Haunted by the scene of being tortured by inmates

Danh Thai is an actor at the Tuong Theater but is a familiar face on the small screen. What's special is that all of his roles up to now have had him "in and out of jail". Sharing with VTC News , Danh Thai said that the feeling of having his hands in handcuffs and the screeching sound of iron doors haunted him.

Actor Danh Thai.

- Do you know that on social networks, audiences call you "the actor who has been to prison the most in Vietnam"?

I know this, my friends and people around me have told me. I also feel very happy because the audience remembers me. Actually, that "title" is not new. Even many times, when I just appeared on the set, my co-stars and crew already knew that today they would be filming a crime scene or going to jail (laughs).

- It seems you are quite comfortable with "prisoner" roles?

Going through prison on the small screen has become a habit for me. Over the years, I can’t even remember how many prisons I’ve been to, how many “prisoner” roles I’ve been given, and how many times I’ve been sentenced.

Even the feeling of the handcuffs and the striped shirts on my body is very familiar to me. I consider it a job and I do everything according to the director's and the script's requirements.

"I can't remember how many prisons I've been to, how many "prisoner" roles I've been given, how many times I've been sentenced."

- So your first prison role was also accepted easily?

Not exactly! Honestly, right now I can’t remember which movie I played my first time in prison. But I remember very clearly the feeling of entering prison for the first time with the layers of iron doors slowly closing, the screeching sound of the doors echoing straight into my head, plus the closed space in the prison.

At that time, I was confused between real emotions and the emotions of the character in the movie because the space was too real, which affected me a lot.

At first, I thought it was innocent, just acting, but I didn't expect the feeling of being in prison to be so real! Honestly, when I entered the prison door, I felt scared, worried and nervous, completely different from when I innocently accepted the role.

And later, even though I said I was used to "going in and out of prison" and "wearing a numbered shirt and handcuffs" when filming, each film left me with different impressions.

"Entering the prison door, I felt scared, worried and nervous, completely different from when I innocently accepted the role."

- People say that when you get used to something, it becomes boring and loses its emotion. But you still maintain different emotions with each role?

Each of my characters has a different fate. Even though they are all prisoners, the psychology of the characters and the circumstances that push them to commit crimes are not the same. That is the reason why we have been actors for many years but do not get bored with the profession, do not feel bored with the characters we portray.

- So which time in prison left the most impression on you?

The time that impressed me the most was probably when I played the role of Ty in the movie Sinh Tu . This role was a gentle worker but was framed for corruption by the mastermind.

Ty had to endure the torment of being wrongly accused, and when he was in prison, he was also beaten by his fellow inmates. When filming the scene of being tortured by his fellow inmates, I was very aware that I was just filming, the inmates who were torturing me were just actors, outside there were also the director, the backstage staff… But the feeling of being locked in a room, surrounded by inmates ready to “deal with” me made me feel both scared and heavy.

Danh Thai as Ty in the movie "Sinh Tu".

- Being so psychologically affected, why do you still accept "prisoner" roles?

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

Second, each person’s “body type” is only suitable for certain types of roles. We cannot quit our jobs just because we want to play one type of role but are assigned another type of role. How to do the best for the role and the film is what we care about most.

And finally, I personally feel that the psychological pressure brought on by the surrounding circumstances helps me portray the character better. The anxiety and fear when entering the prison door makes my character more realistic and emotional.

Moreover, each role brings interesting experiences to the actor. I believe that other actors who are directors or “male gods” may seem attractive and glamorous, but they will not be able to have interesting and special experiences like me (laughs).

"Every role brings an interesting experience to the actor."

- Do you have trouble when you often play the role of a prisoner or a criminal?

In the past, it was true, because social media was not yet developed, and there were not many forms of entertainment, so people watched TV and saw programs like The Court Sentencing and thought it was real. So in the past, there was a rumor that I was sentenced to death for drug trafficking, even though it was just a role reenacting a trial in the program The Court Sentencing.

Then many people saw me appearing in pictures wearing striped shirts, with my hands cuffed… and thought I was a real criminal. So there were times when others were wary of me and openly showed their attitudes.

But now it’s different! The audience is now very sophisticated. People understand the nature of an actor’s job, so they don’t have any “attitude” or prejudice, but on the contrary, they enjoy my roles.

- But other actors are given the title of "male god", appearing in scenes with delicious food and beautiful clothes, but you are the complete opposite. Do you feel sad?

As I said, whether you are a “male god” or a prisoner, it is just a job requirement. For an actor like me, being remembered by the audience, even if they don’t remember my real name but only find me “familiar” and remember that I often play the role of a prisoner, that is also a joy.

Making a certain impression on the audience, working and contributing, that's what makes me happiest and most proud.

- Thank you for sharing this.

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Source: https://vtc.vn/dien-vien-di-tu-nhieu-nhat-viet-nam-am-anh-voi-canh-quay-bi-ban-tu-hanh-ha-ar772085.html