"Closing the deal!" Shocking when using AI technology to change Miss Thuy Tien's face

(Dan Tri) - This is the first time a Vietnamese film has used the "face swapping" (deepfake) technique. Previously, Miss Thuy Tien attracted attention when she took on the female lead role in "Close the deal!" but was prosecuted in May.

On the afternoon of August 4, at the film premiere for the press and media in Ho Chi Minh City, the director duo Bao Nhan - Nam Cito and the production unit Chot Don! officially confirmed the use of AI technology to change the face of Miss Thuy Tien in the female lead role.

Before the movie, MC Nguyen Khang shared: “Given the difficulties the film crew encountered, the director and the producer found a solution to replace the main actress so that the movie could be released in theaters. Surely the audience can guess, we used AI image processing technology to replace the female lead.”

According to Dan Tri reporter , the female lead's segments were processed using AI technology with a different face, but still had some features of Miss Thuy Tien.

Some viewers commented that the "face-swapping" technique was handled quite smoothly. However, the use of this technology inevitably has limitations such as the actors' faces becoming stiff, some scenes with rotating movements causing the characters' expressions to be distorted, especially the eyes lacking emotion.

Previously, on July 29, the film's official fanpage suddenly released a poster announcing the return of the movie "Close the order! ", which attracted attention with the caption: "Who will replace the female lead to make "Close the order!" return?".

Shortly after, the distributor confirmed that Miss Thuy Tien would no longer play the female lead role, but did not reveal the identity of her replacement. This sparked many speculations from the audience, of which the possibility of using AI was considered the highest.

Thuy Tien appeared in the movie trailer (Photo: Character provided).

From the time Thuy Tien was prosecuted (mid-May) until now, it has been just over 2 months, too short a time to find a new actress, schedule re-shooting of all the scenes with her appearance and handle post-production. Re-shooting, if any, will result in additional costs. Therefore, many people believe that using AI is the most feasible option.

The "AI" detail in the question on the poster is also seen as a "metaphor" confirming the film crew's technical handling.

Talking about the decision to replace the female lead, director Bao Nhan only shared: " Our "Closing the deal! " is no different from an oil painting containing many surprises. We and the crew have worked tirelessly to bring the film with the most beautiful, complete and emotional appearance."

Poster announcing the film's return (Photo: Provided by the distributor).

This is the first time a Vietnamese film has used technology to handle a crisis on behalf of its actors. Although the film has not yet been released nationwide, this choice is expected to cause a lot of controversy.

Around the world , some Chinese and Indian films have tried this technique, but received mixed reactions because the characters' faces were fake, distorting the image and reducing the emotions of the role.

In December 2024, Thuy Tien was introduced as the female lead in Chot Don!, a project marking her second foray into cinema, produced by the duo Bao Nhan - Nam Cito. The film explores the story of "chot god" Hoang Linh (played by Thuy Tien) and Uncle An (Quyen Linh) - an office worker and technology motorbike taxi driver.

However, in mid-May, the news that Thuy Tien was prosecuted for deceiving customers in the case of manufacturing counterfeit food products related to Chi Em Rot Group Joint Stock Company and Asia Life Joint Stock Company caused a stir in public opinion.

The incident made many people worry about the fate of the movie Chot Do!. At that time, the movie poster was also removed from the distributor's website and the movie's official fanpage also disappeared.

Initially, Chot Don! was scheduled to be released on March 7, but at the end of February, the distributor announced that the release date had been postponed to June 20 to complete post-production. The release date was further adjusted after the Thuy Tien controversy. As of now, the film has a new release date of August 8.

Dantri.com.vn

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giai-tri/chot-don-gay-soc-khi-dung-cong-nghe-ai-thay-doi-mat-hoa-hau-thuy-tien-20250804073338475.htm