Fear of losing romance with wife
In the most beautiful summer, Meritorious Artist Cong Ninh takes on the role of Minh – a closed and lonely man in his own world. The character lives a quiet life, every day he is only friends with cats and books.
For Cong Ninh, this is an emotional role, especially reminding him of his twenties. The artist recounted a memory of when he was in 6th grade, he confessed his love to a beautiful girl in his class.
While the girl on duty was cleaning the classroom, Cong Ninh secretly threw the love letter on the ground. He thought she would bend down to pick it up, but the girl swept the paper away. After that time, he kept his feelings a secret until later, when they never met again.
The artist admitted that he had always been shy and afraid of communication, so he had only had a few relationships in his life. It was not until 2012, when he was 50 years old, that he got married to his wife – voice actress Tuyet Van. Cong Ninh commented that his wife is a gentle, cute and discreet person. That was what made him want to get to know her from the first meeting.
| Meritorious Artist Cong Ninh in “The most beautiful summer”. |
“We marry In a flash, after a year of marriage, we had a child. I am also old so I do not know what the journey of conquest and the romance of a couple is like. Perhaps my wife and I came together because of understanding,” he said.
Due to the age difference of more than 20 years, the couple had difficulty entering married life. Everything: from perception, aesthetics, lifestyle to surrounding relationships… had big differences.
According to Cong Ninh, he and his wife are from two different generations so their thinking is not the same. The male artist always thinks that his wife is at a disadvantage because she married an older man and has to take care of many things. He tries to make up for it and is willing to overlook the things he is not satisfied with about his partner so that their marriage can be fulfilled.
“I am sociable, not patriarchal or domineering and creating pressure on my wife and children. What I fear most is my wife complaining about the lack of romance in our life because this is very important in marriage. I try to understand my wife’s moods to behave moderately, sometimes I have to be humble. As long as my wife and children are happy, I am happy,” he shared.
On his free days, Cong Ninh stays home to help his wife take care of the children and the house. He does not forget to take his family out to eat, travel, and express his love during holidays, Tet, or wedding anniversaries. This is how the artist “warms up” his married life at an old age.
Cong Ninh is famous for his “reckless” nature when acting. He is ready to do scenes like jumping over rivers, waterfalls, racing cars… But now, whatever he does, the male artist is cautious and avoids risks. Because he is afraid that if something bad happens, his wife and children will suffer the most.
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| Meritorious Artist Cong Ninh and his wife Tuyet Van, 22 years younger. His wife was also his student. |
What makes Cong Ninh feel heavy-hearted right now is her. Daughter small. Because he got married late, he could not avoid the problem of “old father, young children”. More than anyone, he knew that he did not have many moments left with his wife and children.
Cong Ninh’s son is in 6th grade this year, so he is still young and does not realize his father’s age. Due to the nature of his job, the artist leaves early and comes home late, so he has little time for his son. He tries to make up for it whenever possible, hoping that when he grows up, he will understand his feelings.
“Human life seems long but is actually very short, in the blink of an eye it has passed. Now I am racing against time to take care of, educate and hope my child will grow up soon,” he said.
Work hard every day to take care of wife and children
Over 60 years old is retirement age for many people, but Cong Ninh is still working hard on the set every day. He thinks that he is still burdened, the family’s finances are just enough, it cannot be called abundant.
Despite acting in many films, his salary is only average. The artist recognizes the reality that actors like him have fewer and fewer opportunities and limited roles. Therefore, to stay in the profession, he must constantly work hard, hoping to “make a profit from his work”.
After his memorable roles many years ago, Cong Ninh always waits for his masterpiece in his twilight years. But he finds this difficult in the current market context.
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| Cong Ninh accepts sacrifice to make his wife and children happy. |
Meritorious Artist Cong Ninh believes that directors often choose actors through their own lens. Therefore, male artists do not have the right to choose roles, they can only accept the role or not.
If accepting a mainstream film, many actors will find themselves in a situation where they have to act in a “trash” film. Cong Ninh frankly said he is not afraid of this because he believes in his ability, experience and mindset of working in the profession for more than 30 years.
“If the movie is trashy and my role is not trashy, then there is nothing to be afraid of. As long as I fulfill my responsibility to play my role well, not cause offense and win over the audience. In return, no matter how much money is paid, I will definitely not participate in pirated projects,” he said.
At 63, what else do you wish for? Cong Ninh said he cherishes the rest of his life. He wants to do good art, be a good husband and father for his wife and children to rely on. The artist tries to save enough money for his family, in case of an emergency.
When his responsibilities to his wife and children are complete, Cong Ninh will at some point proactively ask to move into a nursing home. He planned this many years ago and still thinks about it now.
“I once told my wife: ‘I’ll apply to move into a nursing home in the future, so you and the children won’t have to work so hard.’ More than anyone, I know how hard it is to take care of an elderly person. Of course, that’s my intention, but whether I can carry it out and have the courage to move in or not, we’ll have to wait another decade to find out,” he confided.