In 2003, Dai found himself in debt after money he received for an abortive film project had to be repaid. To pay off his debts, Dai took a role in the smash hit TV series The Hospital, but after the series ended he opted to drop out of sight rather than continue taking other roles to cash in on his celebrity.
2003 年，他以兩岸題材《射距 2,300 米》順利申請到新聞局的 1,000 萬元輔導金，可惜當時兩岸合拍風氣未盛，苦籌不到拍攝所需的 8,000 萬元資金，在輔導金 1 年期滿後宣告放棄，不但要原數奉還，還被罰款 100 萬元，再加上利息，總共損失了 180 萬元！