Why is the beauty of People's Artist Le Khanh considered rare?
People's Artist Lê Khanh was once a renowned beauty on the Vietnamese screen, with her portrayals and roles leaving a strong impression on the audience.
When mentioning a role perfectly suited to People's Artist Le Khanh, audiences cannot overlook the quintessential Hanoi film "The Vertical Summer" directed by Tran Anh Hung.
"Summer Afternoon" is like a self-reflection, a poignant account of love and life through the lives of three sisters from Hanoi who deeply love each other.
Besides her impressive acting skills, it's undeniable that People's Artist Le Khanh's elegant and gentle beauty is what has earned her a special place in the hearts of the audience. Le Khanh possesses a very unique, very cinematic beauty.
Film critic Roger Ebert once commented on Le Khanh's performance in the film: "For me, Khanh (played by People's Artist Le Khanh) had her most brilliant moment in the film. In a close-up shot, Khanh desperately wanted to say something, and she decided to say that she was pregnant. A woman's lips must be holding back the joy inside. The moment Khanh paused before speaking was such a beautiful moment."
Speaking about "The Vertical Summer," critic Lawrence Chua commented: "Tran Anh Hung has created a film that is both dreamlike and realistic. It portrays the correlation between setting and content, what we see is what we face, bitterness and complexity are part of a colorful life."
In her youth, she often wore her hair in a shoulder-length style. She was invited to play the role of Tuat in the film "From a Forest" (1978) when she was only 15 years old.
Director Duc Hoan revealed that the reason she chose Le Khanh to play the lead role in the film was because of her innocent face and dignified beauty, like a full moon.
Le Khanh's name became widely known through a series of impressive works such as: "Haunted", "The Last Summer", "Hunting Thieves", "The Human Skin Mask", "The House Without an Owner"...
In particular, her portrayal of the nun Bang Thanh – the woman whom the bandit Bach Hai Duong (played by Thuong Tin) adored in "Hunting Thieves" – is an image that audiences will never forget. This is also the work that brought Le Khanh and director Pham Viet Thanh together.
People's Artist Lê Khanh's real name is Trần Mai Khanh. She was born in 1963 into a family with a rich artistic tradition. Her father is People's Artist Trần Tiến, and her mother is actress Lê Mai. Her older sister, Lê Vân, and younger sister, Lê Vi, are both famous artists.
At the age of 16, Le Khanh joined the Youth Theatre. She achieved success with the role of Juliet in the classic play "Romeo & Juliet". In the 1980s, Le Khanh also became known for her roles as queens and princesses such as Ly Chieu Hoang (in the play "Bamboo Forest"), Minfo (in the play "Conspiracy and Love")...
Artist Le Khanh was awarded the title of People's Artist in 2001, at the age of 38. In the history of the awarding process, she was the youngest stage actress to receive this title.
During the conversation, Le Khanh humbly said that she doesn't consider herself beautiful. "It is the beauty of the characters that makes me more beautiful in the eyes of the audience. I actually see myself as very ordinary; I only become beautiful because of the characters," said People's Artist Le Khanh.
This humble self-reflection further highlights the rare beauty of People's Artist Le Khanh.
