Trung Lun: The "dictatorial" director contradicted the actor, causing a backlash behind the scenes

Trung Dwarf from a poor comedian to a "dictator" director. With extreme rigor and perfectionism, he creates hundreds of billions of films but also causes many behind-the-scenes conflicts.

Once a struggling comedian, struggling with his profession to make a living, Nguyen Nhat Trung – also known by his stage name Trung Lon – has gone through a long and arduous journey to rise to become a famous director in the Vietnamese film industry. However, accompanying those successes is a strict and perfectionist working style that is labeled "dictatorial".

Difficult childhood and first steps on stage:

Nguyen Nhat Trung was born on January 8, 1972, in Binh Dinh province. His childhood was not as calm as many others. Born into a family of 7 siblings, he is the fourth child. Tragedy struck when his mother died of heart disease and liver cancer when he was just 12 years old. His father works as a driver for the singing troupe, so he is often away from home. Therefore, he grew up in the care of his grandmother – a singing artist.

A deep-rooted passion for art from childhood motivated him to study at the School of Theater Arts II (now Ho Chi Minh City University of Theater and Cinema). Ho Chi Minh City) in 1991–1995. However, after graduating, the life of a novice comedian is not easy. He has to face a precarious future, driving a motorbike taxi every day to make a living and going to perform for comedy groups of big names such as Nhat Cuong, Huu Phuoc, Huu Loc.

The big turning point came when he was invited by director Cong Ninh to be an assistant lecturer in an actor class, thereby connecting with the Youth Drama Troupe. His talent and hard work helped him gradually be promoted to the main roles, and the opportunity to set up his own comedy group came. He chose the stage name Trung Dwarf – a name that is both modest and funny, associated with his appearance and also a name loved by the audience since then.

From comedian to director of a hundred billion:

Nguyen Nhat Trung's journey to become a director began quite accidentally. He tried his hand at directing the comedy MV "Lifetime with you" for singer Ly Hai and achieved great success. After that, he continued to collaborate with many other famous artists such as Hoai Linh, Viet Huong, Tan Beo, affirming his graceful and creative directing ability.

Although he had studied directing for nearly two years, he paused his studies to accept an invitation from Phuoc Sang and officially entered the field of dramas. From here, his directorial career began to blossom. He made a big splash when he made a series of TV series in the form of remakes, adaptations of sitcoms or Korean movies but were Vietnamized very successfully. Typically, Family is No. 1 (2017), Potato Star (2018), Family is No. 1 - Part 2 (2019) and Sui Gia or Bad Luck (2022). These films not only bring laughter but also touch the emotions of the audience, becoming unforgettable marks on the small screen.

However, the peak of Trung Lun's career must be the unexpected success of the movie Get Rich with Ghosts (2024). Released on the 2/9 holiday, the film quickly earned about 128 billion VND, entering the group of most popular Vietnamese films in 2024. This success laid a solid foundation for the sequel: Get Rich with Ghosts 2: The Battle of the Pearls (2025). With attractive content, many unexpected episodes revolving around the journey of bringing Anh Thu's coffin back to his hometown to find a ring worth 9 billion VND, the film is expected to continue to make things happen at the box office.

"Authoritarian" but enthusiastic working style:

Nguyen Nhat Trung's success not only comes from talent but also thanks to a very characteristic working style: perfectionist and demanding. He once admitted: "I have to admit that I am dictatorial, a little evil. I keep forcing actors to use 200% of their strength...". For him, actors must reach 100% performance, then he will continue to push for them to break through to 200% to create vivid and realistic characters.

Trung Lun's strictness is also shown through adventurous scenes. He often shows himself in advance to encourage actors, with a strong belief: "I can do it, actors can do it too". His love for his profession and enthusiasm for each frame and each scene is something that no one can deny. However, it is this perfectionism that is also a double-edged sword, sometimes causing unnecessary tension behind the scenes. The extremely strict requirements have led to major conflicts, the most typical of which is with actress Diep Bao Ngoc.

Conflicts with actors when perfectionism collides with limits:

The conflict between director Trung Dwarf and actress Diep Bao Ngoc occurred during the filming of Get Rich with Ghosts 2. The film's setting mainly takes place in the river area, with a stressful shooting schedule and harsh working conditions. The actors had to perform many scenes of jumping into the water, their clothes were wet and cold for hours. Under great pressure, disagreements have arisen, making "drama" inevitable.

The incident culminated when Trung Dwarf frankly declared to Diep Bao Ngoc: "If you keep like that, if you have Trung Lun in the future, there will be no more Diep Bao Ngoc." This shocking statement made the atmosphere of the film crew extremely tense. According to actor Vo Tan Phat, Diep Bao Ngoc left the internal chat group and returned to Saigon when the filming schedule had not yet ended, showing the seriousness of the conflict.

On Diep Bao Ngoc's side, she also admitted that there were arguments and professional pressure. She shared: "I don't know how to swim but still have to do it in the middle of fast flowing water. But compared to the crew, the actors are only a small part... Everyone wants the best product." This statement shows that she understands and tries her best for the role, but also implicitly affirms her limits when faced with excessive demands.

However, this conflict had an unexpected ending. After that, Trung Dwarf openly admitted his arbitrariness and expressed his affection and sympathy for Diep Bao Ngoc. He shared: "For me, this is a girl that I love, see as a younger brother. That's why sometimes I get overwhelmed." Although they once made a blunt statement, the two eventually reconciled because of the common goal of the success of the film.

Such conflicts partly reveal the pressured behind-the-scenes picture of each cinematic work. Behind the well-thought-out footage is a hard-working crew, high demands and internal struggles to protect the quality of art.

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