“Hanoi Baby” Lan Huong: Still waiting for the opportunity to make a big play about Hanoi

Reporter: Is there any difference between the Hanoi girl then and now?

People's Artist Lan Huong: Perhaps the difference is that I've gained more weight and have more wrinkles. Otherwise, I still feel like I still have the features of a Hanoi girl, the same eyes as before, and I still love cinema passionately. (Laughs)

Reporter: Your eyes must be your strength to overcome hundreds of other children and convince demanding filmmakers like Hai Ninh, Hoang Tich Chi, and Vuong Dan Hoang to get the role of "Little Hanoi Girl"?

People's Artist Lan Huong: I grew up in a film studio when my grandmother and uncle worked there. My mother was busy pursuing her scientific career, so most of the time, I lived with my grandmother and uncle. Perhaps that's why my love for cinema was instilled in me since I was a child, when I was only 3-4 years old. Since then, many directors liked me and offered to let me act, but my grandparents did not agree. My mother was even more determined not to. She wanted to break away from the artistic environment and had done so, so she did not want her children to pursue art.

Poster of the movie “Hanoi Baby”. (Photo: VNA)

At that time, veteran directors like Ms. Bach Diep and Ms. Duc Hoan, who had studied in Russia, liked me very much. They always had the impression of me as a skinny, weak girl with big eyes, but who often wore long, loose-fitting adult clothes, standing at the window looking out at the sky, her face filled with sadness. Everyone called me “Cosette” (the orphan girl in the novel “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo).

One day, director Hai Ninh came to visit my grandmother. Seeing me staring at him, he told my grandmother: “This girl has a very cinematic look, a deep sadness in her eyes.” In 1972, after quickly completing the script for “Hanoi Baby”, director Hai Ninh remembered me for the role of a 10-year-old Hanoi baby.

Around January 1973, he came to my house to persuade my mother. My mother, a woman who was determined not to let her son pursue an acting career, protested. She said: “Art is very unfair. When you are young, you are praised, when you are old, you are lonely. I don’t like it. I want my son to pursue a career that allows him to work with peace of mind until old age.” After much persuasion, my mother finally relented. Perhaps, she thought that even if I took the exam, I would fail because in her eyes, I was weak and timid. However, she did not expect that Lan Huong, who was timid at home, would be so bold outside.

During the casting day, the common questions asked of all of us were about our families and hobbies. I talked about my passion for cinema and my dream of acting and becoming famous like Tra Giang after finishing the film “17th Parallel, Days and Nights”. I also told them about the films: Quiet on the Don, European Liberation, War and Peace… that I had seen when I was 5 years old.

My mother was very surprised. She said, at home, I wouldn't say anything, but here I could say it all. I passed the first round of the preliminary round like that, naturally, even though there were hundreds of friends of the same age who had big round eyes like me.

By the second round, I suddenly felt determined to win the role. But there was one sad thing at that time, I did not have the advantage of being on screen. I remember clearly, Uncle The Dan said to Uncle Hai Ninh: "This girl looks very "Western" in real life, but on screen her face is not as "Western" as it looks in real life". Uncle Hai Ninh brushed it off, saying that children these days have to be sloppy, a smooth face and features are not suitable.

Half a month passed without a call, and the whole family was assured that I was slipping. My mother cut my long hair past my ears to discourage me. I cried and sulked all the time, every day burying my head in the sink to wash my hair, hoping that it would grow faster.

The day the crew finalized the role and prepared to film, when they arrived at my house, Uncle Hai Ninh was shocked to see that my long hair had disappeared, while the character of the Hanoi girl at that time was a pigtail on both sides, wearing a straw hat. Uncle Hai Ninh had to say, let's wait half a month, when the hair is longer than the ears, then we can start filming. My mother was still determined not to let me act in the movie. Uncle Ninh had to convince my mother: "This girl Huong's acting is very intense, like she is possessed, completely different from other children."

But it was not until Mr. Tran Duy Hung, Chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, wrote a handwritten letter to my mother, saying that this was a commemorative film about Hanoi and that the film crew felt that only Lan Huong had the ability to play that role, that my mother agreed.

People's Artist Lan Huong: The film was filmed in May 1973, and we chose to film during the hottest time of the day. I had asthma and was wheezing all the time because I had to wear a sweater and jacket to act. The hotter the sun, the sicker I got, my face kept swelling up because of the asthma medicine. I was so sick, but when the doctors told me to act, I acted right away.

I remember, Mr. Hai Ninh was very talented at coaxing. Before each scene, he would sit down and talk to me privately, instructing me, nurturing my emotions, analyzing how each scene should be acted, what kind of mood it should be in… Even though I loved cinema, because I was still a child, when acting, I often got upset, bored or too busy playing, sometimes even arguing with the director.

During the screening, I kept my head down, not daring to look up because I was embarrassed. I always felt like I didn’t do a good job. Even in my later career, I never felt completely satisfied.

Reporter: The role of Hanoi baby is a lifetime role for People's Artist Lan Huong. After that, you only appeared on stage, occasionally on screen. Does the shadow of the role of a 10-year-old baby create any pressure on your career?

People's Artist Lan Huong: Hanoi Baby was the first role that my family agreed to let me perform. Therefore, it caused excitement, joy, and endless happiness. From that moment on, I thought that I would never do anything other than being a movie actress. And of course, I no longer focused on studying.

My mother was afraid that I would get lost in art, so every year she would tempt me to study hard, let me learn to play an instrument, dance, etc. I would meet all her requests about studying, hoping that one day she would let me pursue art. But she kept delaying, until I was 14-15 years old, I got angry and reacted because I was afraid that I would be too old to be accepted into art schools. My mother also scolded me: "Only bad students become actors", so I neglected my studies. I only went to school 2-3 times a week, and did not do my homework.

Reporter: In many of your conversations with the press, you have not hidden your passion for dance. And then you nurtured that passion when you founded the Physical Drama Group at the Youth Theater. In more than 10 years of searching for sponsors and working hard to create plays, you have also created some debates in the theater world about contemporary art theater. Some of your physical plays have created a buzz, even being performed abroad. Are you truly satisfied with your passion?

People's Artist Lan Huong: From the age of 3-4, I dared to jump on the trance platforms and dance wildly. At that time, dancing was just an instinct, I didn't understand anything. Later, when I started working at the Youth Theater, we were taught to dance, but we didn't use it much because we prioritized spending time practicing plays.

I remember, in 1998, during the break between rehearsals, I stood on the wings practicing basic dance. The leader of my drama troupe, the late People's Artist Anh Tu, saw this and said: "Huong likes dancing, let's do a play with dancing". My eyes lit up. I discussed it with director Le Hung and "The Dream of Happiness" was my first production with the appearance of physical drama. With that excitement, in 2005 I boldly asked to establish a Physical Drama Troupe, attracting nearly 50 people.

Reporter: I remember that at that time, every play of yours that was released created a debate in the theater world. Some people supported innovation, others thought that the innovation of physical drama, with not much dialogue, made it difficult for the audience to understand. Which play has left you with the most memorable impression?

People's Artist Lan Huong: Probably the play "Kieu", which talks about Nguyen Du's feelings when writing about the fate of Kieu. I don't know if by some inspiration, I also brought the character Ho Xuan Huong to the stage. I wanted to create a dialogue about the fate of women, between a sharp, very real Nom Poetry Queen and a refined poet Nguyen Du.

The play was very controversial. The censorship board said the two characters had nothing to do with each other. During the play’s defense, I reported that Nguyen Du and Ho Xuan Huong were two people from the same historical period. The play was temporarily suspended because of the controversy.

One night, Mr. Truong Nhuan (Director of the Youth Theater) called me: “Huong, I am so scared. I went to Ha Tinh and read an article and found out that Ho Xuan Huong and Nguyen Du had a love affair. Before, I thought you were too reckless, but now I am reassured. I will print the article and send it to you.” I don’t know why, but at that time I was also scared. With my knowledge, I only knew that they lived in the same period, but I didn’t know their fate. After that, the play was presented to the audience and many people were very interested in the dialogue I created between these two characters.

For nearly 20 years doing physical theater, each play that Le Hung and I performed created a buzz. In 2017, I did my last play about the police force. Since retiring in 2018, the Physical Theater Group has not been very active. I only regret that if I could continue doing physical theater, there would be more complete plays now, more closely following the audience's taste.

Reporter: Recently, audiences have seen you appear in 1-2 TV series and then "disappear". Some people say you have retired and gone into hiding; others say Lan Huong is still working hard but keeping a low profile? It is true that you are a picky person when it comes to roles, but is it possible that your career is no longer what it used to be?

People's Artist Lan Huong: After retirement, I still teach the major of Directing, Festivals and Events at the University of Theater and Cinema. After 10 years of teaching, from 2012-2022, I quit. Partly because I felt tired after the Covid-19 pandemic, partly because I felt that I was no longer active in the arts, teaching was no longer practical, and my enthusiasm for teaching students had diminished.

People's Artist Lan Huong - director, plays the roles of Ho Xuan Huong, Hoan Thu, and monk Giac Duyen in the play. (Source: Lao Dong Newspaper)

After retiring, I also accepted roles in films: Tran Thu Do, Living with Mother-in-law, Against the Flow of Tears… but after that, no director invited me, maybe I was old and no role was suitable.

Occasionally, my husband and I still go to see plays on many stages. There are plays that, after watching them, I think, if I were you, I would write the script like this, breathe life into the role like that. People keep spreading the news that I am retiring from the profession, but I can't retire yet.

I think, in life, there are times when people are lucky, and times when they are not. Or maybe God thinks I am too hard-working, so he only lets me do this much. But in my heart, there are still so many plans, so many scripts that I want to do, but unfortunately it is more difficult now than before when I have no money, and no right to decide. If I am tired, I will take a break. If there is a chance, I will return to the stage, cinema and then I might go crazy again.

Reporter: Do you consider yourself a perfectionist, always thinking that you have not really done well in your roles, even when you are a director?

People's Artist Lan Huong: I always feel like I haven't done well. When I was filming "Hanoi Baby", at night I would rest my hand on my forehead, thinking about how I would act tomorrow, how I would pronounce. It's the same with being a director, staging a play a year, but always unsatisfied. Even when I argue with someone, I feel guilty. I only regret that I retired when I was still unsatisfied with myself. Then I regret that when I retired, I couldn't overcome the pressure of many years to continue to fight, to do my job. I must have been called "if only"! (Laughs)

Reporter: How haunting and frightening was Hanoi during the Dien Bien Phu in the air battle for a girl who was always a dreamer and loved cinema?

People's Artist Lan Huong: When I was 3 years old, I was already terribly afraid of war. Every time I heard the sound of an airplane, I was scared to death, every time I heard the sound of bombs, I trembled. Therefore, when playing the role of a Hanoi child, I acted with the same innocence as my own childhood.

Growing up in the Film Studio area at 72 Hoang Hoa Tham, opposite the Hanoi Leather Factory, the most haunting thing about my childhood was the smell of wastewater from the factory. Yet at the end of 1972, when I heard that the Dien Bien Phu air battle had been victorious and the US was forced to stop bombing, from the evacuation area in Binh Da, Ha Tay, my uncle's son and I ran away from home and walked back to Hoang Hoa Tham area.

When I got close to the Hanoi Leather Factory, I smelled the sewer smell and burst into tears, saying, “Mr. Vinh, we’re almost home.” Suddenly, I found that strong sewer smell familiar.

After years of war, I see that today's peace is a wonderful thing. I have traveled to many places and found that Hanoi is still a safe capital, a capital of peace.

Reporter: In your career in theater and cinema, how do you show your love for Hanoi through your roles, as well as when you are a theater director?

People's Artist Lan Huong: Apart from the film "Hanoi Baby", to be honest, I have not done anything really big for Hanoi. Later, because I was fascinated by the image of traffic police officers and liked the song "From a crossroads", I asked writer Huu Uoc to make a play about the police force. Making a play about traffic police officers is very difficult, but I made it extremely lovely.

I also want to make an official play about Hanoi, but I don't have the conditions yet. I'm still waiting for an opportunity to come to me.

Thank you People's Artist Lan Huong!