Talking to us, Co Thien Lac shared about the big movie project he was responsible for producing and also the tough challenges the actor had to face.
From the image of Duong Qua familiar to many generations of audiences, Co Thien Lac has now become a cult name on the screen. He was even called a “movie tycoon” by fans when he was behind, responsible for producing many big projects. Among them, Minh Nhat Chien Ky is the most special project with the actor surname Co. Not only because the script was “conceived” for more than a decade, but Minh Nhat Chien Ky was also a tough test for Co Thien Lac’s crew when first embarking on the sci-fi genre.
Perhaps because it is the first time, but in this interview, Co Thien Lac rarely shows surprise, but he has never lost his steadfastness and confidence in the quality and spirit of the company. Minh Nhat Chien Ky. Coming to this project, Co Thien Lac has traded and sacrificed countless things, one of which is his own health in his 50s.
My spine is badly injured…
Why in countless movie genres, Co Thien Lac chose science fiction? Where did your inspiration come from this time?
My inspiration comes from protecting the environment. This script I wrote 17-18 years ago. Revealing a bit about the opening scene of the film, the audience will clearly see that the environment on Earth has been severely damaged, be it by natural disasters, floods, earthquakes, epidemics, wars, anything. what. When I first started writing movies, there was nothing around me. Currently, we have been “disturbed” by the epidemic for 3 years.
I just hope the film successfully conveys to the audience the message of appreciating everything around. We must at all costs protect the Earth well, otherwise the Earth will also “fall ill”, and many times there will be many more disasters.
Science fiction is a difficult area for directors and producers around the world. Yet, Co Thien Lac dared to enter this genre. What obstacles have you faced?
There are 2 biggest problems that I have. The first is the script. We are talking about science fiction, which in my opinion the screenwriters in the Chinese film market have very little experience. Before Minh Nhat Chien Ky, I had already started writing many science fiction projects. But in the end, no script was perfect. Some parts are like this type of movie, and some are like another type of movie. On the other hand, we’re used to Western sci-fi movies, and they have over 30 years of experience in the genre.
Another difficulty we encountered was that our team made the special effects for Minh Nhat Chien Ky ourselves, not asking Western friends for help. In the process of tinkering by ourselves, we were forced to learn a lot, but that helps our team’s database grow stronger, capture more information so that the following projects can shorten the process. production process.
Faced with many challenges to complete Minh Nhat Chien Ky, what is Co Thien Lac most proud of in her “pet”?
I think it has to be the special effects part of the movie. This is undoubtedly one of the most sophisticated visual effects in the history of Chinese cinema, requiring a lot of time and effort.
Watching Minh Nhat Chien Ky, the audience can come across many familiar names such as Luu Thanh Van or Truong Gia Huy. What was the fate that prompted Co Thien Lac to invite them to participate in the film?
With this movie, I had to find actors and companions who had good chemistry and understanding to act together. Sci-fi movies have many segments that require actors to be imaginative, because there is often nothing on the set! Participating in this type of film is the most important thing is to have a lot of experience and to know how to act.
No matter how long we act, we actors always worry about one thing, that is, we have to rely on our imagination to act. So before shooting, the crew sat down with the director and sketched out all the segments. Actors will go through those drawings to get an idea and how to act. The difficulty is that we have almost no experience in this stage before, so the initial preparation takes a lot of time.
Rest assured, I will invite young actors in future projects. However, you will have to attend thorough training in the early stages before participating in filming.
At the time of recording Minh Nhat Chien Ky, Co Thien Lac worked very hard and even suffered an injury and had to undergo surgery. What was the scene that troubled you the most?
I remember the process of moving in the armor was very, very hard. It’s quite heavy, about 15 kg. There is also another scene with Luu Thanh Van. We entered a ruin and I had to put on that armor. Then I was suspended from a piece of steel wire. I swear that scene was extremely difficult. I couldn’t even breathe at all, and my whole body was pinned down by that armor. And yet, then I had to wear it while running and fighting at the same time.
As a result, my spine was severely injured, the nerve was pinched. But it’s all over now, I’ve had surgery and it’s fine.
I have a plan to make a romantic movie in Vietnam
When you start making movies, what do you expect from your work?
The first thing is that you must have a constant passion for filmmaking. Each movie has a different perspective, due to a completely different plot and character system. As an actor, I personally expect each role to be a different image to send to the audience. When actors act in movies, who doesn’t want to shine?
Is there anything about Minh Nhat Chien Diary that Co Thien Lac wants to go back and edit?
Since I have never made a sci-fi movie before, I personally feel very satisfied with the current product. It’s not the first time without experiencing tough obstacles, but we passed them one by one. I’m proud of my team, so if you ask me what I want to improve on the film, I think we will always demand higher and higher perfection with each project. Every movie is important but the latter is more important than the former. It’s best that we just keep trying to move forward.
The audience thinks that Co Thien Lac is a “boss” of the Chinese-language film industry. Debuting Minh Nhat Chien Ky, did you face pressure in any aspect, such as fame, awards or rankings?
I don’t have any pressure. “Boss” is just the title that the audience calls me. Above all, I am a filmmaker. Things like fame or awards, I have no control over. The only thing that matters to me is that the movie comes out with quality, and the audience recognizes it. Being famous is mandatory, otherwise who would want to watch your movies? It’s nothing too stressful, for me.
Co Thien Lac has visited Vietnam before. So what about Vietnam impressed you the most?
My favorite is the airport and the hotel. Because I don’t have much time to go out (laughs). Except for some mandatory travel times, I only meet people at the airport and then return to the hotel. There were also a few times when I went out to dinner, took the car to go sightseeing. My hotel is adjacent to a long and wide river! Next to it was a large restaurant, sitting there I could see the other side of the river, but it was unclear what was there.
If you had the opportunity to go to Vietnam to make a movie, what topic would Co Thien Lac choose?
Oh, to be honest, I haven’t had a chance to make a movie with Vietnam yet! I know that the two sides have cooperated many times before. Let me think… is a foreign girl coming to Vietnam, meeting a guy who works as a chef. Then the two fell in love, writing a beautiful love history. I thought about it a couple of times!
Science fiction is also an uncommon genre among Vietnamese filmmakers. Do you have any advice for Vietnamese filmmakers?
I think take the first step strongly. We also don’t know much about science fiction films. In fact, to me, no matter what country you are in, you have to work hard to succeed. For example, for me, I have been to Vietnam and I also want to make movies here. As I shared, I have a plan to make a romantic movie in Vietnam. For me, Vietnam is a very romantic place. I don’t understand why, but the environment here has made me “in love scene”.
Thank you Co Thien Lac for your very interesting sharing!
Photo: NVCC