La Thanh Huyen has been chosen to take over the lead female role in the much anticipated “Chancellor Tran Thu Do” historical series.

La Thanh Huyen.

Why did the beauty queen pull out of the historic film project?

Beauty queen Duong Truong Thien Ly walked off the set in July, saying that she objected to doing ‘sexy scenes.’ Her abrupt departure threw filming of the most expensive footage ever shot in Vietnam into chaos. Now Feature Film Studio 1 has awarded the part of Queen Tran Thi Dung to Huyen after screen tests of many actresses.

“Many actresses tried out for the Tran Thi Dung role. I’m happy about that,” said director Dao Duy Phuc. “There were people from the south and overseas who auditioned, proving the popularity of the role of Tran Thi Dung in particular and the “Chancellor Tran Thu Do” series in general.”

Epic series gets historic budget

The TV series now in production depicts the life of Tran Thu Do (1194- 1264), who played a pivotal role in a bloodless coup that ended the Ly Dynasty (1009-1225) and established the Tran Dynasty (1125-1400).

After falling for Tran Thi Dung, the daughter of a Ly mandarin, Do sublimated love to his political aspirations and orchestrated Dung’s wedding to the crown prince. When she became queen, Dung helped Do overthrow the Ly dynasty.

The role of Dung is a coveted one. History records her as skilled in literature and martial arts and as a woman who often discussed political issues with her father and brothers. From that beginning, Dung became a powerful political insider and even a general.

The 30-episode series has been commissioned by the Hanoi People’s Committee as part of the capital’s 1000^th anniversary celebration. It is being produced for 51 billion dong ($2.9 million), a record budget for a Vietnamese television series.

The film began shooting in July 2009 and will be completed next March. It is being shot on location throughout Vietnam, including scenes in Hanoi and Hue city. Additional scenes are being shot in China’s Zhejian Province.

For the first time, Phuc consented to discuss Thien Ly’s surprise withdrawal from the project. “She left the project at my suggestion because she was not able to take the role,” Phuc said. “That is the only reason.”

Thien Ly announced in late July that she was pulling out because she didn’t want to do sexy scenes. Many in the film crew scoffed at her explanation, pointing out that the project is a serious one, practically devoid of racy footage.

Although the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism was rumored to have taken part in choosing Thien Ly’s replacement, Minister Le Tien Tho told Dan Tri on September 9 that the ministry did not interfere.

Huyen, the new Queen Tran Thi Dung, was born in 1985 and graduated from the Hanoi Art and Culture College. She was the winner in the national contest for dynamic young girls in 2006 “Vietnamese Women in the 21st Century. She has performed in several films, including “Going to the Sun,” “Vietnamese Bride,” “White Lily,” “The Le Family’s Sons-in-Law,” “Blog and Bride,” among others. She also works as a TV show host.

Although the selection process was lengthy, Phuc reports that their shooting schedule was not affected.

VietNamNet/Dan Tri