Five drama episodes are aired on VTV1 channel of national television at 9 pm and five episodes are screened at 8.40 pm on VTV3 channel. With many film projects in the pipeline, primetime dramas seem to lack actors and actresses.

One actor now tends to play in more than one drama at the same time. The problem is that they are cast for similar parts in different dramas. 

Prime-time dramas now have an abundance of familiar actors and lack new faces.

Truong Hoang is one of the familiar faces. He plays a lot of supporting parts, mostly as negative characters in currently aired dramas. 

He acts as Lawyer Canh in ‘Hanh trinh cong ly’ (The path to justice). Prior to that, he acted as a gangster in ‘Ga ra hanh phuc’ (Happy garage), a gigolo who blackmailed his old lover and young partner in ‘Chong cu, vo cu, nguoi yeu cu’ (Ex-husband, ex-wife, ex-lover) and ‘LoiTV drama series, prime-time dramas, nho vao doi’ (The small way to life). 

He also participated in ‘Bao ngam’ (Subterranean storm) and ‘Dau tri’ (Battle of wits). The actor seems to be everywhere in recent TV series.

Doan Quoc Dam is another familiar actor with frequent appearances in dramas. Over the last year, he acted as an anonymous painter in ‘Thuong ngay nang ve’ (Sunny day comes), a test-kit smuggling baron in ‘Dau tri’, a player in ‘Hanh trinh cong ly’ and a blind man in ‘Ga ra hanh phuc’.

Fortunately, Dam is a good actor who can always make his own mark in each role. Though he appears in many dramas, he doesn’t bore audiences.

Recently, the Vietnam Television Film Center (VFC), with the head office in Hanoi, has tried to use actors and actresses from the south to infuse fresh air into its dramas. However, audiences still feel bored as they see the same faces in different films.

The lack of new faces and the number of drama projects could pave the way for new actors/actresses to find jobs. However, even the new ones are frequently seen in dramas.

Quynh Luong, 28, who debuted as a model, began her acting career when taking the lead role in ‘Loi nho vao doi’. After that, she appeared in ‘Ga ra hanh phuc’ in a supporting role and in ‘Dung lam me cau’ (Don’t make me angry), a currently screened drama.

As Luong acts in parts with different characters, she still can attract audiences and remains ‘fresh’ in the eyes of TV watchers.

At present, Huynh Hong Loan is seen in ‘Me rom’, where she acts as credulous Loan and in ‘Hanh trinh cong ly’, where she plays the stylish Dieu at the same time. Though the two roles have different fates, the regular appearance is not a good idea.

Viet Anh - a famous actor - have appeared in many TV series recently, from ‘Chong cu, vo cu, nguoi yeu cu’ to ‘Hanh trinh cong ly’. Analysts said he should stop acting for a while and make a comeback at a reasonable moment, when he can take a new role with special characteristics.

Analysts said that actors should be ‘wiser’ in choosing movie projects. Their regular appearance makes it impossible for them to ‘renew’ themselves, and therefore, making the audiences feel tired.

For directors, they are advised to ‘step out of comfort zone’ to choose new faces, rather than familiar ones. 

Quynh An