Phương NguyễnHoai Linh underwent surgery and chemotherapy for thyroid cancer
After a period of absence from the screen, Hoai Linh recently attracted attention by taking on the lead role in the movie "Getting Rich with Ghosts," starring alongside Tuan Tran, Diep Bao Ngoc, Le Giang, Quang Minh... On this occasion, the male artist shared more about his life, work, and health at the age of 55.
Hoai Linh at the premiere of "Getting Rich with Ghosts" (Photo: Organizing Committee).
Sharing with the media, Hoai Linh revealed that he was diagnosed with thyroid cancer 4 years ago. At that time, the cancer had metastasized so he had to undergo surgery and undergo chemotherapy twice. To this day, the male artist has to maintain taking medication daily.
"Basically, I feel that my health is still okay, just limited in terms of voice. Every 3-6 months, I go for a general check-up. To stabilize my health, I have to take medication every day. In my case, I have to take medication for life. In addition, during check-ups, I also found that I have high cholesterol," Hoai Linh shared.
According to Hoai Linh, he can control his condition but the thing that worries him the most is his insomnia that has lasted for 20 years. The artist believes that insomnia stems from irregular habits during his youth. In the past, he used to travel to many places so his sleeping schedule was irregular, working across time zones...
Hoai Linh added, "Almost every night I have to use medication to sleep, now I limit it to the dosage provided by the doctor. Before, I could only sleep at 4am, now I try to sleep earlier. Currently, in the morning, I have to take medication for the thyroid, and in the evening, I usually take sleeping pills."
Hoai Linh's character in the new movie (Photo: Organizing Committee)
Despite the concerns of viewers about his gaunt appearance every time he appears, Hoai Linh admitted that he is now more "fleshy". His current weight is 68kg. However, the 55-year-old artist also candidly admitted that he looks "older than his age", with signs of wrinkles on his skin.
Hoai Linh further explained, "People often ask why I don't take care of my skin, do beauty treatments. But I say that at this age, I focus on 'nurturing old age' rather than 'nurturing skin.' If you want to take care of your skin, you have to do it when you are young, it's too late now. As an actor, everyone wants to look beautiful, but for Hoai Linh, if you look young, the audience will still assume you are old (laughs).
I think looking old before your time also has its advantages, because you only get invited to play old roles. At that time, the audience would meet me in real life and think 'Hoai Linh looks younger on screen', rather than caring about my actual age."
Colleagues visiting Hoai Linh (Photo: Character's Facebook).
Having gone through many ups and downs, Hoai Linh now chooses to step back and enjoy a peaceful, simple life. His days are simple. If he doesn't go to practice, perform, he finds joy in gardening, raising birds, fish...
Some days, the male artist just likes to stay in his room to browse social media, watch movies, read news... There have been times when his biological mother had to come to his room to urge him to go out.
Like in the past years, Hoai Linh still maintains his simple eating habits, enjoying dishes like sour soup, braised fish, dried fish...
Hoai Linh added, "Family members often remind me because they are afraid that I am lacking nutrition, but I still hold the view that I have to enjoy the food to get nutrients. Before, I was used to eating braised fish, dried fish, now it's hard to change."
"Everyone has their peak but no one stays in one place forever"
The artist described his current work frequency as "seasonal work," mainly performing in plays and singing cai luong (southern Vietnamese folk opera). Before accepting any invitations, he carefully considers to choose what suits him. Especially game shows, Hoai Linh has not wanted to participate for a long time.
Hoai Linh added, "Since announcing that I stopped participating in game shows, I haven't wanted to accept many more. If I were to return to game shows now, I would only want to focus on programs that preserve culture and suit me. At this age, it's not suitable to appear on game shows to joke around like young people."
Hoai Linh at 55 years old (Photo: Organizing Committee).
When asked about the concern of "being said to have passed the peak of your career," Hoai Linh gave his opinion: "Everyone has their time, no one sits still forever. You have to get up if you've been sitting for too long. 'The bamboo tree bends while it is young' is a normal law.
Now, if producers need a good-looking actor, they would invite someone like Tuan Tran, not me. At this age, having to play support roles is normal. Unless, the director needs to choose a main role that is an elder actor, then I will play that role."
In terms of mental health, Hoai Linh feels that his life is quite comfortable and joyful.
When asked about the "gain-loss in life" perspective, the artist candidly said, "I think a bit fatalistic. Whatever is set by destiny, it's hard to move it elsewhere. Trying to succeed however you want, you can only nurture to prevent erosion, not sink into the pit. In the end, as long as the audience still cares, the artist can still live."
Hoai Linh playing the role of Tuấn Trần's father (Photo: Organizing Committee).
Regarding his comeback role in the movie "Getting Rich with Ghosts," Hoai Linh explained that he accepted the role because of his long-standing relationship with director Trung Lun. He found empathy in the role, while also wanting to explore new colors in a movie.
Although accustomed to the "hard work" from the past, enduring hardships, Hoai Linh admitted that the new role took a lot of his energy. During the filming process, he and Tuan Trần constantly encouraged each other to complete their roles.
Not only did they choose the father-son theme, but "Getting Rich with Ghosts" also debuted at the same time as "Two Salts" (starring Quyền Linh). This led many viewers to compare Hoai Linh and Quyền Linh.
In response to this, Hoai Linh said, "What's even more coincidental is that Quyen Linh and I are the same age, born in 1969. But Quyen Linh looks very youthful and lively when hosting game shows and entertainment events.
Quyền Linh and I have worked together a lot, from the time we performed together on the stage of Phuoc Sang. The two of us are close and have many memories. It's just that I've done fewer plays later on, so we haven't appeared together as much, but when we meet, we are still happy and cheerful."
As for the comparison between the two movies, personally, I don't think there's a "competition" in the profession. Why not have Vietnamese movies compete with foreign movies, instead of thinking that Vietnamese movies are competing with each other. Each person has different tastes, they watch the movie they like. Even better, if they like both. From a personal point of view, I always want my Vietnamese movies to be supported."
