Poor past, sleeping rough in the dressing room
- How is your love for art?
In middle school, when I realized my passion for art, I made a long-term plan to pursue it. To add a little more, my parents divorced when I was 2 years old. I lived with my aunt from then until I moved to Saigon.
No one in my family supported me except my mother. However, my mother was not able to take care of me and my father strongly opposed it, wanting me to pursue medicine. My aunt had her own life so she let me choose my own future path.
After finishing 9th grade, at 15 years old, I went to Saigon alone. Thinking back now, I feel scared. At that time, I took a risk because I thought I had nothing to lose.
I still remember the first time I set foot in Saigon at 4am, holding a yellow suitcase and standing in front of Minh Nhi Drama Theater. The ticket seller sympathized with my situation and introduced me to work at the coffee shop next to the theater.
So for the next six months, I studied acting and worked as a waiter at a cafe during the day, and slept in the stage makeup room at night.
- What did Minh Nhi teach you?
In theater, the first subject I studied was Ethics, then Performance Technique, Stage Voice, Body, Makeup...
Teacher Minh once said that I was very gentle but when I was on stage I had to put that gentleness aside. At that time I was very shy, from the countryside I was alone in Saigon and was hesitant about everything.
It was Mr. Minh who helped me open up and connect with people around me. I will always be grateful to him - the first person who gave me the confidence to stand on stage.
After studying for 2 years, I graduated and continued to work at my teacher's stage for 2 more years. During that time, I also performed outside, founded the Wind Drama Group with my colleagues, and did some manual work.
When the Covid-19 outbreak broke out and I couldn't continue acting, I spent most of my time and brainpower filming clips and posting them on social media platforms and suddenly became famous.
- What was the most difficult period for you?
Around the age of 17-18, many unpleasant things happened to me at almost the same time. As I mentioned, I did many jobs, including dancing at weddings.
For each performance, I was paid 80 thousand dong. I saved every penny like that to pay for my tuition at the theater. Once, while I was changing clothes, the show host lifted the curtain, rushed in and said: "Let me adjust your clothes."
He continued to act rudely, and when he saw that I was silent, he became even more aggressive. I panicked, mustered up all my courage, pushed him away, and ran out. Out of respect for the group leader, I stayed to finish the show, even though I was very scared and always wary of that man.
The bad luck didn't stop there. When I was working as a waiter at a restaurant, I still remember that day, when I was serving food, a customer swung his arm and hit another drunk customer. The drunk customer suddenly stood up and slapped me right in the face.
I was so scared that I could only bow my head and apologize repeatedly. When I went to the toilet, tears kept flowing. Just as I was trying to calm myself down to continue working, my aunt called to inform me that my mother had gone bankrupt due to a business failure. Until now, I still can't forget what happened that day.
 |  |
Closed, scared after the incident with Le Tuan Khang
- Spending many years pursuing acting only to bag a few roles, do you feel it's a waste?
I was unlucky to not be known, not have many roles. But those roles gave me the opportunity to improve, valuable materials for me to do creative content work like now.
Until now, when I have achieved a certain success - even if it is very small, I still often hear people say that I have achieved it easily. For many years, I have hardly told sad stories because I believe that entertainment must bring joy and positivity.
- When you are famous for your content creation work, why do you still act in plays even though the pay is not high?
Acting has been my passion since I was a kid, and that will never change. However, I am grateful for my content creation work that has given me exposure, a good income, and a stable life.
In 2023, I worked the hardest, with contracts pouring in, and thanks to that, I earned enough money to buy a house and bring my mother to live with me. After that, I was honored by TikTok Vietnam as the Entertainment Content Creator of the Year - an important milestone in my career.
 |  |
Many people often ask me why I don't act in movies like Ms. Tin Nguyen. For me, art is not something that can be achieved just by wanting it and cultivating it requires a process, not just 1-2 days.
Currently, I am still preparing for art through content creation. My first goal is to produce short films with the same quality as feature films. If successful, then the next step will be a feature film.
- How do your colleagues treat you in the past and now?
When I first started my career, I was loved and favored by Mr. Minh, so I heard people talking badly about me behind my back. When I became more known, they invited me to participate in the product. Honestly, I didn't take it to heart because it was a normal thing.
- After the scandal involving TikToker Le Tuan Khang, it seems like you've been quiet for quite a while?
The occupational accident made me rethink many things. After the incident, I stopped creating content and went to Da Lat to live for nearly a month.
I closed myself off from society and kept quiet even with my mother. I self-examined my behavior and style, perhaps I was not mature enough at work.
From an enthusiastic person, now every time I go on social networks I feel pressured, afraid of making mistakes in everything I do.
But thanks to that, I don't put too much emphasis on being recognized by others anymore; from there I have more time for myself and my family.
For example, I focused on filming a 20-episode vertical film in 4 days and then uploaded one episode per day. During that time, I could take care of myself, heal myself, invite my mother to jog in the morning or take her on a trip .
- What do you want to achieve in the future?
The first time I prayed to my ancestors, I asked to be known by many people; now I have achieved it. But I do not stop at this goal. I want to be recognized as a talented actor, with good roles, regardless of stage or film. Along with art, I also cherish a business project to be able to go the long way and be stable in my career.
Khiet Dan filmed a short clip metaphorically about the past being crushed.
Actress Khiet Dan was born in 2001, has appeared in plays: Ngãi quảt, Thâm cung đi mơ (Minh Nhi Drama Theater); Bí mật bát lồ tre, Bựa ma (Truong Hung Minh Art Theater); Mỹ vị nam vương (The Gioi Drama Theater); Bà già đi bui, Biển đời tình (The Gioi Drama Group) and many guest roles in sitcoms and MVs.
On social media, he is a popular content creator with 3.9 million followers on TikTok.
In November 2024, after the incident of giving the wrong award at the TikTok Awards, Khiet Dan and his close friends caused controversy when they filmed a clip asking each other: "Do you know who Khiet Dan is?", "For the past 5-6 years, I've been surfing TikTok and I don't know who Khiet Dan is"... which was considered to be a joke about Le Tuan Khang. The actor had to write a letter admitting his mistake and apologizing to his juniors.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/dien-vien-khiet-dan-tung-rat-ngheo-nay-kiem-ca-tram-trieu-thang-2421283.html
Comment (0)