Meritorious Artist Van Hai:

In the plays "The 72nd Letter" and "Orders from the Heart," he had the honor of playing the role of President Ho Chi Minh. His performances were authentic, relatable, and natural, always striving to portray the image of "the Father of the Nation" in the most convincing way possible.

- Mr. Van Hai, looking back at your past roles, which one do you consider the most memorable? Was it the times you played President Ho Chi Minh?

- As an actor, the best roles are those I haven't played yet, because I'm never satisfied with my performances. After a while, re-enacting a role I've already played gives me more experience, allows me to add details, find the right dialogue, and handle the role more accurately. Each role has its own unique characteristics. At the Le Ngoc Theater, I've performed 16 roles, all of them "heavyweight" roles, expressing the specific ideas and themes of the theatrical works, but I never thought I would play President Ho Chi Minh. However, I always deeply respect and love him.

From a young age, I knew and heard Uncle Ho speak, and those words left a sacred impression on me. When I heard the news of his passing, I stood under the loudspeaker at Hoan Kiem Lake and wept. Those memories remain etched in my mind, and from then on, I always cherish the example and emotions evoked by President Ho Chi Minh as a spiritual foundation in my life. Throughout my time with the Vietnam National Drama Theatre, I also learned from senior colleagues such as artists Manh Linh, Ha Van Trong, and Duc Trung, who had played the role of Uncle Ho. They were very successful, not only in evoking emotions in the audience but also earning the genuine respect of their colleagues.

- When portraying President Ho Chi Minh in the plays "The 72nd Letter" and "A Command from the Heart," how did Meritorious Artist Van Hai choose to approach the image of President Ho Chi Minh?

- I think everyone has a different idea and way of expressing the image of Uncle Ho. In the plays "The 72nd Letter" and "Orders from the Heart," the character of Uncle Ho is involved in the main storyline. That's an advantage for the actors, and it's also the reason why, after reading the script, I decided to participate.

Each person has their own way of portraying President Ho Chi Minh. Some focus on form, gestures, and movements, while I don't lean towards that. In terms of form, I don't try to be an exact replica of Uncle Ho. I try to concentrate on his spirit, style, and gestures... to make him seem as approachable as possible. Uncle Ho went on "incognito visits" to the people, observing how his officials handled 71 petitions seeking justice, yet he only received the 72nd petition. He went to the location, examined the family's circumstances, witnessed firsthand, saw and heard everything, and thoroughly investigated the content of the petition... before exonerating the innocent.

The greatness of President Ho Chi Minh stems from small details and stories, not just from the big, well-known events. In the script, as long as the details accurately reflect the character of President Ho Chi Minh, the actor must portray them convincingly. The role of President Ho Chi Minh doesn't have many scenes on stage, and the challenge for the actor is to convey and handle the dialogue with full emotion and intention; each line must be meticulously crafted to reveal his nobility.

- I heard that Meritorious Artist Văn Hải even does his own makeup whenever he plays the role of President Ho Chi Minh?

- Initially, I researched and hired makeup artists, but I found none of them quite right. So, I did my own makeup because I know my mouth movements and how the light and shadow areas on my face work. I also decided that I didn't need to look exactly like President Ho Chi Minh. What's important is portraying his spirit. Furthermore, my principle is never to watch others play the role of President Ho Chi Minh to avoid being typecast. I only ask for opinions and feedback from the audience to improve my performance.

- Following the success of the two plays "The 72nd Letter" and "Orders from the Heart," if given another opportunity to play President Ho Chi Minh, what aspects of the President would Meritorious Artist Van Hai hope to portray?

- My aspiration was to portray the leader more fully, for a longer period, and more profoundly, to delve deeper into his real-life experiences. I invited several people who had previously served President Ho Chi Minh to watch the play, to get their feedback, and to adjust my performance accordingly. Some audience members from Nghe An province commented, "You should speak with a stronger Nghe An accent." But I think that President Ho Chi Minh traveled the world, and his accent had changed; that's something I learned after listening to and watching materials about him. Therefore, when playing the role of President Ho Chi Minh, I didn't speak much of the Nghe An accent.

The play "The 72nd Letter" has had 300 performances, from April 2022 to the present, we've been performing continuously. Some months we've had over a dozen shows. Our aspirations are immense! A leader respected by the entire nation and the world like President Ho Chi Minh will always be a source of inspiration for writers and artists. Currently, the theater needs more good scripts about President Ho Chi Minh and other leaders. That's always a crucial issue!

- We sincerely thank Meritorious Artist Van Hai!

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/nsut-van-hai-sang-tao-cho-ra-tinh-than-cua-bac-moi-la-quan-important-702638.html