People's Artist Thanh Dien and his profound memories with the role of Uncle Ho

On the occasion of the 135th anniversary of Uncle Ho's birthday, People's Artist Thanh Dien had an interesting sharing session with Thanh Nien.

According to you, why did the directors invite you to play the role of Uncle Ho when you had previously "nailed" yourself in the audience's hearts as the district magistrate in Ngheu So Oc Hen - a villain?

Perhaps first of all, it is because I look a lot like Uncle Ho. People say that if I put a beard on my face, I will look like Uncle Ho immediately. Like Uncle Ho in the war zone, tall and thin. And most importantly, the directors probably believe in my acting, not being influenced by the character of the district magistrate. We artists try to play many types of roles, of course there are roles that we are good at, but if there is a chance to change, then try, try hard. Besides, I have also played positive roles, so I have nothing to be afraid of.

People's Artist Thanh Dien plays Uncle Ho in the play White Night

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY NS

Do you remember how many times you played Uncle Ho?

I first acted in the opera " White Night" of the Saigon 1 troupe, at that time I was the troupe leader. The content was about Uncle Ho trying the case of embezzlement of military supplies by cadre Hoang Trong Vinh, whom Uncle Ho had proposed to join the Party, send to the war zone, then praise and promote. But Mr. Vinh stole military supplies, leaving soldiers hungry and cold on the battlefield, and at his son's wedding, duck and chicken feathers filled the river, an image that spoke of contrast, causing impatience with everyone. Uncle Ho was tormented, worried and stayed up all night before signing the death sentence for Hoang Trong Vinh. I had to act out the subtle psychological details, balancing emotions, so that the audience could see Uncle Ho's heart of always loving his soldiers while still remaining loyal to the people.

People's Artist Thanh Dien plays Uncle Ho, Artist Chanh Truc plays the commune chairman in the play Old Marks

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY NS

The play "Old Marks" by the 5B Small Stage Drama Theater has content against extravagance and waste. A locality held a grand reception for Uncle Ho to inaugurate an irrigation project, but waited for a long time without seeing him. It turned out that Uncle Ho had arrived early and went straight to the construction site to dig the ground with the people. They brought a new and fancy car to pick him up, but he refused to go, saying that he would save it to welcome foreign guests, and that the old car was still usable so he would take the old car. Uncle Ho lived close to the people and worked with them, so I had to act realistically, with light makeup because performing for service during the day would be easily exposed. For nearly 10 years, the Department of Culture and Information provided funding for nearly 80 performances because the audience liked it so much.

In addition, I also played the role of Uncle Ho in many scenes by artist Linh Huyen, the content was about the star apple tree in the South, about a Southern baby meeting Uncle Ho, or scenes of the Department of Culture and Information on every holiday, including the role of Uncle Ho in Pac Bo. Once I performed at Tao Dan, Hoa Binh Theater (HCMC) with artist Quoc Thao in a scene, directed by Hoa Ha, Thao played the role of Uncle Ton, after watching many audiences exclaimed "exactly the same". There are many...

What memory do you remember most when playing Uncle Ho?

White Night was the first Cai Luong play in the whole South about Uncle Ho, and participated in the National Cai Luong Festival in Nghe An . At that time, there were 7 plays with the character of Uncle Ho, and in addition to the Saigon 1 troupe, there was another troupe that performed White Night . But at the end of the festival, everyone agreed that I looked the most like Uncle Ho. And I did the makeup myself. Artist Xuan Chinh was an extremely good makeup artist, he designed a net with a pre-attached beard that he bought in Poland for a few million VND at that time, I used glue to attach it quickly. The rest I did myself and it looked very similar.

The play "Old Marks" performed for schools

PHOTO: NSCC

Once, after the play "Old Marks" was performed in Ho Chi Minh City, a colonel in full military uniform hugged me and cried, saying that I looked so much like Uncle Ho. He had been close to Uncle Ho for a long time.

The time we performed with Quoc Thao, we drove away, and when we got to Hang Xanh, the police stopped us. But as soon as we rolled down the car window, the policeman quickly said: "Uncle, I'm sorry, Uncle." It turned out that Thao and I had just finished dressing up before leaving, so the policeman thought we looked so alike!

After the performance, the units often hold a party to reward the artists, but I always refuse. Because the makeup is so elaborate that it is not easy to remove quickly, and I do not want to wear "Uncle Ho's" face to drink, afraid of losing my image. I would rather go home early, remove the makeup, and eat instant noodles.

You must have trained very hard for this character?

I was always very nervous when I was assigned the role of Uncle Ho. First, I asked Van Thom to find documentary films for me to watch so that I could understand every feature of Uncle Ho. Then I practiced every day, every hour, not just when I was on stage. In daily life, I practiced eating, walking, standing, speaking, and when the Saigon 1 group met, I practiced exactly like Uncle Ho did, pointing his fingers… I didn’t know how to smoke, but I had to practice smoking, the same kind of cigarettes Uncle Ho used.

But honestly, thanks to this role, I live a more disciplined life, I naturally become more disciplined, careful with every smile and word. The role also has aneducational effect on artists.

Thank you sir.

Free screening of 3 special feature films about Uncle Ho

Actor Manh Truong as Thau Chin in the movie Thau Chin in Siam

Photo: Document

On the occasion of the 135th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's birthday (May 19, 1890 - May 19, 2025), from May 19 to 21, the Vietnam Film Institute will introduce three typical films depicting the image of President Ho Chi Minh through many historical periods, at Ngoc Khanh Cinema (523 Kim Ma, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi). The screenings are completely free. Of which, See You Again Saigon is the first feature film of Vietnamese cinema about President Ho Chi Minh, directed by Long Van, with a script by writer Son Tung. The film was released in 1990, recreating the period from 1895 to 1911, when Nguyen Tat Thanh lived with his family in Hue, then went to Phan Thiet to teach and then went to Saigon to prepare for his journey to find a way to save the country. The second film introduced on this occasion is Hanoi in the Winter of 1946, released in 1997. Director - People's Artist Dang Nhat Minh chose to recreate the tense period at the end of 1946, when President Ho Chi Minh made vital decisions before the nationwide resistance. The third film is Thau Chin in Siam (2015), directed by Bui Tuan Dung, about the life and revolutionary activities of Nguyen Ai Quoc in Thailand during the period 1928-1929, under the alias Thau Chin. Thu Thuy

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nsnd-thanh-dien-va-ky-niem-sau-sac-voi-vai-bac-ho-185250517204711974.htm