The son of Nghe An with the role of a lifetime

(Baonghean) -Vietnamese audiences are still familiar with the image of Uncle Ho through the performances of two famous actors, Tien Hoi and Tran Luc. However, after the film “Overcoming the Shanghai Wharf” was released, actor Minh Hai (Vietnam Drama Theater) completely conquered the audience with a new image of Uncle Ho, youthful, close and very simple. The most outstanding point in his performance is his voice with a strong Nghe accent.

Minh Hai is from Nam Dan. Graduated from the acting course of Hanoi Theatre and Cinema School, in 2000 he joined the Vietnam Drama Theater and spent nearly 10 years playing supporting roles in stage plays. There were times when he stood behind the scenes feeling sorry for himself, looking at his colleagues and wishing “that one day I could play the main role!”. Minh Hai has a tall, thin appearance and a dignified demeanor that is very suitable for political characters. He has played the role of Uncle Ho many times in the short plays “Stories about Him”, broadcast on television in the section “Studying and following the moral example of Ho Chi Minh”. But he still hopes to play a big role, transforming into the image of Uncle Ho in Vietnamese feature films.

He was invited to audition for the role of Uncle Ho twice, but it seemed that fate did not smile on him. That was in 2003, when the film crew "Nguyen Ai Quoc in Hong Kong" was recruiting actors. Reading the script, he knew that the character Tong Van So after being released from prison had a thin figure and deep eyes, which suited his appearance, so he eagerly registered for the audition. The director asked him to practice his signature, go to the Ho Chi Minh Museum to carefully study documents, especially images of Uncle Ho during his time abroad, but at the last minute, actor Tran Luc was chosen, making him regretful. In 2007, the film "Looking Out to the Sea" told about Nguyen Tat Thanh's youth at Hue National School and his time teaching at Duc Thanh School, Phan Thiet. Minh Hai tried his luck but... failed. The main role was given to young actor Minh Duc, born in 1988.

3 actors in the movie "Crossing Shanghai Wharf": Quoc Quan, Minh Hai
and My Duyen.

It seems that Minh Hai is being tested by fate in his heart and love for the genius leader. Not discouraged by failure, he always hopes and waits for luck to come to him, and in 2010, the film crew "Crossing the Shanghai Wharf" organized a casting call. The film is set during Uncle Ho's activities in China in the 1930s. The content revolves around his journey from Hong Kong to Shanghai to find a legal way to the Soviet Union. Receiving the invitation to audition, Minh Hai was both happy and worried! Not only because of the pressure of having to "compete" with seniors who had successfully played the role before, but also with the audience, because Uncle Ho is such a familiar image, when performing, he must try to "capture" his spirit through every gesture, movement, gait and especially his shining eyes...

Moreover, the film was mostly set in China, directed by a Chinese director, with many foreign actors and many Chinese-speaking scenes. He quickly learned the language, diligently listened to and absorbed the “Declaration of Independence 1945”, and tried his best to practice, especially expressing his voice to have a standard Nghe accent, similar to Uncle Ho's voice when he was young. Finally, the Nghe An boy was chosen to play the role of Nguyen Ai Quoc, after performing all 4 scenes under the “scrutiny” of foreign directors and Vietnamese filmmakers. “The happiness came so great, at this time choosing a “new” actor like me was a risk. If I didn’t try, there would be no way back”- He confided.

The film was successful beyond expectations, his colleagues praised him, and the audience was also very satisfied with his performance. The leader of the Writers' Association Film Studio hugged him and affirmed: "We did not choose the wrong role!". Actress My Duyen (who plays Doctor Phuong Thao) in the film commented: "Minh Hai knows how to convey emotions through his eyes, through his inner self, and especially he coordinates very well with his co-stars!". That is a worthy reward for his constant efforts throughout the filmmaking process. He confided: "Playing the role of Uncle Ho, I consider myself to have fulfilled my dream as an actor. But this role of a lifetime is even more special because it has helped me grow up and become more mature in life. Not only do I try to live more simply, modestly, and love and help people more, but in the eyes of my colleagues and the audience, I am "forced" to work better, stay away from all "bad habits"... I must always know how to protect myself when I am a "public figure".

Actor Minh Hai's family.

Minh Hai has a happy family with his wife, actress Hoa Mai (Central Opera House) and 2 beautiful daughters - the result of their "roasted corn" love affair during their student days - She happily said about her husband: "After the movie, he became a perfect man!".

Le Lan (47, Dang Thuc Hua, Vinh)