Film debut of Nguyen Phuong Tra My, who was just 12 years old when she was initially cast as the lead character May in The Third Wife. She was chosen among 900 girls by film writer and director Ash Mayfair after a nationwide casting.
Based on the true life stories of Ash Mayfair grandparents and great-grandparents, most of the lead characters and their experiences and based directly on what some of her family members went through at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th Century.
One in every three girls in the developing world is married by the age of 18; one in seven by the age of 15. Modern Vietnamese law requires men to be at least 20 years old and women to be at least 18 before marrying, and both spouses are required to give free consent. However, child marriage and arrange marriage persist in rural areas.
Though director Ash Mayfair had initial reservations about casting lead actress Nguyen Phuong Tra My, mostly because of her age and the complexity and weight of the role, she was convinced after Nguyen Phuong Tra My personally called her to request the role, as she felt the character was made for her to play.
Before filming, writer and director Ash Mayfair spent about 4 months living in the area where the story is set, understanding the customs and observing the way of life of local villagers so as to properly translate it to the screen.
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