Obsessed with the scene of being tortured by fellow prisoners

Danh Thai is an actor of the Tuong Theater but is a familiar face on the small screen. Especially, all of his roles so far have had to “go to jail, get out”. Share with VTC NewsDanh Thai said, the feeling of putting his hand in handcuffs number 8, the hiss of iron doors made him obsessed.

– Do you know that on social networks, the audience calls you by the title “the actor who goes to prison the most in Vietnam”?

I know this, friends and people around me have told me. I also feel very happy to have been remembered by the audience. In fact, that “title” did not exist until now. Even when I just appeared on the set, my co-stars and staff knew that today I would be filming a crime scene or going to jail (Laughs).

– You seem to be quite comfortable with “prisoner” roles?

The “in and out of prison” on the small screen has become familiar to me. Over the years I can’t even remember how many prisons I’ve been to, how many roles I’ve been assigned to, how many times I’ve been convicted.

Even the feeling of the number 8 cuffs and the plaid shirts worn on me is very familiar to me. I consider it a job and I do everything according to the director’s request, the script.

– So the first prison role was also easily accepted by you?

It’s not like that! Honestly, right now, I can’t remember what movie my first prison role was in. But the feeling of entering the prison for the first time with the layers of iron doors slowly closing, the hiss of the doors resounding in my head plus the enclosed space in the prison, I remember very well.

At that time, I was confused between the real feelings and the emotions of the characters in the movie because the space was so real, it affected me a lot.

At first, I thought it was very carefree, it was just acting, but I didn’t expect the feeling of being in prison to be so real! Honestly, entering the bad prison door, I felt fear, anxiety and nervousness different from when I innocently accepted the role.

And later, even though I said I was used to “going to prison and getting out of jail”, “wearing a shirt with hands and cuffs” when filming, each film left me with different impressions.

– It is said that when you get used to doing something, it makes people boring and emotional. Yet you still keep a different feeling with each role?

Each of my characters has a different fate. Even though they are prisoners, the psychology of the character and the circumstances that push the character to commit the crime are not the same. That’s why we’ve been actors for many years, but we don’t get bored with the job, we don’t get bored with the characters we play.

– So what was the time when “going to prison” made the most impression on you?

The time I was most impressed was probably when I played the role of Snake in the movie Life and death . This role is a gentle laborer but is blamed by the mastermind for corruption.

Ty has just suffered because of the great injustice, when he was in prison, he was beaten by his fellow inmates. When I was filming the scene of being tortured by my fellow prisoners, I was very aware that I was just filming, the prisoners who were tormenting me were just actors, and outside there were directors and backstage staff… But the feeling was being locked in a room, surrounded by prisoners ready to “handle” me made me feel both scared and heavy.

– Being psychologically affected so much, why do you still accept “prisoner” roles?

Firstly, we are actors, so we have to meet the requirements of the job. And with actors, what role to play, how to shape, what fate … is not for us to decide, that belongs to the director and scriptwriter.

Second, the “organ” of each person is only suitable for certain types of roles. Can’t we just quit our job just because we want to play one type of role, but we’re given another? How to best for the role, for the new movie is what we are most interested in.

And finally, I personally feel the psychological pressures that the surrounding environment brings to help me portray the character better. The anxiety and fear when entering the prison door made my character more realistic and emotional.

Moreover, each role brings an interesting experience to the actor. I believe that the other co-stars as the director, the “male god” although it seems attractive and flashy, will not be able to have an interesting and special experience like me (Laughs).

– Do you have trouble when you often play the role of criminals and criminals?

In the past, there were also, because social networks were not developed, entertainment forms were not many, so people watching on TV, seeing programs like the Court of Judgment, thought it was real. So in the past, I was rumored to have been sentenced to death for drug trafficking, even if it was just a re-enactment role in the show Sentencing Court.

Then many people see me appearing in the image of wearing a striped shirt, handcuffed … then think that I am a real criminal. So there were times when I was warned by others, showing my attitude.

But now it’s different! The audience is also very sophisticated now. People understand the specifics of an actor’s work, so they don’t have “attitude” or discrimination, but on the contrary are interested in my roles.

– But other people who work as actors are given the title of “male god”, appearing in scenes of delicious food and beautiful clothes, and he is the complete opposite. Are you upset?

Like I said, being a “male god” or a prisoner is just a requirement of the job. For an actor like me, being remembered by the audience, even if they don’t remember my real name, but only see me as “familiar” and remember me often playing the role of a prisoner, that’s also a joy.

Making a certain impression on the audience, working and contributing, that’s what I feel most happy and proud of.

– Thank you for sharing these.