‘Acting In A Movie Was Amazing’ – Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat Recalls His Big-Screen Debut

When “No.1” Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat returns against Denis “The Bosnian Menace” Puric at ONE Fight Night 17 on Prime Video, it will have been four years since he last competed in ONE Championship – but the 34-year-old has kept himself busy.  

As well as coaching and competing in Muay Thai and kick-starting a fresh career in MMA, “No.1” added a new string to his bow by acting in a Vietnamese film titled “Vo Sinh Dai Chien” (“The Battle of Pupils”) in 2021. 

Although he’s back to his life as a fighter ahead of his next battle in U.S. primetime on Friday, December 8, Duy Nhat certainly enjoyed his foray into the world of cinema. 

The Vietnamese star told onefc.com:

“[The film] is about the journey of a newly relocated boy, in which he found his love for Vietnamese traditional martial arts, as well as a girl. I starred as Ba Long, the elder pupil of the traditional martial arts club. 

“I didn’t expect that I could play a role, but acting in a movie was amazing. I had a lot of fun filming. The director and other actors helped me a lot.” 

With no prior experience, Duy Nhat didn’t know what to expect when he first stepped foot on set, but fortunately, much of his role was already second nature to him.  

As a lifelong martial artist and a longtime coach, “No.1” had no trouble getting into a character with so many similarities.

Reflecting on the role and the reception he got, Duy Nhat said: 

“Ba Long might just be a different version of me in the movie, I think. I coached and mentored young fighters in real life, so when I arrived, people told me that I could work, coach, shout, and cheer – exactly the same thing I do in the gym. It made filming much easier for me. 

“Many said the movie was good and that I portrayed my character quite well. Lucky me!” 

Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat Would Welcome More Acting Roles 

Nguyen Tran Duy Nhat is used to hard physical toil through his career as a martial artist, but he gained a new respect for the cast and crew involved in making “Vo Sinh Dai Chien” while getting an inside look at the strenuous schedule needed for filming. 

Just like in the gym, the teamwork required built a strong sense of camaraderie between every person who took part in the process – and the final product made everything worthwhile.

He offered: 

“Filming is a hard task, but I felt excited seeing so many people focus on making a great story on a film set.  

“There is a scene where my character, Ba Long. needed to train Khoa (the main character) under the moonlight. We used the four sleepless nights to get it done, to fix the angles and things like that.

Most of the actors were not martial arts practitioners. In the end, everybody was exhausted, but the result was worth it.” 

Duy Nhat still has some prime years and big goals left in ONE Championship, so he won’t take his eyes off those just yet. At the same time, his first experience of acting has definitely ignited something inside of him.  

The elite striker would welcome more opportunities to go in front of the camera and share his passion for combat sports with audiences via the silver screen.  

“No.1” added: 

“Yes, why not [act in more films]! Acting is so fun. I loved bringing flashy, explosive action scenes to the movie. I hope there will be more chances to show people that martial arts is such a beautiful thing to see. 

“But if I had to choose, then it would be fighting. I’m a real fighter with a spirit of fighting. I need competition.”