Thanh Hien has captured public interest with her portrayal of Mrs. Phan, an ambitious, scheming, and ruthless character in the 55-episode film, which has been airing since May. Directed by Meritorious Artist Ho Ngoc Xum, the work explores the fate of a woman caught in a tragic cycle of love, hate, money, and romance. Each episode currently garners hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.

Character portrayal of Mrs. Phan by Thanh Hien in the film "No doi vay tra". Photo: Character provided

On the evening of 12/7, Mrs. Phan's crimes were brought to light. The truth was exposed: two decades ago, she used poison to kill Mrs. Mai (played by Duong Cam Lynh) to usurp the matriarch's position in the family of Council Head Ban (played by Thanh Binh). Additionally, her illicit relationship with an ex-lover was exposed by her daughter-in-law. Following her deep-seated schemes, the character paid a heavy price with her daughter's life, while her son faced imprisonment for becoming a murderer.

For nearly two months since the film premiered, Thanh Hien has been constantly mentioned on forums and fan pages dedicated to the series. Many viewers visited her personal social media pages, using her real name instead of the character's to criticize her. Comments included: "Seeing Thanh Hien makes me utterly despise her, how can she play such an evil third party?" and "Watching it makes my blood boil, I hope Mrs. Phan pays the price soon."

The actress shared that she faced pressure from the first episodes. The mother of two found some comfort when her husband encouraged her, saying: "Your acting makes people hate you, that's real success."

Conversely, a segment of the audience praised Thanh Hien's acting style. Viewer Thu Hiep commented: "Thanh Hien develops the villainous character in a way that breaks from convention, creating depth with her gaze, a half-smile, and calculated silences."

Excerpt of Thanh Hien's performance in "No doi vay tra". Video: YouTube THVL phim

To embody the character, Thanh Hien lost weight to sharpen her facial features. The actress stated that upon receiving the script, she not only deeply researched the character's psychological development but also paid attention to details from costumes and makeup to gestures and demeanor. She deliberately narrowed her eyes to clearly convey the character's cunning and deceit.

From left: Thanh Hien, director Ho Ngoc Xum, Huynh Hong Loan on the set of the film. Photo: Character provided

Before each scene, Thanh Hien visualized her performance approach and actively observed similar real-life archetypes to recreate the character as authentically as possible. The actress mentioned that some psychologically intense scenes left her exhausted, trembling, and breathless after the director called "cut". A prime example was the scene depicting a mother's pain witnessing her daughter (played by Le Thu) die. Director Ho Ngoc Xum praised the actress, saying: "Thanh Hien did even better than I expected."

Thanh Hien, 37 years old, is a familiar face to television audiences through films like "Nghiep Sinh Tu" and "Cuoc Chien Hao Mon". In her personal life, she married actor Gia Bao in 2014 and welcomed their first daughter the same year. After three years of marriage, they went their separate ways. She chose to be a single mother for a period before finding new happiness with her husband Thanh Long. At the end of 2025, the actress's family welcomed a new member.

Hoang Dung