Hoai Linh hasn't been on social media for 4 years, but at 60, his mother still takes care of him like a baby.

Meeting Meritorious Artist Hoai Linh again after 1 year, he is still healthy, his conversation style is increasingly gentle and calm. He does not seek anything more in life because he knows enough.

What can amateur actors teach?

- The rare time playing a dangerous role like Mr. Ba Nhay in "Getting Rich with Ghosts 2: Diamond War" made you more "excited"?

I have played roles with some intrigue, but none as dangerous as this one. Out of the 5 main characters, 4 are dangerous. If I have the chance to play dangerous or villainous roles in the future, I really want to try.

- Have you heard about the conflict between Trung Lun and Diep Bao Ngoc? What is the truth?

When the incident happened, I was filming on the other side of the river. I only told the story after finishing the scene. I think it's inevitable that there will be fights while filming, but it's not a conflict.

Trung and Ngoc were both hot-tempered but easy to make up, talking back and forth like that but the next day they were laughing and joking, nothing happened.

Artist Hoai Linh at a meeting with reporters. Photo: Loan Le

Same story but each person will hear it differently. It sounds like that but actually it's normal.

Trung is conservative. There were scenes where I was about to give my opinion but Trung spoke loudly. So I kept quiet. In real life, I am the older brother but on set, I am the director's subordinate.

After filming, I patted Trung on the shoulder and said: "See, I told you so." The scene that made me argue with Trung was the scene where Tuan Tran was pushed into the barge.

When filming, everyone accepts hardship, but the hardship must be worth it.

- Lately, many veteran stage actors are shining in cinema. What do you think?

First of all, we must thank the producers and screenwriters who care about and even "tailor" roles for our generation.

The image of Mr. Ba Nhay in the movie. Photo: Producer

Ms. Hong Dao, Viet Huong, Ms. Ai Nhu, Mr. Thanh Hoi... are all big names. They act as if they are not acting. If you think about a play that has several destinies, then every artist already has a deep destiny inside.

The important thing is that cinema is different from theater. No matter how much makeup kids put on, they can't play old people like us. (laughs)

- You often perform at the New Stage which was established not long ago. What did you invest in there?

I didn't invest anything. I love my job. Whenever there's a new play, I'll jump in and rehearse and perform on the weekend. I tell my assistant to do whatever he wants, but to set aside Saturday and Sunday for me to live my passion for the stage.

If there is another job, I will take it, if not, I will not. I am old, I cannot work like I used to.

Trailer for the movie "Get Rich with Ghosts 2: Diamond War"

- Many artists turn to pedagogy, what about you?

I'm an amateur actor, what can I teach? If there is a place that teaches, let me occasionally join in to share my experiences.

16 years ago, I opened Dai Co Viet Company, which was almost the first private acting school, inviting teachers from the school to teach properly. After a while, I saw that young people had nowhere to go after graduating, so I stopped.

Every now and then there is news that "Hoai Linh is dead"

- When you lost weight or there were false rumors...

Every now and then I still see news like "Hoai Linh is dead", "Hoai Linh had a stroke", I'm used to it, I don't find it annoying but I feel sorry for my family and audience who are worried about me.

Once a relative called because of reading news like that, I laughed and said: "Oh my gosh, what news is this? If something happens to me, my relatives should be the first to be informed."

- Your health is not good, why do you always accept such bruising and tiring movies?

Back when I did shows at Trong Dong, I performed in the front, behind the wings were 2 oxygen tanks, 1 nurse, 1 doctor. As soon as the curtain fell, I went inside to change clothes, put on makeup, get injections, take blood pressure, that much I could do.

Hoai Linh is not too concerned about false rumors. Photo: Loan Le

Filming seems hard, but in reality, I get to eat and sleep on time. Before, I had trouble waking up early, but after filming, it became a habit to sleep early and wake up early. Sitting down to eat with my teammates makes me eat more deliciously than eating at home.

My medications are still the same. Especially the thyroid medication that I have to take for life.

- At home I only eat dry food and fish sauce which is not nutritious. It's better to eat together...

Dried fish sauce is still the main dish, but recently I have added vegetables. If you look at the Vietnamese meal tray without a bowl of fish sauce, it's "lazy"!

I'm not enthusiastic about eating, but sometimes I crave it in the middle of the night. Don't laugh, but sometimes my mouth waters because I crave boiled snails, steamed snails with lemongrass... and that.

Poor kids had to run out to buy snails for me at 1-2am. They only ate a few and that was it.

The carefree daily life of the male artist. Photo: Mac Van Khoa

The two most "luxurious" dishes I've ever eaten are roast duck and boiled chicken. I don't eat soup, so abalone and shark fin are out.

- If you don't perform, what do you do at home?

Thanks to the movie Get Rich with Ghosts 2 , I wake up around 7am, lie in the sun until the sun doesn't shine on me anymore, then stand up and put food in the bird cages. If I'm not practicing the play, I go down to the fields to play.

Mom looked at her sleeping child, kissed him and then quietly left.

- You haven't updated your social media for a long time. Are you going to keep it that way?

During the 3 years my father passed away, I did not touch social media. So now I can surf the web but not post.

I often film clips of myself going to the garden or the fields, just leave them there, take it easy. When I get old, I have to retire anyway, so it's not too late to film and post them. (laughs)

Hoai Linh shares about his mother

- When my father passed away, I missed you so much. You were old, and my mother was even older. But "A mother is as old as a ripe banana", were you worried?

Having an elderly person in the house is a lot to worry about. At this age, I can do whatever my mother wants, as long as it doesn't affect my health.

In the past, my mother used to stay in America for 6 months and then return to Vietnam for 3 months, but now she stays here all the time and refuses to leave anymore.

My parents never asked their children to do anything for them, they just wanted them to be healthy. At this age, I still get scolded by my mother about eating and sleeping.

About 10 years ago, I got into the habit of leaving the door unlocked so my mother could come into my room at any time. Sometimes I pretended to sleep, felt my mother come and look at me, kissed me on the shoulder, then quietly walked out.

The only thing I was most embarrassed about was the times my mother suddenly opened the door and said, "Linh, your aunts are here to visit you." At home, I was always shirtless and didn't even have time to put on a shirt. (laughs)

Hoai Linh's family secretly celebrated his birthday in December 2024. Photo: Document

Several times I was busy performing during Tet, my mother was very angry. On the third day of Tet, she scolded me: "You told me to come home for Tet and then I kept going. I didn't see you all day."

- When filming the first part of "Getting Rich with Ghosts", there was a member of the crew who was a die-hard anti-fan of yours. But after only a short time of contact, that person completely changed his mind about you. What do you think led to that?

I appreciate hearing that story from you. I think people can "act" for 1-2 days but can't fake it for a whole month.

So I live with what I have inside, it comes out and you feel it. If I'm not like that, you can see it from afar, let alone next door.

I truly understand that each person will have their own thoughts and cannot impose their thoughts on others. I choose to live with a clear conscience first.

The crew spoke up about Meritorious Artist Hoai Linh's health, dispelling the rumor "I'm in pain, so tired" The crew of the movie "Getting Rich with Ghosts 2" confirmed Meritorious Artist Hoai Linh's health and mental state.

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/hoai-linh-4-nam-khong-dung-mang-xa-hoi-u60-van-duoc-me-cham-nhu-em-be-2435971.html