Vu Thu Phuong and Ly Nha Ky were invited to film a movie that was heavily advertised with the Vietnamese media, but it was only a disappointment as few seconds came to light.
On August 1, 2008, a press conference introducing the Shanghai Film Project (Shanghai) took place in Bangkok, Thailand.
With the participation of major actors - movie stars Gong Li, John Cusack, Chow Yun Fat, and two producers Steve Squillante, Jake Myers of The Weinstein Company (which Mr. Harvey Weinstein is the owner) and the director Mikael Hafstrom - Few people noticed the arrival of two Vietnamese actresses, Vu Thu Phuong and Ly Nha Ky on the press stand.
After taking a photo, they also retired in order to main team siting down with the media.
The hope of Vu Thu Phuong
Shanghai is a noisy media film, especially for the Vietnamese side, in most stages: idea, performance, post-production and release. Since the film has not yet been filmed, Vu Thu Phuong and Ly Nha Ky have announced that they have been invited to play the roles in movie, the role of spies in casing of singers.
Vu Thu Phuong sat behind Gong Li in a press conference announcing the Shanghai film project in Thailand in 2008. Photo: AP.
In 2008, this news was a good news for the Vietnamese media and film industry. This is the first time two Vietnamese actors have been filmed in Hollywood, that The Weinstein Company of reputation, backed by the powerful magnate Harvey Weinstein - who announced to take the film to Oscar.
The press conference announcing the project, as of August 2008, also drew attention from the international media, with major media outlets such as AP, Reuters, Yahoo News, and US newspapers. , China and Thailand.
After the press conference mentioned above, Vietnamese media have discovered some pictures of Vu Thu Phuong and Ly Nha Ky. They wear costumes such as fashion in the film. Vu Thu Phuong sat right behind Gong Li, while Ly Nha Ky sat behind John Cusack, so their image fell into the media lens.
Ly Nha Ky also sat behind John Cusack in the press conference. Photo: Reuters.
According to the information from Vietnam, as soon as arrived in Bangkok on August 2 that year, Vu Thu Phuong has started preparing for her first scene alongside Gong Li and John Cusack. Her next shootings with Chow Yun-Fat will be in London in mid-August. To fulfill her role, the actress will have to learn English, Chinese and martial arts. .
It can be said that this project is not only the hope of the public or the media in Vietnam, but with Vu Thu Phuong, it is also a great hope for her film career. As a movie-loving model, that was cast in Hollywood films along with starring Gong Li of China, she admits, "I'm full of will and hoping for a day like Gong Li."
Contact with producer Harvey Weinstein when he came to Ho Chi Minh City looking for Vietnamese actors for this project, Vu Thu Phuong also experienced the luminous feeling of hope.
Main team of Shanghai at Press Conference in Thailand 2008 (from left): Producer Steve Squillante, Chow Yun Fat, actor Gong Li, producer Jake Myers, John Cusack and director Mikael Hafstrom. Photo: Getty Images.
According to her story, the Hollywood boss with Vu Thu Phuong walked from Park Hyatt to Nguyen Hue Bookstore. He also bought her five books on film and fashion. He also visited the fashion shop "Louis" at 11 Nguyen Trai of Vu Thu Phuong and bought the most expensive evening dress to gift for his assistant. He said her designs will be popular in Hollywood.
After that, Vu Thu Phuong was selected in the film with the promise of Weinstein: "She will be our new Asian star!".
"Why am I just a ghost on the screen?"
After hope is much disillusionment. Vu Thu Phuong said she was promised to have only three female roles by Gong Li, her and a Japanese actress. Her role are the secondary character. But then, she was informed that two other Vietnamese actresses were also chosen. But near the day to Thailand, there is only one. That is Ly Nha Ky.
In August 2008, two Vietnamese actress headed to Thailand with a female assistant arranged by Weinstein. In Thailand, they took a break in the five-star hotel's suite, which was supervised by Weinstein's assistant and two other assistants, feeling as "in heaven".
The role of Vu Thu Phuong and Ly Nha Ky is similar: a Chinese spy has a cover of singer.
Vu Thu Phuong (on the right) and Ly Nha Ky (second from left) during the filming of Shanghai.
According to Vu Thu Phuong, when talking about her role, a Weinstein assistant has described in great detail: "Personality is quite complex: beautiful, stirring and haughty." In this role, she has to speak both English and Chinese (an assistant translator) and learn some martial arts. A very attractive promise: some of her footage was shown alongside Gong Li and John Cusack.
"With 23-year-olds girl, this is a dream come true!" - actress shared when thinking back about her role.
But paradise soon ends when filming starts. After the first and second day, the roles of both Vu Thu Phuong and Ly Nha Ky were reduced. The reason from the producers is that they are "not fluent in English".
Because what happens on the set is not same as in the visualization, Vu Thu Phuong also found her role will be much smaller than expected. She said: "Back to Vietnam, I feel a bit embarrassed with the media, things are a little different comparing the time I go ...".
The so short film screen of Vu Thu Phuong and Ly Nha Ky in Shanghai. This has become the subject of ridicule of public opinion in the next few years.
The actress does not see her role until the film's release. She did not say which event it was, but it was probably its debut in Shanghai on June 10, 2010, as five years later (2015), the film was released in the US.
When I saw my role on screen in just two seconds, standing on stage with Ly Nha Ky, no dialogue, no personality, Vu Thu Phuong was extremely depressed.
She wrote on her personal page on 13th October: "I look for forever, looking for forever ... looking forward to seeing my image on screen, and I cried quietly when I saw myself passing. It was so fainted, so disappointed, why was my scene cut so much? why am i just a "ghost" in the movie ???
Actress Vu Thu Phuong currently. Photo: Facebook character.
Immediately, she reached for Weinstein and just utters "Why?" due to too angry. Waiting for her to calm down, the production side explained, due to political issues between Hong Kong and Shanghai, the film was cut a lot, including the footage of Vu Thu Phuong and Ly Nha Ky. If not cut, the Chinese side will sue, that is the information she hears.
Vu Thu Phuong is afraid to think back to Vietnam facing the media and the public. When the film is shown, it will all be revealed that she only appeared in just two seconds. Newspapers will ridicule, the public will laugh ... July 2010, the real thing happened.
Amidst the despair of the actress, she got a promise from Harvey Weinstein to sign a new film contract in London. But this never happened, according to her account, he invited her to the hotel room, where, she was suggested, "teach her to do hot scenes." He just wrapped a towel across his hips.
According to the actress, she declined and returned to Vietnam.
Harvey Weinstein had planned to film Shanghai in Vietnam
The scene in the movie is Shanghai, but the film is not filmed in Shanghai. The news that the Chinese government opposed shooting in China for political reasons (telling World War II) has also caught the attention of the international media.
Vu Thu Phuong said in a post on his personal website on the morning of October 13 (when she accussee Harvey Weinstein for harassment), that the producer also came to Ho Chi Minh City to consider filming here, but the government of Vietnam also no support plus "infrastructure, traffic is quite difficult" so this failed.
Then, the Shanghai filming location was transferred to Bangkok, Thailand, at the largest studio in Southeast Asia at that time, Moonstar Studio. Some other scenes are made in London, England.
Invested $ 46 million, but the film failed at the box office, earning just over $ 9 million.
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