Page 163 recalls memories with actor Diem Hoai Le, a veteran artist who breathed life into 13 roles in classic films. Journey to the westwhich mentioned the artist’s final days and his regrets.
According to 163, Yan Huaili is a dedicated and passionate actor. He is a veteran actor in China and was awarded the Chinese Labor Medal. The actor works at the People’s Art Theater, when he heard the news Journey to the West film crew casting, Diem Hoai Le participated with the desire to play the role of the king of the country of O Ke because at that time he was 46 years old, it was difficult to play the main role.
However, director Duong Khiet thought that Diem Hoai Le was very suitable for the role of Sa Tang and decided to give him the role.
The late actor Diem Hoai Le as Sa Tang. |
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Diem Hoai Le played 13 other supporting roles, with such different looks and acting that the audience couldn’t recognize him. |
Time of execution Part One of Journey to the Westthe film crew lacked funds and encountered many difficulties. To save on salary, the actor took on 13 different supporting roles, from the King of Hell to the duck herder, but he did not take a single penny in salary and only acted out of passion for acting.
His pulmonary fibrosis even originated from an incident on the set of Journey to the West Part 2. In 1993, when the crew was filming in a wooded area with lots of mosquitoes, the staff informed everyone to avoid spraying insecticide because Diem Hoai Le had rhinitis, so he could not smell the strong smell of insecticide. The actor had a habit of studying the script in his room, so he did not know what was happening, only occasionally feeling chest tightness and having to go outside to breathe air.
Later, when he returned to Beijing, during an outing, Yan Huaili fainted. After being taken to the hospital, it was discovered that his lungs were swollen due to inhaling too much toxic gas. This incident was also related to the lung disease that the actor later suffered from.
When asked why he did not ask the crew of Journey to the West to take responsibility for the incident and his health problems, the actor said he did not want to reduce people’s love and faith in art. He loves acting and a little damage to health or money is not a big deal.
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Friends often visited the late artist in his later years. |
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Ma Dehua (Pigsy) is sad because he can’t see his friend one last time. |
During his final years, Yan Huaili had to use a wheelchair and depend on his wife for daily activities. Actors from Journey to the West such as Liu Xiao Ling Tong (Sun Wukong), Chi Zhong Rui (Tang Seng), and Ma De Hua (Pigsy) often visited him. According to Liu Xiao Ling Tong, in his final moments, his wife, children, and friends were all by his side, but Ma De Hua did not make it. Yan Huaili really wanted to see his old colleague and close friend before closing his eyes, but he did not make it.
According to Liu Xiao Ling Tong, the reason Yan Huaili and Ma Dehua were so close was because during the filming of Journey to the West, they shared lunch boxes and filmed almost every scene together. He passed away in 2009 at the age of 73. In addition to Journey to the West, Yan Huaili also appeared in the film Romance of the Three Kingdoms as Cheng Pu and Ji Xiaolan, among many other works.