Meritorious Artist Phu Don and his "unusual" 2-decade marriage with a wife 25 years younger

Meritorious Artist Phu Don was born in 1960 in Hanoi . He is the youngest of eight children. Phu Don was one of the first actors trained at the Vietnam Drama Theater. Possessing a "hard face" and a small, skinny appearance, Phu Don left an impression on the audience through a series of rustic, hard-working farmer roles with a touch of humor on stage, television and movies.

Among them, we must mention the famous roles of the past in the movies: TV about the village, Where are you, Two pots make hydroelectric power, Land and people...

At the age of 63, despite being retired, the male artist is still passionate about acting. Currently, he plays the role of Mr. Mao with white hair in the movie Don't be afraid to marry, just need a reason and a supporting role in the horror film Tet in the village of hell, which is about to air.

Talking about his new roles, he humorously said: "People who take on new roles act young and beautiful. But I still keep the tradition of acting old and ugly."

In real life, Meritorious Artist Phu Don is as simple as his roles in movies: no grooming, no luxury cars, no dress pants, shirts or shiny shoes. He said that's why his wife loves him - because of his simplicity, rusticity and naturalness... Even though he married a wife 25 years younger than him, he doesn't have to do anything to change his nature.

Meritorious Artist Phu Don in real life.

A strong marriage of 2 decades with a wife 25 years younger

Are you sad that at your age, many people have become grandparents and have a comfortable life after retirement, while Meritorious Artist Phu Don still has to work hard?

- Everyone has their own life, I never compare myself with others. If someone is happier, I'm happy for them.

My family life is still full of difficulties. It is far from enjoying or being comfortable because my two children are still in school age.

But I'm not sad or hurt because of that. Life is like that, everyone has hard times and happy times.

At the age of 45, Meritorious Artist Phu Don just got married. His wife is 25 years younger than him and does not work in the arts (Photo: Facebook character).

Normally, married life is not without its ups and downs. You and your wife have a 25-year age gap. Have you ever had conflicts and arguments to the point of wanting to break up?

- No one would believe it, but we've lived together for 20 years now and have never had a loud argument or conflict.

My wife is 25 years younger than me but she is very mature and sensible, and I don’t have to do anything to change my nature. My wife loves me for that, for my simplicity. I like naturalness, not forced things.

Many people keep asking me: "What is the secret to a happy life when you are 25 years older than your wife?". Honestly, I don't have any secret or trick of my own.

I think the important thing is to love and devote yourself to your family. Be sympathetic, understanding and trust each other.

And you, when you come back home, do you support your wife with housework or do you think it's women's work?

- You may not know, in Hanoi, Thuy Khue's boys are famous for being very skillful, so almost everyone can do housework. I am no exception!

I do not mind doing anything for my wife: from cooking, cleaning the house to doing the laundry. That is fairness and sharing in married life.

The happy home of Meritorious Artist Phu Don's family (Photo: Character's Facebook).

Is it difficult or tiring to pamper a wife younger than you when you marry her?

- On the contrary, my wife is a very simple person, extremely simple and does not ask for anything. She is a caring, loving and indulgent person towards her husband and children.

Before, on holidays, I often gave my wife gifts, but now I give them less often, because no matter what I buy, she doesn't like it, and she doesn't care about material values.

When talking with Meritorious Artist Phu Don, I found him to be a simple, gentle and humorous person, completely different from the nicknames people give him: "Sassy Don", "Itchy Potato Don"?

- Actually, artists are often sensitive, especially when I give them feedback on how to perform in front of a crowd. To be honest, I'm not good at talking, so the nicknames "Sharpy Don" or "Itchy Don" come from there.

In real life, I'm simple and humorous but not gentle at all (laughs). It's just a matter of what to react to and what not to, what to say and what not to say.

For Meritorious Artist Phu Don, what is happiness at the age of 63?

- Each person has a different concept of happiness. Some people are happy because they have a nice house and a luxury car. Others consider a successful, brilliant career or many children to be happiness.

For me, current happiness is having a young wife who always sympathizes with my acting job, she never complains, having good children, both boys and girls, a life that is not rich but still prosperous, warm, peaceful and happy.

Proud of the brand "the most austere man on screen"

Talking about Meritorious Artist Phu Don, until now, the audience still calls him "the most miserable man on Vietnamese screen", what do you think?

- God has endowed each person with a different body shape, appearance, and appearance. God has given me a thin, small, and frail appearance. Many people may think that is a disadvantage because I will never be given the main role, the handsome guy, or the hero, but I have never been sad, heartbroken, or felt disadvantaged because of that.

On the contrary, I feel proud and consider it as Phu Don's brand (laughs). In life, there are beautiful and ugly people in the works, so why not use your own ugliness and weaknesses as your strengths - this is what I learned from the previous generation. Turn your weaknesses into advantages and try to exploit those "personal advantages" in your career.

Because on stage, television or in movies, no one can compete with me in that aspect because no one has a face as harsh as mine.

Born and raised in Hanoi, but how did you transform into such excellent farmers?

- I don't know if it's because I was evacuated to the countryside and was taken care of and loved by farmers, but I always respect farmers.

I love their innocent, simple, and friendly personalities. Every time I film in the countryside, I feel like I am at home because of the warm feelings of the people towards the artists.

The audience still remembers Meritorious Artist Phu Don with the comedy roles that have created his own brand, even though they were born more than ten years ago, such as Lien in "Bo Vo", Xuan Co in "Xuan Co - the mediator"... He is also a comedian who regularly appears in the program "Gap Nhau Cuoi Tuan"? Many people commented that Phu Don's comedy is charming, natural like breathing, without needing much preparation. For him, is comedy really easy?

- I am grateful for the favors and compliments that the audience has given me. But to be honest, for me, comedy is extremely difficult. Ever since I was in school, my teachers taught me: "9 out of ten actors can make the audience cry, but only a few can make the audience laugh."

I believe that in every scene, a comedian must make the audience laugh, not his co-star or himself. And most importantly, he must be "real" to the end to be "funny".

The image of Meritorious Artist Phu Don in the upcoming film "Tet in Hell Village" (left) and Mr. Mao in the film "Don't be afraid to get married, just need a reason" (Photo: Film crew, VTV).

What are your memorable and impressive memories when acting in comedy?

- I still remember clearly when filming Xuan Co - the mediator , I was so excited to herd the ducks that I fainted from exhaustion, making the whole crew panic.

My comedy roles are quite diverse, sometimes I'm a timid guy who's afraid of his wife, sometimes I'm an uneducated guy who's patriarchal and arrogant...

And, every time a new movie is released, I am happy that the audience calls me by a new name. That is also the joy of an artist.

After more than 4 decades in the arts, which role are you most satisfied with so far?

- I don't know if I'm greedy, but for me, in art there is no role that is the pinnacle or that I am most satisfied with.

If I haven't reached the top yet, I still have the will and desire, but once I reach the top, it's definitely over. I won't have any more emotions in my job.

Maybe when I get old, my acting will be weaker than 5-10 years ago - this depends on the audience, it's funny to judge myself, but for me, there has never been a concept of "okay" or "satisfied" with each role.

Every time I watch it again, I think, if I could do it again, I would do it better. With acting, I don't have anything ready, so to be equal to others, I have to work many times harder than others.

Main role, supporting role, noble role, mean role are not important to me, I care about what the director wants to convey in that role.

I believe that even if the role is only 5-7 minutes long, it must leave an impression on the audience and leave a mark. Of course, that is a wish and whether it can be achieved or not depends on many other things.

After more than 40 years in the acting profession, up to now, you have only received the title of Meritorious Artist. Do you feel sad?

- Honestly, I don't care or put too much thought into the title of Meritorious Artist or People's Artist. If I go out and meet 20 people, all 20 of them will recognize and remember me as Phu Don, the audience will love me, people in the same profession will respect me... that's enough to make me very happy.

As in life, enough is enough!

Thanks for sharing!

Photo: Toan Vu

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