Actor Thai Hoa: Just being able to live in peace is enough

Actor Thai Hoa, who plays the character Bay Theo in the film, shared with Thanh Nien his feelings about the profession and memorable memories when participating in this film.

Why do you rarely appear at film events and seem to choose to live a private life?

I have symptoms of anxiety disorder, attention deficit, and face blindness (ADHD), so I often get nervous when appearing in front of a crowd; later, I realized this clearly and had to accept it. When filming The Apple Tree in Bloom , because Hong Anh often paid attention to others, she discovered that I had a disorder, sometimes I was highly excited, sometimes my emotions were down. I went through a period of depression for 2 years, so I was very afraid of being noticed and pursued acting as a career.

Without the advantage of appearance, do you lack confidence when pursuing acting?

I have never felt self-conscious about my appearance because I didn't care. When I was young, I weighed only 48 kilos when I took the entrance exam to the Ho Chi Minh City College of Theater and Cinema and failed twice because of my deep voice and bad singing, so I was shocked. During the exam, teachers Cong Ninh and Minh Ngoc both laughed heartily. Confident, I took all my friends out to celebrate, but in the afternoon when I saw the results, I didn't see my name, and I was shocked again. Teacher Tung put his arm around my shoulder and whispered about reviewing literature for the third exam. Later in my career, I realized that appearance is no longer so important, even ugly actors have ugly roles. Most handsome actors... become less handsome over time, but I'm still the same, just less ugly than before.

- Ảnh 2. — Thai Hoa rolls around on the Cu Chi film set

Does acting earn you enough to make a living?

Acting has given me a decent life. The most difficult period financially, despite being a hard worker, was when I was a student, but I still managed to save 1 tael of gold each month, but I had to work very hard.

What do you think about Vietnamese cinema in recent times when it has continuously achieved high revenue in 2024 and especially from the beginning of 2025 until now?

In the past, a film reaching tens of billions of VND was considered a big event, because more than 10 years ago, there were few cinemas. Now, a film reaching 100 billion VND is easier to achieve. Revenue cannot say much. In my opinion, Vietnamese cinema is still not professional because there is no film industry.

- Ảnh 3. — Cu Chi guerilla footage at the tunnels

The difficulties he encountered when playing the role of Bay Theo in the movie Tunnels: Sun in the dark ?

If we compare the hardships, the post-production and design staff had to work 100 times harder. They had to build the tunnels in the studio, suffered while filming, and then had to dismantle hundreds of meters of tunnels after the job was done. The design team had to build the burnt forest and create a path under the river. The cameraman had to walk backwards while the actors walked forward in the tunnels. The actors only carried a gun that weighed a few kilos while the cameraman held a much heavier camera. Thinking back to these scenes, I don't know how I did it. The actors got a break after finishing the scene, while the cameraman had to work continuously day after day. The only light in the tunnels was oil lamps, candles, flashlights, or kerosene lamps, so it was very difficult to handle the techniques. It was impossible to place specialized filming equipment in such an extremely narrow space. When acting, the sweat that poured down was real sweat and the fatigue and tension on their faces were also real.

It would be very sad if in my career, I did not have the opportunity to participate in this film, because playing the role of Cu Chi soldiers and civilians is very "happy".

- Ảnh 5. — Thai Hoa plays Bay Theo in the movie Tunnels: Sun in the Dark

How do you stay physically fit to complete the role in extremely hot summer weather?

The cast and I had to practice physical training, spending a lot of time to equip ourselves with knowledge about health. The Ho Chi Minh City Command supported us with combat skills using various weapons, and guided us in shooting real guns at the Cu Chi shooting range. I was given an AK-47. Every day, I had to practice loading the gun hundreds of times to become proficient because when performing, if the loading motion is not "smooth", the audience will easily realize that I did not fully transform into the role of Bay Theo.

For 2 months, the crew filmed for 14 hours a day. We practiced crawling into the tunnel, holding weapons and moving at high speed according to a stopwatch. Many actors were nervous when having to squeeze through the tunnel model with a diameter of just over 50 cm.

I am 51 years old, my physical strength cannot be compared to young actors. But fortunately, I received advice from health experts and lost weight, so when filming, my body met the requirements. I just hope that I can live every moment of the character to the fullest. I like Bay Theo because he is a brave, responsible person, always wanting to protect his teammates, afraid of losing his loved ones when taking on tasks that are beyond his capacity. Bay Theo is also very human with a full range of emotions, absolutely not a superman.

What made you agree to participate in the movie?

When I read the script, I was so fascinated. My wife's grandfather was a veteran revolutionary soldier, and my wife loved him very much. There were some details in the script that matched my grandfather's diary. That was the first reason I came to this film. Secondly, Tunnels: Sun in the Dark is a film about the Vietnam War through the eyes of a completely Vietnamese person at a time when filmmaking technology had changed dramatically.

What is your most memorable memory while filming?

The main actors certainly did not suffer more than the supporting actors, especially playing American soldiers under the 40 degree Celsius sun. The film was filmed in Cu Chi (HCMC) with no shade. The actors had to wear body armor, hold real M16 rifles, carry real backpacks, climb into tanks in the terrible heat with the feeling that if they cracked an egg on the tank they would eat it right away; and then filmed in the smoke of war. The actors playing American soldiers were from Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine but were very sociable. Some fainted due to the heat and were taken care of by medical staff, and when they recovered they continued to hold guns in their roles.

The soldiers driving M48 tanks, M113 armored vehicles, UH-1 helicopters... supported by the Ministry of Defense also suffered under the terrible sun. Driving tanks across the burning grass fields was an unforgettable feeling. Live ammunition and machine gun bullets were used according to the director's request to create effects.

The first time you filmed a film about the nation's war for independence, how did you feel about your fathers' generation when they bravely took up arms against foreign invaders?

When portraying characters in the film and interacting with Cu Chi soldiers in real life, I realized that they were also ordinary people, it was the times and ideals that created heroes, not that they wanted to become heroes. They lived for others, for the Fatherland. I did not experience war, but only lived and experienced war through films, but through the pain and loss that war left behind, I realized that nothing is more important than peace.

Does your second marriage with a wife 11 years younger bring you peace? Does your wife support you when you participate in the movie Tunnels: Sun in the Dark ?

At this point, I no longer care about this or that. Whatever comes, I have to accept it. After experiencing many things in life, both good and bad, I realized that things that I thought were unlucky turned out to be very good. It is not necessary to have a lot of money to be enough, if you have a lot of money, you spend a lot, if you have little, you spend less. Everything that is happy and fulfilled comes from within, which is important. I am miserable, but there are many people who are more miserable, while many people have everything but they are not necessarily happy. Life knows that enough is enough. If I live right now, the future will be the result of the years I am living. Just living in a peaceful and tranquil country is enough to feel happy.

My wife really respects acting, so I can devote myself to it. When I put my heart and soul into a script or character, she always supports me. In her free time, she comes to the filming set in Cu Chi to visit me and chat with the crew members. She is closer to the actors than I am. When we go filming, my wife tells me not to worry about family matters, just focus on my role.

- Ảnh 9. — Thai Hoa said acting in the tunnels was extremely difficult.

What do you dream about the most?

Want to make movies, be a director, a screenwriter to bring emotions to the audience. When you still want it, you are still tired. But I think if you want it for others, it is not tiring, but if you want it for yourself, you are forced to be jealous and compete. The most important thing is to always see everything in life lightly as a kind of awakening. Live to reduce mistakes because it is very difficult to live without making mistakes.

If there was a miracle that allowed me to choose what to do for others, I would feel happier. If I choose for myself, I would definitely feel tired and miserable. Only when I achieve that can I truly be an artist, have good works, and memorable characters.

It seems you like to play poor and miserable roles?

I prefer the more difficult roles because they are more comfortable. The richer I play, the more difficult it is because I have to maintain a luxurious appearance. Playing a happy role is difficult, eating and drinking is even more difficult. When eating delicious food, I sometimes have to film 4-5 times, sometimes I can't swallow. In the poor scenes, I only wear one outfit, while in the rich roles, I have to re-do my makeup for each scene, there is no time to rest.

When participating in Tunnels: Sun in the Dark, each actor only had 1-2 outfits so they were very comfortable. Before playing the role of Bay Theo, I only ate 1 meal a day, giving my body a chance to detox and lose weight. Every day, I practiced military exercises for a few hours, then went into the tunnel, which was very good for my health, like going to the gym for free and also getting paid. The atmosphere of the film crew was extremely bustling, with hundreds of people working hard to complete the scene.

Director Bui Thac Chuyen is not naturally highly regarded by his colleagues. When working with him, we can see that his heart, vision, and passion for his work are very great. He demands everything extremely high. There are few directors like him, who have conceived a film about the Cu Chi guerrillas for 10 long years. Through directing, we can see that he is very skilled in his profession. His perspective on war is extremely humane.

What emotion lingers in you the most after filming Tunnels: Sun in the Dark ?

The film premiered during the time when the whole country celebrated the 50th anniversary of the country's reunification, the crew was very proud. When I read the script, I realized that the film deserved to receive the love of the audience.

The Cu Chi guerrillas were ordinary people who faced the modern American war machine. They were both men and women, not regular troops, but they fought against one of the most powerful armies in the world. Today’s generation must remember them – they were the ones who made peace today.