A reporter from Lao Dong Newspaper had a conversation with To Dung about behind the scenes of the film, and his concerns in the acting profession.
Actor To Dung grew up at the Vietnam Drama Theater, but it was not until he acted in TV series that he truly became famous and became known to many audiences. So can it be said that stage actors want to be known to the general public only need to rely on the effects of TV series?
- I think this opinion is not wrong. Now, the audience can also see that the theater stage is no longer the same as before. The stage has been through its glorious period for a long time. Even now, many young people are asking: What is a play, what is a stage? Or they watch plays on TV and think it is a stage.
It was not a stage.
For me, the stage is a church. It is a place where I interact directly with the audience. Stage performance is not allowed to make mistakes. I cried and laughed on stage - and that way was so close, the audience also cried and laughed with me. Standing on stage, I could hear the audience, they were crying, or they laughed - applauded. It was all live, the interaction was very special, and that was the character of the stage.
The stage for an actor like me is always the premise, the root.
Everyone will have a different talent, each person will have a different instinct, but for me - a person who directly studies the stage, making a stage will be nurtured in many things.
The stage disciplines me with discipline. Through practice time, when performing, during 1-2 hours of the play, we had to concentrate highly, more than 100% of our strength. Both in the lines, in the acting, and in touching the hearts of the audience... it is a whole discipline.
We have to practice a lot before going on stage. Television has not yet achieved the feat and can return. But, the stage is not.
He is saying to the stage, that without stage skills and discipline, he will not be able to act in TV series?
- The stage has nurtured me concentration so that when I am filming, I focus on analyzing the scenes, and when reading the lines, it is also quite effective.
For me, the stage has trained me a lot. I can spend a whole month analyzing the script, and according to the habit from the stage, we will have to prepare very carefully about the dialogue, the language, what the line meaning is, what the emotional dialogue is, where to emphasize, the message of the character, how he talks will express his personality... I practice carefully when studying the character.
And before talking about how the audience will feel, whether it feels good or not, whether I am satisfied with the actor's acting or not, I myself when I step onto the set - I must not feel ashamed.
Actors who are trained from the stage always have very unique performance techniques, with a foundation and acting techniques. However, it is still very difficult for the stage to attract audiences to the theater, and no matter how famous the actor is, when he returns to the theater, he still performs with a salary of hundreds of thousands. For To Dung, what will that feeling be like?
- For me, the stage is like a second home, no matter where you go, you can't leave home, no matter how difficult the house is. Of course, there are still people who, because of their living circumstances, even though they love each other, they still have to leave to find another way, for money.
I have been attached to the stage for 13 years. When I returned to the theater, the Director of the Vietnam Drama Theater, the late People's Artist Anh Tu, gave me many opportunities to work. The feeling that the stage gives me is completely different from when I go to act. I believe that every stage actor has the same feeling.
I put all my effort into that stage, I like the feeling of standing on stage performing a comedy,
listening to the audience laughing. The audience laughed, I also laughed. When performing an emotional scene, I heard the audience crying in a few rows of seats... The emotions from the audience that directly affected the actor were an extremely indescribable feeling, if not a stage personality, it would be unimaginable.
Is that the feeling you just said, the feeling that movies cannot bring to you?
- It was truly an indescribable, unexplainable emotion. That feeling helps stage actors like us to flourish. Dai yourself on stage, no matter how difficult the stage is.
When working, one field will complement the other. To be honest, we cannot make a living from the stage, the salary according to State regulations, performing for 2 hours is trained for the main role of 200,000 VND, supporting role of 160,000 VND, and being the supporting actor is only 80,000 VND.
For a long time, the theater has not competed in stage productions, but only has a seasonal contract drawn from the revenue of the theater agency, so those who earn 2 - 3 million VND/month under the seasonal contract will not be able to cover.
That is the state of the stage. But the stage is where I grow, so that I can be confident in front of the camera. After being together for more than ten years, despite the difficulties, I could not give up, because I felt regretful and remembered the times I flourished on stage. That feeling still held me.
I am luckier than many other friends in that I still go to act in movies, act in commercials, I can still make a living from this job. I don't dare to say what the future will be like.
The difficulties of the stage have been discussed for decades, but almost nothing has changed. Are you ever depressed?
- Now, at a moderate cost, audiences can experience eating roasted corn, drinking soft drinks sitting in front of a big screen, watching the world's best blockbusters. Or simply sitting at home watching TV, surfing your phone, you can also watch movies and entertainment on all platforms. Not everyone is anymore nostalgic for traditional values.
We actors always give our all on stage, but we are also human, and every time there is a full audience, the actors' mentality will also flourish. Every day with only 20-30 audiences, we will still perform our best, but I can't deny that at that time I felt very depressed and sad.
People's Artist Xuan Bac once shared that the desolation of the stage sometimes made him cry. So what really holds young artists like him back, if we say love for the job, passion, is sometimes very vague. Or, simply because he can earn money from other fields, can he stay on stage?
- I believe that at the present time, there are only emotions, love is what holds the players to the court
stage now. Imagine now that drinking coffee at a meal costs 200,000 VND, equal to a stage actor's performance.
There are many young people who come to work on stage, without salary, no staff, and do not pay any subsidies unless they have to practice.
200,000 VND/performance for the main role, but not everyone can play the main role, supporting roles, second roles only receive 60 - 80 thousand VND/performance. But many of you have stayed at my office and have been working for 4-5 years. So why did you stay? For the love of the stage.
This reason cannot be explained. Maybe you find it vague. But there is no other explanation, besides love.
For those who have to worry about food and clothing, not be rich, not support their families, still rent a house in a big city, but still persevere in pursuing a career, it can only be love.
When stepping onto the stage, the artist's self-respect is high, the audience is absent, the money is small, but the actor himself still has to give his all.
I was very afraid that the audience would see me performing but not perform well, just pretending, afraid that they would think wrong about me. At that time, my enthusiasm exploded, and I acted like a "crazy guy".
Then when I sat at the table, not knowing why I acted, I still had to spend money on my children. Many people say that actors are often handsome and have a family situation, but they say they love their job. But in fact, it is not.
Many actors, singers, and models have a lot to do, many diverse sources of income, and activities. If they have a solid economy, they can do it out of passion, not thinking about money. But stage artists like us do it because of our true passion.
With income from stage and TV series, how do you balance your life?
- My Toan in the movie "The Wind Across the Blue Sky" is strict in spending, worrying about his wife's expenses and money all day long. Actually, I understand Toan very well.
I am the type of person, if I make 10 VND, I only have 3 VND. I do not follow phones, technology, or material things much.
I remember most the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. The theater was closed for a long time. The movie almost stopped filming. But I still have money to take care of my family.
I want to save money to predict times when my health is not good, or if an incident like the COVID-19 pandemic occurs.
I am also frugal, and understand the frugally nature of the character Toan.
He has many personal channels that attract millions of views on social networking platforms. What do you think about how to earn more income from social networks and build an image on digital platforms, to improve your life, to continue working in the stage without having to worry about food and money?
- I am also a very old loser. I know that creating images on social networks will be very good for artists and actors like me. But in the end, I still think that, let's do a good job, then everything will be fine, the audience will love us.
