Tony Le Nguyen, a Vietnamese-Australian film director, tells his own stories of life and career in the film industry where he has spent 20 years gaining experience.

In a recent talk in the cozy space of Salon Saigon, Tony Le Nguyen donned a simple and comfortable costume: a black T-shirt and a pair of jeans. Showing his friendliness and agility, Le Nguyen started his stories.

Le Nguyen was born in 1968 in Sa Dec City in the Mekong Delta province of Dong Thap. “That is my birthplace I saw in my passport,” Le

Nguyen said. When he was a little child, he moved to Australia with his family, where he started to work in the film sector in 1985.

Career in the film industry

Le Nguyen pursued his career in the seventh art quite coincidentally. His first role was a terrorist who set off a bomb and died. Although the performance lasted only more or less one minute, the camera zoomed in on his “dead” face so impressed film directors that Le Nguyen’s subsequent long way in the film industry began soon.

He then had more opportunities to engage deeply. Among those roles was in a play about racism. He played the role of a Vietnamese, one of the four main characters in the play. It might sound weird to some because at the time he was the only amateur actor. However, the play became a success and was quite popular at that time in Australia, with 200 shows within two years. Le Nguyen said he had gained a lot of experience in acting through the role. The unexpected achievement prompted him to devote more time to acting and the seventh art.

Le Nguyen started a new chapter in his career when he received a role in Romper Stomper, an Australian drama film written and directed by Geoffrey Wright in 1992. In the movie Le Nguyen acted alongside Russel Crowe, who is now a Hollywood star. Tiger, the leader of a Vietnamese gang in the film was played by Le Nguyen, while the leader of Skinhead, an Australian gang, was played by Crowe. At that time, the movie, which brought migration issues to public attention, sparked heated debates among both critics and movie-goers. Le Nguyen said it helped bring up another perspective about migrants to Australia who were considered by many to be a burden of the government and those stealing jobs from the Australians. The movie also discussed free speech, he added.

The role in Romper Stomper once again earned Le Nguyen a chance to shine. He worked as an actor for 10 years. In 1995, he wrote his first play named “Running in Circles” inspired by his own life. Le Nguyen said he feels comfortable when talking about his life including all the ups and downs. Sometimes bad things should be showed instead of only the bright side of life, he further explained. 

Le Nguyen’s “Running in Circles” has had three versions so far and it is hard to guess the end of each version if audiences do not follow the play till the end. “If you know the outcome of a film already, you should not watch it,” he said. “Running in Circles” tells the conflicts between old and young generations and husband and wife, as well as the role of women at that time. It also tries to relay a message that “you have to pay the price to live a life you want,” he said.