A smile is always on her face. She speaks softly and sits with her back straight. When she walks, she does so regally, like a lady. The legendary Cambodian actress Dy Saveth is now 72, but she remains elegant and decorous, with hardly a visible mark of the turbulent life she has lived.
Dy Saveth.
Her glory days were more than 40 years ago, during the "Golden Age" of Cambodian movies, when she starred in about 100 films from the 1960s to early 1970s -- before the Khmer Rouge arrived and everything collapsed in 1975, forcing her later to flee to Bangkok, and then France. Her fans in Thailand best remember Dy Saveth from her iconic role as the mother of a snake-haired girl in Puos Keng Kang (known as Ngu Keng Kong here), a folk horror about a snake-man and his human lover. The film was a hit in Thailand in 1971 and went on to become popular in other Southeast Asian countries.
Because of the regional success of the film, the doe-eyed Cambodian -- nicknamed "Actress of Tears" -- co-starred in the sequel of Puos Keng Kang with Thai actress Aranya Namwong. Later, she worked with Sombat again in the Thai film Rak Kham Kob Fa, and with Yodchai Meksuwan in Nam Jai Por Kha.
Dy Saveth, who was also Miss Cambodia in 1959, was one of the regionally famous actresses with a cross-border appeal, and she had fans throughout Asean -- this was all before she left her country during the Khmer Rouge regime, when the Cambodian film scene fell into ruins, and when, she said, she lost 10 family members to the war.
Dy Saveth during the glory years.
One of her long-time admirers is Thai Culture Minister Vira Rojpojchanarat. He has invited Dy Saveth to join tomorrow's opening ceremony of the Bangkok Asean Film Festival (which runs until Sunday), when Puos Keng Kang will also be screened. The festival has been organised as part of the Asean Cultural Expo, by the Ministry of Culture.
How did you feel when you learned that Puos Keng Kang would be screened at the Asean Film Festival in Bangkok?
I felt overwhelmed with happiness. There's no word to describe how happy I was when I heard about this!
Tell us about the wig with snakes, which everyone seems to remember you from. Were they real snakes?
Yes. The snakes were real, but of course they were not poisonous. They had to stitch and tie about 20-30 snakes on the wig, which was made of plastic. It was really scary at first. But later on, after they explained to me they were not dangerous, I felt more comfortable. It was still really difficult to act with snakes on my head though because the snakes always moved. They also bit me.
How do you compare the tastes of the movie audience during the Golden Age of Khmer films to the present time?
In the past, people loved watching stories about life. The tastes of audiences have changed since the media is very well developed. There are more choices of entertainment. The young generation can choose to go to the cinema or stay home and watch movies on YouTube or other media platforms.
In the past, when parents went to the cinema, it was a family activity because the whole family went there together. But today, when parents go to cinemas, children do not want to go with them. It's not the same as in the past.
Was it difficult for you to get over the difficult situation after you were forced to flee the country when the Khmer Rouge came to power?
In 1975, the war was intense. I had to leave Phnom Penh and stay in Thailand. At that time, I felt like I was left in the sea. I had nothing. I had to sell my jewellery to survive. I had a friend who lived in France so I went there because I couldn't return home.
In France, I was lucky my friend helped me find a job [as a nanny in Nice]. I worked and survived. My employer would ask me what I did in Cambodia and I lied and said I did odd jobs. But one day, a Cambodian customer visited the shop I was working in and recognised me. She said: "You look like somebody I've seen before. Are you Dy Saveth?" It was only then that my employer knew who I was. He was a little shocked and asked me why I didn't tell him I was a superstar.
When did you return home?
During the early 1990s when the peace negotiations started, I visited the late king Norodom Sihanouk [father of the present King Sihamoni] and Prime Minister Hun Sen asking if I could return home. They said "soon". I didn't feel at ease until I finally returned home in 1993.
What did you do after that?
I started teaching in 1997. I teach acting to young people. I also advise them how to dress in a traditional way and how to behave in front of elders or in formal situations. Since I started teaching, I have not charged them for tuition. Some students have become famous actors and singers. I'm very happy. I taught them at my house. During the war, I lost everything, including my home so now I have only a very small house.
You look healthy and happy. How do you take care of your health?
Avoid complications in life. Always be careful of what you eat. I also do dancing exercise at least four or five times a month to keep the body fit. The best thing is to have good health.
I live by myself so there is nobody to bother me. I feel very independent in what I want. I don't want to have a husband. I'm afraid that he won't be a good man. It'll break my heart so I'd better make my heart healthy.
You were married, but what happened to your marriage?
The man I was married to was a Taiwanese film producer. We worked together to produce films. But later on, he had a mistress so I left him. He was perfect in many ways except this, so I couldn't tolerate him. Since I was around 15 when someone first asked to hold my hand, I had a condition that the person must not drink, must not be a womaniser and must not gamble.
Both of my children live in Thailand. My son, 40, is married to a Thai-Vietnamese woman and my daughter, in her 30s, is married to a Thai man.
After your return, you starred in TV series and some movies. The last movie you were in was The Last Reel in 2014, will you star in any more in the future?
I have written a few stories. When the time is ripe and when there's sufficient financial support, I'd like to produce a film out of the stories. One of them is based on my experiences. It is a love story about a young man falling in love with an older woman.
I heard you like reading. What types of book are your favourite?
I like reading books about geography as I want to understand about the moon, the land and the sun. When I was young, I always wondered about the stars in the sky. It led me to find out more information from books. I also want to know about every country in the world. I want to understand nature, Earth and space. When I learn, it always makes me think why people are at war. We are all a part of Earth. One day we will become dust, so why do we always fight?
A poster for Puos Keng Kang.
