Ai Nhu: 'Father is like the roof, mother is the pillar'

Ai Nhu had an interesting conversation with Thanh Nien about her journey of "motherhood".

May I ask if the main role in Crashing Mom's Birthday is your first role in a movie?

Director Ai Nhu: (laughs) Actually, I acted in a movie a few decades ago but… no one remembers. Because it was a supporting role that if you don't watch it in time, you won't see it.

Oh, then you "escaped" movies?

Because Thanh Hoi and I founded Hoang Thai Thanh Theater (HCMC), we were too busy and only wanted to take care of the stage, so we didn't dare accept any invitations. But in fact, in 2024, Phuong Nam Film Studio bought the copyright of the trilogy of plays Trying to Love Again, Color of Love, and Thank You for Loving Me to adapt into the TV series Color of Love , and invited Thanh Hoi and I to play two roles in it. Well, the plays of our theater are too familiar, so we just participated.

Ái Như: 'Cha như nóc nhà, mẹ là cây cột'- Ảnh 1. — Director Ai Nhu

I am different in real life and I am on stage. But we are still similar in one thing: we both love our children and our family. Almost all mothers have that quality, so we just take it from our hearts and act.

EVERY MOTHER LOVES THEIR CHILDREN, JUST THE WAY THEY LOVE IS DIFFERENT

You have played many mother roles on stage, now you also play a mother role in movies, do you see any difference? Will you get repetitive when you act so many times?

I think, no matter how different the stories are, the main theme is still the mother's love for her children, the boundless love and sacrifice. A mother's soul always turns to her children, even animals, not just humans. The difference is only in the way of love and the circumstances, the story of the character, then the audience will see it differently. And to avoid duplication, we artists always find ways to be creative through each character's identity and personality.

Playing so many mother roles must have given you a lot of experience?

Rather, I live with the character rather than just perform. How I live in real life can also be lived in movies and on stage. And the good thing is that sometimes the mother in real life only thinks, but when entering art, she has the opportunity to express herself. And the audience also wants me to express so that they can understand the character and learn from life experiences.

Ái Như: 'Cha như nóc nhà, mẹ là cây cột'- Ảnh 2. — Ai Nhu (the mother) and Hong Anh (as Huong) in the play *Half a Life of Powder and Perfume*

And my experience through the roles of mothers is like layers of stalactites on my professional life, so that I can see mothers, whether positive or negative, with depth to learn from.

It seems that with your kind face, you play more positive mother roles than negative ones?

There are villains. Like the role of Mrs. Them in the play Rau Ram O Lai , who had an affair, falsely accused her husband, causing him to suffer for more than ten years, running everywhere to find his lost child. Or Mrs. Hai (in the play Half a Life of Stupidity ) who sent her son-in-law to jail so that her daughter could marry a rich man, but in the end she had a miscarriage, became infertile, and lived abroad for 15 years without happiness. In fact, Mrs. Hai loved her child in her own way, which led to her cruelty. This is also a different "portrait of a mother".

In the roles of mothers, which role do you like best?

Actually, I like every role because it gives me different interesting experiences. Even the role of the villainous mother has some very good traits. You have to love that role, love the character to be able to portray it, to make the audience hate it. If you don't like the character, you can't research to act it well.

BRINGING THE "MATERIALS" OF A REAL-LIFE MOTHER TO THE STAGE

Is your real-life mother like the mothers on stage? Did you bring elements of your real life to the character?

I am different in real life and I am on stage. But in the end, we are still the same in one thing: we both love our children and our family. Almost all mothers have that quality, so just act from your heart, and the character will naturally be very real.

Did you ever play the role of a mother before you were a mother?

No. When I didn’t have a family, I had trouble continuing my theater studies. I only returned to school after I had a family. So when I had a child, I played the role of a mother, which also gave me the advantage of having real-life experience.

Hoang Thai Thanh Theater has many plays with family themes, so there will certainly be many more mother roles for you and other artists to perform. As Vu Lan season is approaching, what are your thoughts on the role of a mother in the family?

People often compare the father to the roof that protects the wife and children, but I think the mother is like a pillar that supports many things. The mother takes care of everything in the house, from spending, cooking, cleaning, raising children, and can even go to work to earn money. Therefore, during Vu Lan season, I would like to thank the mother, and hope that each of us women, whether traditional or modern, will try to fulfill our role to make the family happy. It is really hard work and sacrifice, but in return, it is extremely happy and warm, and there is no loss.

At the same time, Vu Lan roses are not only for mothers, but also for fathers, but people often forget. Fathers also work hard to take care of their families, and are also full of love for their children. Therefore, this year on Vu Lan, Hoang Thai Thanh Theater will perform 4 shows of Rose Pinned on the Shirt and Vietnamese Coriander Staying for 2 weeks in the middle of the 7th lunar month. One play is about motherly love, one play is about fatherly love, fully fulfilling filial piety. And especially, for every 2 tickets, we will give away one more ticket. Every year on Vu Lan, we perform plays that are meaningful about filial piety, and the audience is very willing to watch.

Thank you!

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ai-nhu-cha-nhu-noc-nha-me-la-cay-cot-185250906194833848.htm