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Chinese actress Duong Xuan Ha aspires to play her role as White Bone Spirit in 'Journey to the West' was forgotten.
'Journey to the West' marks its 40th anniversary. Since the beginning of the year, the crew and the fan community have organized events, seminars, and book launches to celebrate the success of the work. However, according to Sohu, among the members involved in the production of 'Journey to the West,' there is one person who always keeps a distance from the group, avoiding them, the artist Duong Xuan Ha, who portrayed White Bone Spirit.
The 79-year-old artist said she had been invited twice to reunite with the film crew but had refused to attend, no matter how much her colleagues and friends persuaded her. Duong Xuan Ha said: 'I don't want my image as White Bone Spirit to reappear before the audience'. The artist feels upset if she hears others say: 'This old lady played White Bone Spirit'.
Duong Xuan Ha never liked the character White Bone Spirit and refused when director Duong Khiet (1929-2017) invited her to play this role. Later, Duong Khiet explained that although it was a monster, White Bone Spirit in the film needed to have a beautiful appearance, moreover, this character possessed supernatural powers, strong influence. According to Ifeng, nearing the departure date to the filming location but still not having finalized the actress to play White Bone Spirit, director Duong Khiet was very worried. She did not want to lower the standards for selecting actors, trying to persuade Duong Xuan Ha.
Finally, the actress accepted the offer on the condition that after this role, Duong Khiet would allow her to play the role of the queen of Nu Nuoc country. Duong Khiet agreed.
However, the role of the queen was assigned to Chu Lam. Not keeping the promise made Yang Khiat distressed, feeling guilty towards Yang Xuan Ha. The director once explained the reason for retracting the promise: 'I couldn't change Xuan Ha's appearance, couldn't let the audience wonder why White Bone Spirit turned into the queen of Nu Nuoc country. So I couldn't keep my promise. Perhaps to this day, Yang Xuan Ha still resents me'
On Sohu, Yang Xuan Ha said that for decades, she has been rumored to hate director Yang Khiat, but that's not true. 'After playing White Bone Spirit, I left the film crew. If they called, I came back to act, if not, then I didn't, that's my principle. Yet for years, we've been rumored to be enemies', the artist said. She just doesn't want to mention the film or the character she played.
The portrayal of White Bone Spirit by Yang Xuan Ha was highly praised by industry professionals, Yang Khiat once said she greatly admired the actress's performance. However, for this role, Yang Xuan Ha encountered troubles. Before 'Journey to the West,' she succeeded in building the image of a female hero in theatrical works. Because of playing the flesh-eating demon, she was hated by the audience. Some people spread false rumors about Yang Xuan Ha, making her have to deal with superiors. The artist was later cleared of suspicion.
Journey to the West in 1982 was also the only TV drama in which Yang Xuan Ha starred. She achieved even more outstanding achievements in the field of theatrical performance, being one of the big names in the Chinese theater scene.
Yang Khiat once said she was straightforward, didn't like to lie, breaking the promise with Yang Xuan Ha left a scar in her heart. The two never contacted each other again. Yang Xuan Ha felt sad about the role of White Bone Spirit, Yang Khiat also had regrets, so the director never thought of herself as successful. Yang Khiat once said: 'I don't feel like I achieved anything when filming Journey to the West.' It would have been better if the film wasn't successful. In my heart, Journey to the West will always be a pain.
The film started shooting on July 3, 1982, and then was aired as a trial run Excluding Evil in Oke Country in October of the same year. Since 1986, the film has been fully broadcast on television, causing a sensation in many Asian countries. According to Xinhua, the work has a long-lasting vitality, holding the record for the most reruns in China - more than 4,000 times.
