but it's good enough for my friends to listen without being annoyed. In my free time, I go to the gym - this is almost a daily habit, both to improve my health and to practice discipline.

I have a rather "childish" hobby of assembling Gundam models, starting from when I was little until now because I love playing with toys. Every time I sit down to assemble, I feel like time passes very quickly. The feeling of being patient with small details makes me feel balanced and comfortable after stressful working hours.

Now I also have a hobby of practicing guitar, sometimes I pick up the guitar and play and sing at the same time. Actually I'm not good at playing guitar, it's just a small hobby.

- Any memories or stories about your family, especially their support or opposition to your career path?

I feel really lucky and grateful to my parents. From the very first days of my career, my parents never stopped me, always standing behind me to support me even though they didn’t know if I would be successful in the future. Many times when I lost my balance, my parents comforted me and became my support.

Now I have some success, although it is not great, but I feel that my parents are very happy and proud of me.

Photo: FBNV