Truong Giang: 'I sacrificed a lot to become famous'

The comedian opens up about his love life and how he overcame difficulties to build his reputation after more than 10 years in the profession.

- Recently, besides the love scandal with model Que Van, many of your other private relationships have also been revealed. What do you say about this?

- I never spend time or effort explaining or justifying those things. People say I'm a playboy, if playboy means being surrounded by many women, then yes. In my fan club, from the South to the North, there are only 10 boys, the rest are all girls.

I think that as a famous person, no one can avoid gossip or unexpected disasters. Many people want to be famous, but not everyone is given the opportunity. Therefore, I accept the price, accept the pain that should not belong to me in order to become famous. I can let people gossip and talk about me however they want, as long as they let my relatives and lovers be at peace.

Actress Nha Phuong (left) sent many loving words on Truong Giang's birthday, April 20, with a photo of the two of them being close on the beach.

- To get where you are today, what did you have to sacrifice?

- Up to now, I have not had any qualifications in acting. Both times I studied acting and directing, I was expelled halfway through because I did not have money to pay the tuition. At that time, my teachers also advised me to choose another career. I used to distribute flyers, repair tires, and do all kinds of jobs to make a living. Then the opportunity came when I met Mr. Huu Loc and performed at the Nu Cuoi Moi stage. Eight years ago, if I only got 50,000 VND for a play longer than two hours, I would have been so happy that I would have cried.When I was a small-time actor, people looked down on me to the point that when I paid them, instead of giving me money, they threw a pile of money in front of me for me to pick up. At that time, I endured it because I thought that if I had no status, I certainly had no voice. People had money, had power, and could do whatever they wanted.

When I became famous, I lost a lot of friendships. Before, I could hang out with my friends anytime, but in the past three years, when I became more well-known, my old friends gradually distanced themselves from me. They invited me to hang out and drink, but I was busy performing all day and couldn't participate. Gradually, they thought I was famous so they kept their distance. In fact, there were times when I was free, like late at night, for example, when I wanted to call my friends, they were already asleep, and there were also their families, wives and children. I couldn't force people to follow my schedule... However, I accepted the trade-off because only by becoming famous could I have the conditions to take care of my family and relatives.

-How do you overcome unpleasant situations at work?

- I'm just a human, not a saint or a stone, so there's no such thing as "living long in showbiz makes you numb to emotions" as people think. I also have my own hidden corners. On stage, in any role, the audience rarely sees me emotional, but when I'm alone, I cry a lot. Like the time a wad of money was thrown at my face, I locked myself in my room and cried all day. When I'm lonely or hurt, I just like to be alone to gnaw at the pain. Later, when I had a girlfriend, I liked to be with her to share and listen. As time went on, work got busier, I had less time to be sad.

Truong Giang is famous on the comedy stage with the image of old man Muoi Kho.

- What do you think if we say Truong Giang has a lot of shows so he lacks innovation and creativity in his acting?

- Audiences who make such comments must be comedians to understand the pressure of this profession. A singer can sing a hit song for 10 years, but Tran Thanh and Truong Giang rack their brains to come up with a skit, and by the second show, the video is all over the internet. And comedy skits are all thought up by us, we can't ask someone else to write them. Creating a skit that makes the audience laugh continuously for 10 minutes is harder than writing a movie script. Currently, I don't hope to have any breakthroughs in my career. For now, I'm still pursuing the image of Muoi Kho, just renewing and creating more comedy pieces.

- It's not easy to be creative in comedy so Truong Giang switched to being an MC even though he was often criticized for being a bad host. What's your answer?

- I hear this a lot. Some people say that Truong Giang can talk nonsense, but how can he be a successful MC when he always speaks quickly and stumbles over his words. They are right, so I only dare to accept small game shows where I can speak honestly, and the audience will sympathize and support me. As for big, grand programs, I don't dare accept them. At first, when I accepted the invitation to be an MC, I was very hesitant, but I learned a little from everyone, including Tran Thanh, to gain experience for myself. Usually, I rarely respond to such comments because they are their own opinions. It must have been very difficult to get to where I am today, so I usually don't miss any career opportunities.

Truong Giang on the coach's chair of the game show "Comedy Arena".

- When you were a coach on a comedy game show, what kind of feedback did you receive from the audience?

- The audience loves me very much and I am also confident in this role. I was invited by the producer a year before filming. As soon as they invited me, I accepted immediately because I knew this was my forte. I have experienced everything the contestants show on stage, so it is easy to recognize the strengths and weaknesses of each contestant to correct them. Moreover, I got to work with Duc Thinh, Tran Thanh, and Thu Trang and Tien Luat, so I have a lot of inspiration.

According to VNE