Ly Nha Ky is sure that she is never a reckless woman investing in an international firm, that she could use money and make a profit.

How did you prepare to be an international film investor?

After Cannes and a few other film festivals, I saw that the only way to bring Vietnamese country and people closer to the world was by action. I have spent 3 years doing my research, and with my grounded position, my connection with directors, producers, and Hollywood stars, now is the perfect time.  My personal relations and financial ability was enough for me to come to Cannes next year with a brand new role. Apart from being a sponsor, I will be a producer for one of the competing movie.

I did not just walk the red carpet through my 4 times in Cannes. People only saw a few glorious seconds of my work, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. I had meetings with investors, directors, and many stars… I didn’t usually talk about my ambition and what I was trying to do; I only talked about it when all was done. I knew my dream was big, but it was never an oversized shirt that I tried to put on. I knew it was the perfect one for me.

Actress Businesswoman Ly Nha Ky

They are saying that your being a film investor at the time is the answer to all the negative opinions about your brief role in the movie “Shanghai” a few years ago. What do you think?

That is right. The public, the media and even the critics, their doubt has become my source of strength to keep moving forward. When I first started, they thought I was “full of baloney”. But now, 10 years later, my company is strongly active in many fields. The power of my brand is already my answer to the world. I did remember all the things they said, it was just that my answer needed time to be proven.

How have you proven your ability and financial power to all those international moviemakers?

Time is all it takes. When I was in Cannes, apart from the people who supported me, many others just wonderer what I was doing over there, maybe I was in some diamond business. At the time, I ignored the questions. I did not have to clear anything for my name. What I need was a definite action and that needed time.

As an investor, I carefully did my research. In this open international market, the competition was much more harsh than we could imagine.  I have spent 4 years preparing for my plan of becoming an investor. This whole thing was never a one-day thing.

The time I had the honor to place 3 promotional banners right across the Cannes red carpet, many international moviemakers trusted and loved me. They supported me through the storm of negative press from Vietnamese media. To them, it was time for me to step up and do something for my country, for if there was a young Vietnamese movie producer, the international community would be able to approach Vietnam market much easier. And for me, it was a chance to work with the best people in the industry so I had to take it.

How much did you invest in E-book?

I cannot spill the beans right now, it is a business secret.

As a co-producer, why won't you play a part in the movie?

When working with a foreign team, they were absolutely professional and transparent. To them efficiency and quality was the ultimate goal. As a producer, I truly had faith in my movie. For an actress, I did want to be back in front of the camera and a perfect role for myself. But this was a French story, with French cast and background; there was no need for an Asian character. Therefore I just focused on my role as a producer.

Let’s be honest, investing in this project, what was your goal, the benefit or the fame?

As an investor, of course my first goal was profit, you never would have done something if it hadn’t promised profit. If that was the case, I would just put my money in the bank. And fame was a normal quest for all, as human we all had our ambition. I don't think fame is bad; it represents hard work and effort someone heavily invests in making value for himself, his family and society. I cannot say I would never need fame in my life, because it is my goal to complete myself a little bit more everyday. For this project, I invested for both profit and fame.

 What if they called you a reckless person?

 I would have to disagree with that. The truly reckless one would be disregard of whether or not the project would generate profit; they just don't care. But I work hard for my fortune; I know deeply the value of money and my worth therefore I calculate everything. There is no reckless woman like me, who can build a career, who knows how to use money and make profit.

Ly Nha Ky is sure that she is never a reckless woman, that she could use money and make a profit.

Why did you started with a foreign film rather than a Vietnamese one?

I knew that playing on the international ground was full of risk, but I loved taking risk, I wanted to take the lead, and swam the opposite direction. I knew there would be more work and time, but the harder route could take you home much faster. If we all looked back at my journey, we would only see many times I have played against the current. It could upset many people at first, but that was just my way of doing things. And standing against the wind made me stronger and I learned a lot. Back in the old days, when I did not have voice, and firm ground to stand, I would imagine that the process was much harder than anything I could do. But it was actually simple. It was best if you could know who you were and never violate the rules of the playground.

I would start as an international producer, and then come back to my country. This way, I have more chance of gathering talent from all around the world to produce a Vietnamese movie, one that could make an impression with the international community.

 And what if the public denies all your hard work?

Any contribution I make is not enough for this country. Sometimes I got hurt and tired but those feelings could easily turn me into a shy and scared person, always running away from responsibilities. To me, those who can contribute to the society, never ask for anything in return. If we really do a comparison, actually I haven't done much. I think, we should not calculate the result; therefore receiving controversial opinions should not stop me from keeping working.

You know, we should not worry about all the negative words, let's just wait for something that could actually happen (laugh). If they didn't hate me, they just haven't trusted me yet, and then I should worker harder to prove to them. You’ve got to earn your respect. Today enemies can be tomorrow friends, when they love you, they will be by your side and protect you.

You said you would make a comeback in 2018, what does this mean?

I will be a producer as well as come back as an actress, as my gratitude to all my fans. I haven't been taking any role for 5 years already, but many have never stopped loving me. It wasn’t my beauty or my fame, but my fans and me could come this far because of my lifestyle and my effort everyday. I have my work settled for playing in a movie or a television series. My come back is not for fame, but for my passion.