Back in December 2024, Thuy Tien was introduced as the female lead in Chot Don, marking her second foray into film. The project, helmed by the director duo Bao Nhan and Nam Cito, was highly anticipated. However, after the beauty queen became embroiled in a legal case, all information about her role in the film was abruptly suspended.

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Miss Thuy Tien was replaced using AI in her latest film.

On July 29, the film’s production team officially announced its return and released a teaser poster hinting at the replacement for the lead role originally played by Thuy Tien.

The result: the directors opted to use artificial intelligence (AI) to replace Thuy Tien’s face throughout the film.

According to most viewers, the updated visuals of the character bear a striking resemblance to the original, maintaining similar expressions. The voice was redubbed by voice actress Huynh Bao Ngoc.

Asked about the impact of Thuy Tien’s arrest right before the film’s original premiere, director Nam Cito said the team was shocked and disheartened.

“The incident was so unexpected and serious that we didn’t have time to come up with a backup plan,” he explained.

“But in crisis lies opportunity. The disruption gave us time to revisit and refine the film more deeply,” he added.

After more than 200 days of non-stop effort, the production team finally decided to bring the film to audiences. They expressed joy at not having given up and being able to deliver what they had envisioned.

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Director duo Bao Nhan (left) and Nam Cito share their experience at the event.

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Actor Quyen Linh and Miss Thuy Tien at the film's launch event.

Photos: HK, DPCC

The idea to use AI came from executive producer Dinh Huong. Initially, the team was skeptical, fearing the result would look unnatural or robotic. But when the test versions came back, they were genuinely surprised.

“AI technology has far exceeded our expectations. It preserved the emotional depth, realism, and natural feel we aimed for,” Nam Cito explained.

Replacing an actor due to legal violations using AI has no precedent in Vietnamese cinema history.

The film's legal representative confirmed that the production team had thoroughly considered all legal aspects and contractual obligations with Thuy Tien.

According to the representative, the contract explicitly required the actress to maintain a clean public image and ethical behavior. Thuy Tien’s situation constituted a breach of that agreement.

“As a result, the actress has no legal grounds to challenge the producers - the right to claim damages could only go the other way,” the representative stated.

Chot Don, directed by Bao Nhan and Nam Cito, is centered on the theme of livestream e-commerce.

The story follows “order-closing warrior” Hoang Linh (originally portrayed by Thuy Tien) and Uncle An (played by Quyen Linh), an office worker who moonlights as a motorbike ride-hailing driver. The cast also includes veteran names such as Quyen Linh, Hong Dao, People’s Artist Hong Van, and Le Loc.

The film was originally slated for release on March 7, but by late February, the distributor delayed the premiere to June 20 for post-production refinement.

Following Thuy Tien’s controversy, the release was postponed again. It has now been rescheduled to premiere on August 8.

Tuan Chieu