Actor Quoc Tuan and the "fight" for his child's life

The actor of the movie "The General's Conch Blower" went through years of extreme hardship to fight his son's illness, at times he was almost desperate.

Artist Quoc Tuan has been absent from the screen for nearly 10 years, after his last role in the film "Law of Life" directed by Mai Hong Phong, shown in 2007. At the age of over 50, the actor's face and hands show signs of worry and hardship. However, his spirit seems to be much more comfortable and relaxed.

Quoc Tuan happily introduced the open-plan apartment he moved into not long ago. The apartment is simple but neat and airy, with a separate area for his son and a space for his own hobbies. The male artist eagerly showed off the speaker system he invested in to listen to music with Chopin, Schubert... CDs on the shelves.

Actor Quoc Tuan.

"I've been too noisy. Now it's time to calm down, find some space for myself, and enjoy my own life. I like listening to Jazz and Country music. In the evening, sitting alone, turning on the music and letting the melody soak into my body, feels very interesting and peaceful," he said.

Quoc Tuan uses music as a source of encouragement to overcome life's difficulties. For more than 10 years, he has traveled all over the country and abroad to treat his son. Baby Bom (Nguyen Anh Tuan) suffered from a rare disease right after he was born in 2002. "That was the most painful time in my life. I felt that my child had no future, I couldn't imagine what his life would be like. And I always felt guilty for giving birth to my child without giving him a healthy body and health."

Realizing that he could not sit still and accept his fate, Quoc Tuan began to "fight" to save his son's life. Looking back on those years, he said: "No one has worked harder than me. Up to this moment, I can say that my life has gone through the most terrible times. Many times I just wished I could close my eyes, because when I opened them I would not be myself. But I am not the type of person who is sad or complains, and I always smile, so no one knew about those things. It was not until my son's surgery was 80% successful that many relatives heard the news."

After many surgeries, Bom is now 14 years old and in 7th grade. Quoc Tuan said that his son's health is quite stable, although he still has to undergo a few more surgeries to be fully recovered. He spends a lot of time with his son. In the morning, he takes him to school, picks him up in the afternoon, and then the two of them go to the gym together. In the evening, when his son finishes his lessons, he teaches him the piano or talks to him and sleeps with him.

"I teach my child how to live confidently and happily. I want him to be close to his father because that way he will be stronger and not afraid of anything. Because if he is always afraid and worried, he will shrink back and not dare to do anything. And I show him that he can trust his father. We connect with each other like two friends. Sometimes we also confide in each other. I am just afraid that he will grow up without being attached to me, and when he encounters difficulties, he will not know who to share with."

According to Quoc Tuan, his son has acquired a strong, optimistic spirit, just as he wished. He is happy that the last time his son went into surgery, he was able to put on his own surgical gown. "At that time, I felt that he was extremely determined, and I loved him very much." He is also happy because Bom is a good boy who loves music.

His son's illness was part of the reason why Quoc Tuan gradually withdrew from his acting career. His son gradually got better, and it was supposed to be time for Quoc Tuan to return, but he was still absent from the screen. Quoc Tuan joked that perhaps since he went to school and turned to directing, other directors were hesitant to invite him to act in films. After the joke, the actor pointed out his concerns about the film industry in general and his own difficulties.

According to Quoc Tuan, the current artistic environment is mainly vibrant in the South with highly commercial products. "It is extremely sad for performing artists in the North, even singers. Although we are trained and have a very good working environment, we often wonder why the profession is so boring compared to the South. Each place has its own unique way of working, not everyone can rush to the South."

In addition, according to Quoc Tuan, the Vietnam Feature Film Studio where he works is almost paralyzed. "The studio has no development strategy, and its operations are very sluggish. Almost all artists only receive 75% of their basic salary. While the surrounding film industry is developing, we are gradually shrinking. That is a waste for a studio with a strong team and decent equipment," said Quoc Tuan.

Quoc Tuan takes care of his personal music listening hobby.

He believes that the life of an artist is only bustling and exciting when he is filming. When he is not making films, he is like an unemployed person. Without work, his ability and skills decrease, his enthusiasm is lost, and he loses his responsiveness to life. "That is very dangerous. If we are not careful, the films we make will be dark, not optimistic, and lack bright colors," he said.

To make a living, artists like Quoc Tuan have to work on their own, finding jobs that are less related to their profession. Quoc Tuan shared that there are jobs that must be done for food and clothing but are very sad. "Anything that makes money with ability is also worthy of respect. But those jobs are very few in terms of expertise and are more commercial. For example, many friends invite me to use my face as a reputation for business. It would be fine if it were a side job. But because I can't make movies and have to choose, it becomes my main job. Not to mention that my face will become dull if I keep sharpening it," Quoc Tuan said.

Also because he refused to sit idly by, Quoc Tuan returned, not as an actor but as a director, with the film Proud Heart, which aired in 2013. He wrote the script himself, found investors to produce the film, and offered it to the TV station.

Quoc Tuan shared a topic that was completely based on sports (shuttlecock), from which he talked about a bigger issue in life. "When people have passion, they will find their own path. On that path, there are many obstacles and pitfalls. There are people who reach the pinnacle of glory but fall because of money. There are people who do not take full advantage of their talents but use tricks to achieve glory. I want to send a message to young people to live by their own abilities, do not scheme and trick for money."

Quoc Tuan wanted to continue with the characters' lives when they came together, got married and what happened after that. But with the condition of having to take care of everything himself, he didn't have enough strength to continue.

The artist expressed that one of the things he noticed in current scripts is that they do not deeply reflect the nature of human life today. He still aspires to make films about the lives of characters from poverty to success, how they rise up, how the flow of life forces people to stumble, how they go through hardships to become rich, or the struggles and difficulties in married life and family. Those things, perhaps more or less, come from his own experiences and lessons learned from his life./.

According to VnExpress