At the premiere of the film project Finding a Corpse: The Headless Ghost directed by Bùi Văn Hải on April 11th, NSND Hồng Vân revealed that a month before filming began, she experienced a critical health condition that nearly forced her to abandon the project.
Hồng Vân recounted: “I had a persistent high fever, reaching 40.5°C, but without any flu symptoms. I took medication, but the temperature wouldn’t come down, so I had to be hospitalized for emergency treatment.
The doctor diagnosed me with blood infection due to dehydration and kidney dryness. I had to receive antibiotics for 10 days. My health was extremely precarious for the first two days. Luckily, I recovered eventually.”
Director Bùi Văn Hải (left) with the film’s cast. (Photo: Provided by the cast.)
Despite not being fully recovered, NSND Hồng Vân decided to continue filming to avoid delaying the project’s progress.
In Finding a Corpse: The Headless Ghost, Hồng Vân plays the role of Tiến’s (played by Tiến Luật) mother, a woman with a mental illness who unconditionally loves her son. This role required not only emotional depth but also physical action sequences.
“I ran, fell, and got bruised during the fight scenes. I’m particularly afraid of rats, and the film had many scenes involving rats. At first, I couldn’t fully commit to the acting, but after encouragement, I overcame my fear. I even think I could become an action star after this film,” Hồng Vân joked.
Working with Tiến Luật for the first time in a mother-son role, NSND Hồng Vân shared a unique experience: “In real life, we call each other sisters, but in the film, we’re mother and son. During filming, we had to truly embody the roles of mother and son.”
Hồng Vân reveals the difficulties behind filming. (Photo: Provided by the cast.)
Finding a Corpse: The Headless Ghost tackles a thrilling subject, beginning with the body retrieval of Tiến and the driver Thành (Ngô Kiến Huy). In a mishap, they drop the headless corpse from the ambulance. The two characters embark on a journey to uncover the victim’s identity.
When asked about the fear of comparison with Detective Kiên: The Headless Case, a similar-themed film by director Victor Vũ that is also releasing soon, director Bùi Văn Hải stated: “The subject matter is similar, but each story has its own strengths. My film is set in a modern context, revolving around ordinary people without investigative expertise, and emphasizes the message of maternal love.”
