12-Year-Old Actress Takes on Bed and Childbirth Scenes in “The Third Wife”

The young actress had to portray losing her virginity and childbirth in acclaimed Vietnamese film “The Third Wife”.

Nicknamed “Vietnamese Ang Lee“, Vietnamese director Ash Mayfair’s debut film The Third Wife <落紅> is adapted from her own family experiences. The acclaimed film not only features entanglements of love and lust, scheming ploys within a rich family setting but also boldly explores lesbianism. It achieved glowing reviews when screened at the Golden Horse Film Festival at the end of 2018.

Controversial Scenes for a 12-Year-Old Actress

Vietnamese director Ash Mayfair, who graduated from The New York University Tisch School of the Arts, is Ang Lee’s junior. The Third Wife is set in 1800s rural Vietnam and tells the story of 14-year-old girl May (played by Nguyễn Phương Trà My) who marries a wealthy landowner and becomes his third wife.

Sharing about the film’s making, the director revealed that casting the lead actress whose story is central to the film was a challenging process, with over 900 girls trying for the role over a nine-month audition period across Northern and Southern Vietnam. Eventually 12-year-old Trà My, who was actually auditioning for other roles, was found to be the perfect fit by Ash Mayfair, who was moved to tears when the role was finally filled, explaining “Because this story is very important to me, as it is my great grandmother’s personal story.”

Due to the skin-baring requirements and bed scenes in the film, 12 year-old Trà My’s mother had not agreed to her daughter’s involvement, but Trà My’s fierce insistence changed her mind. The young actress recalled, “My mother had told me that this role is extremely challenging and that I would not have what it takes to play it. At that moment I hit the table furiously and questioned her, ‘Why don’t you believe that I can do it well…?’ When she saw how I reacted, she sensed my determination at getting involved in this film, and not long after agreed to let me act in the movie.”

Cast and Crew Gave Her Encouragement

Due to her young age, Trà My had little prior acting experiences and did not have a boyfriend in real life. It was therefore extremely challenging for her to perform alongside adult male actors in bed scenes, and to play out the protagonist’s experiences of losing her virginity as well as give childbirth, which are far beyond her years.

She said, “I was only 12 then, and had never been in a relationship, so it was really difficult for me. I practiced many times with the other actor Ah Xiong. With the director’s continuous guidance, I felt that I got more and more natural with each try. While the mood appears very tense onscreen, everyone on set were actually giving me a lot of encouragement and it was really heartwarming.”

Biggest Challenge Was Playing a Mother

Trà My also revealed that her biggest challenge was portraying the childbirth scene and a mother’s love. To prepare, she asked her own mother to share about pregnancy and childbirth and also consulted her co-stars, who portrayed the first and second wife in the film.

“Although it was frightening and embarrassing, I had to forget myself during filming and focus my energies on my facial expressions and performance,” Trà My said.

The young actress’s maturity was praised by director Ash Mayfair, who added, “I realized that she is very close to what I imagine the female protagonist to be like. After talking to her family, I realized her mature disposition, which is rare for a 12 year-old girl.”

The film’s promotional poster has obvious sexual connotations, with red blood oozing from a vertically positioned female eye that alludes to a woman’s loss of virginity. Just as the film is a sincere yet daring work, the poster manifests the pain of one’s first sexual encounter and hints at the lowly social position of women in a patriarchal family and society.

Source: Ettoday

This article is written by JoyceK for JayneStars.com.

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Responses

  1. Mm not sure how I feel. Sex sells, after all, but to make it a central point for a 12 yr old (even if it’s based on a real story)…kind of feels like exploitation (which I guess is essentially what the story’s about.)

    Im just imagining all the pedophiles coming out of the woodwork for this movie…

  2. This makes me really uncomfortable. Could they not find an 18+ year old actress who looks younger to play this role? Should have been easy, asians look young. A 12 year old is still mentally developing and can be easily exploited. Goodness, even adults are exploited as seen by the Harvey Weinstein case.

  3. If the scenes are hinted, fine. But if the scenes are actually simulated scenes and filmed, she is only 12. The character can be 10 for all I care, but the actress can’t be same age of underage doing sexual scenes because pedophiles are out there. The mother should stop her or insist no real sex scenes. Birthing scene, no comment. I haven’t seen the movie so it could be tastefully filmed without all those actual scenes. If it does have those scenes, all I can say the director can be arrested for soft porn and pedophilia.and even on the threat of death I will never allow my daughter to audition and film this movie.

  4. Hum, I will watch it and judge after. I hope this director is actually a good director with integrity instead of the other dude who tried to bed/rape other woman using the pretence of filming.

    The storyline is interesting though. Since back then, such early age marriage occurred so often, and everyone turns a blind eyes to that. And then, many wouldn’t tell you the story. My grandmother’s father has 3 wives, in total, she has like 20-30 siblings, but I never heard anything about my great grandfather, how it’s like with 3 wives and so many siblings, because my grandmother is from the main wife.

    1. @littlefish please post your thoughts after watching! It’s an interesting story, particularly because it’s a true one but the execution seems to have everyone on edge…

  5. Back in the day, girls got married early in their teens. But this movie is unacceptable I think, even though the storyline seems interesting. But can they use body double for those scenes instead of making the girl does it herself?

    1. @joyce it’s one of those, morally it’s wrong, but in art, it’s not? Idk, like I said gotta have to see it, then judge it. If it’s like Lust and caution, then I agree lol. That movie is just like what everyone said >_>

  6. One word … CREEPY!!! It’s sad that Ash Mayfair is so proud of exploiting a 12 year old and is riding on a 12 year old to make a name for herself. How disgusting!!! She could at least find an 18 or even 21 years old to portray, in addition to make up and lighting, it’s not that hard. In the western part of the world (ie US), she would be in so much trouble. But in her neck of the woods, i guess she can use and abuse any child for her 5 minutes of fame. I am guessing the child mother was ‘manipulated’ and ‘paid off’ or blind to $$ to allow her child to be exposed to such grown up content. Afterall, Ms Mayfield was in tears to find this child, I bet she coughed up anything to get this child on board.

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