Cam Tu, born in 1999 in the southern province of Ben Tre, began acting as a stuntwoman double in 2019. When witnessing predecessors practicing and working in film studios, Tu realized that she had a great passion for the job.

With practice in Vovinam martial arts in her hometown, Tu believed that action scenes would not be difficult for her. But when she really got into it, she realized that she had to have much more arduous practice.

The scenes of chasing, fighting, falling to the ground are now familiar to her. In movies, the scenes only lasted a few seconds, but on the site these actions last many hours which require the sweat, blood and tears of many people. 

“Being able to live and work hard for the profession is a happy thing for stunt doubles like us,” Cam Tu said.

Her first role for the big screen was as a stunt double in ‘Chi Muoi Ba: ba ngay sinh tu’ (13th Sister Three Deadly Days) in 2020. After that, she participated in many other movie projects, such as Mai (Mai), Gai Gia Lam Chieu (Camellia Sisters), Chiem Doat (Expropriation) and Ke An Danh (Anonymously).

As the stunts have become more difficult, requiring higher quality to meet international standards, Tu and her colleagues have to constantly improve and overcome psychological barriers to meet the requirements.

In general, female cascadeurs are inferior to males in strength, flexibility and endurance. However, on set, female cascadeurs must show the same skills and meet the same requirements as males, with no discrimination about gender. 

To ensure the highest possible quality of scenes, Tu always makes every effort to be sure that she is in the best condition.

Except for the time when she is filming, Tu spends time practicing every night with co-workers, jogging and following gym training to improve her physical strength.

The scenes on set are not fixed so absolute preparation is almost impossible. The experience for one scene cannot be applied to other scenes. Therefore, they have to fully concentrate on their work, and must not be distracted for even one second.

Most recently, when acting ‘Linh Mieu’ one month ago, Tu had an accident. During the scene where two actresses were wrestling and hugging each other in a pit, a fire suddenly flared up, causing burns to her face, waist, and legs.

“When the fire hit me, I still didn’t realize that I was burned. I had to endure the pain and film this scene two more times. When the director shouted, ‘Cut,’ the crew members ran to pour water on me, then took me to the hotel for first aid,” she recalled.

According to Tu, accidents such as dislocations, broken limbs and injuries happen often. She feels lucky because she has not had any serious accidents.

Tu has seen her seniors and co-workers face serious accidents requiring hospitalization. She always well prepares psychologically to be ready to cope with problems.

Every time she has an accident, Tu goes to see doctors, and applies ice and medicine to recover quickly. Quoc Thinh Cascadeur, where Tu works, has a fund to support individuals who have accidents. 

Dreams

Tu said she never tells her family members about accidents. Her parents only know that she works as a stuntwoman, and don’t have deep knowledge about her career. Only when she fully recovers from accidents does she dare return to her hometown.

Her parents never prohibited their daughter from taking the job. They always encouraged her to continue working. Tu’s achievements prove that she made the right decision.

She feels luckier than her predecessors because the movie industry seriously lacks cascadeurs. Most film projects need sensational action scenes to attract audiences. So she and her co-workers never lack jobs.

Asked about her idol, Tu said she respects late actress Hoa Tran who is famous for ‘Thanh Soi’. The violent, fierce and bloody action scenes of the late actress are what Tu always strives for.

Tuan Chieu