Award-winning film and stage actress Le Khanh performs in a play for children in Ho Chi Minh City

Eschewing a stressful career and fast-paced life, acress Le Khanh has always taken things one step at a time.

While many actors take an aggressive approach when it comes to being cast in a play or movie, often pestering a director relentlessly, Khanh says she never goes out of her way to land a role.

“I’m content with my life. I don’t want to fight with anyone else for opportunities,” she says. “I wait for offers to come to me. However, I eagerly grasp an opportunity when it does come my way.”

Some of Khanh’s most notable roles were in the plays Phan lam gai (A prostitute’s life), Trai tim nhay mua (Dancing heart), and Sat thu hai manh (Bikini-wearing killers).

She has also acted in many TV series including Nguoi Binh Xuyen (People from Binh Xuyen), Dam me (Passion), Mui ngo gai (Scent of coriander), and Cuoc chien hoa hong (The battle of roses).

“Though I’m ambitious and hard-working, I’d rather take it slow and steady. There are some things I’m terrible at, so I don’t try to do many things at the same time. I know my limitations,” Khanh says.

“Acting in a play is easier than in a film, as acting in a film requires greater concentration so as not to be distracted by noises on the set,” she adds.

When Khanh was in her first year at the Ho Chi Minh City College of Stage and Cinema, she was offered the role of a rich, kind-hearted, and attractive girl in the film Long Xich Lo (Pedicab Rider Long). It’s a role she’ll never forget.

“I was a little bit too plump and didn’t know how to dress properly,” Khanh says. “The director had to buy some new clothes for me.”

The following year she starred in the hit TV series Huong nghiep (Vocational Orientation) about a group of new college graduates who surmount overwhelming difficulties to forge careers.

In the series, Khanh plays Thuan, a kind-hearted woman who experiences the ups and downs of family life while facing financial difficulties.

The filming of the series took place in Phan Rang Town of central Ninh Thuan Province. Khanh would shoot scenes in the morning and then take a bus to HCMC to perform in local plays in the evening.

“It was lucky that that period of my life only lasted for two months,” she says, “otherwise, I would have been hospitalized.”

By the time Khanh graduated from college in 2003, she had acted in several films and was already a seasoned pro.

Khanh landed one role in which her character was very emotional. She cried so hard during a particular scene that afterwards she had swollen eyes and a terrible headache.

Now, after eight years in the industry, Khanh only works at the Institute of Cultural Exchange with France (Idecaf).

“Idecaf is like my home, where I have a good job and a good relationship with my colleagues,” she says. “Drama acting has always been my priority, so I arrange my time… to concentrate fully on my job at Idecaf.”

“I usually don’t set goals for myself to avoid getting frustrated when failing to fulfill them,” she adds. “What I care about is whether I’m doing a good job or not.”

Khanh says she is often cast as a wife or mother, but doesn’t mind playing matronly roles.

“Directors probably choose me for these roles because of my plump face,” she says. “I learned how to be a wife and mother from my own mother. I had a lot of difficulty getting into these roles initially as I’m still childish myself, but things are much better now.”

Khanh is now starring in Chuyen nha toi (My Family’s Affairs) directed by expatriate Charlie Nguyen, who made the 2007 blockbuster Dong mau anh hung (The Rebel).

In 2008 and 2009, Khanh won the Best Supporting Actress award at HCMC Television’s HTV Awards for her role as Sanaly, an eccentric, kind-hearted, yet mediocre fashion designer in Mui ngo gai (Scent of Coriander), one of the country’s most popular series.

“For me, awards usually come as a piece of luck,” says Khanh. “I consider myself much luckier than many. But I make an effort to convince audiences that I’m deserving,” she adds.

Reported by Diem Thu