- Exactly how much risk would you take to save your brother? For Van Nguyen the answer was whatever it takes and the devastating consequence of his attempt to traffic heroin from Cambodia to Australia via a change of planes in Singapore was that the 396 grams of drugs that he was discovered carrying was enough to incur the death penalty - 26 times over.- Written by Producer Stephen Corvini
Rachel
When I first read the script it made me quite emotional, I really empathized for Van and his family. I instantly connected with the Character Rachel and I am so proud that I was a part of telling Van Nguyen's story.
I played Rachel, who at the beginning are still teenagers and is Van's Girlfriend/ Love of his life. You see Rachel when she first meets Van and she's this sweet girl with a slight hint of rebellion in her. She's drawn to Van because of his vibrant, outgoing and caring personality. For Rachel being around him is exciting and they are very much in love.
They begin to drift apart when Rachel is ready to go University and Van can't because of the burden of his responsibilities he believes he has to fulfill to look after his Mother and troublesome Brother. His entrepreneurial attempts to make money fails and puts more pressure on himself and his relationship with Rachel. She wants to help but he just shuts her out and ends their relationship leaving her devastated and heart broken.It's at this point where Van spirals down the wrong path to save his family.
When Kelly seeks Rachel's help to lift Van's spirit, she shuts down and doesn't know how to deal with it. It's incredibly overwhelming for her and she is reluctant to get involved because she doesn't want to be hurt again.
Deep down she still loved Van and found the courage to visit him in Prison and support him through this ordeal. Both hoping that they could once again be together. She becomes a strong advocate in the campaign to Save his life.
Here is a snippet of the scene where Rachel surprises Van by coming to see him in Changi Prison in Singapore.
Reigniting the Debate of Capital Punishment
It's not a black and white case; Better Man brings to light the struggles Van encounters throughout his early childhood that continues on and never got any easier and you can some what understand how he got to this point. Van's desperation and what he felt was an obligation to look after his brother and mother who were in dire straits, blinded his logic and in turn made a catastrophic mistake. Of which he later was remorseful for. This was Van's first criminal offense and was by no means a seasoned "drug trafficker" he was merely young and dumb. There are murderers and pedophiles who are sentenced to less than that so I believe that his sentence of Capital Punishment did not fit his crime. His crime is one where he could be rehabilitated from and be safely let back into society.
I personally do not believe in Capital Punishment as I think it is inhumane in this day and age.Better Man evokes what people feel about Capital Punishment and hopefully acts as a strong deterrent for Drug Smuggling.
Filming
Better Man is so effecting in that the show is educational as well as entertaining - a gripping drama that was written and shot beautifully by Writer/ Director Khoa Do. Khoa was an amazing director to work with, I loved his passion, dedication he brought to set. There was a lot of preparation for our characters, he spent a lot of time with Remy and I developing our characters and their relationships. I stayed in Melbourne for the duration of the shoot and did extensive research and we had rehearsals that I thoroughly enjoyed. Khoa is an exceptionally talented and very intuitive director and has an innate ability to bring out the best in Actors. I had highly emotional scenes as well as my first ever partially nude "love scene" that both he and the crew dealt with sensitively and respectfully. Working with Khoa as well as the legendary David Wenham and Bryan Brown was an incredible experience that gave me a wealth of knowledge and unforgettable moments.
Bryan Brown & I
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