Foei plays heroes and villains

Talented actor Patara Eksangkul (Foei) doesn't just play bad boys. Since his debut in the 2015 TV comedy GPA Sathaban Phan Sabb (Mischievous Institution), he has played several different kinds of character. But most viewers tend to remember his performances as villains, especially after his breakthrough role as a bad guy in the 2016 series O-Negative.

In his latest show, the action drama Team La Torlachon (The Crime), the 23-year-old actor has taken on the challenge of playing a good guy. As Lieutenant Panu, he investigates unusual criminal cases inspired by real life events. These include a life insurance murder, a frozen corpse and an international drug trafficking case. As the lieutenant, Foei has to do both action and drama scenes.

S Weekly met up with the young star at the GMM25 building where he told us about playing good guys and bad guys.

How do you feel about playing bad guys?

Foei: I enjoy it. Playing bad guys makes me see things from different points of view. They don’t have the morals that ordinary people have. Viewers enjoy a villain who does the unexpected.

Do you ever feel uncomfortable doing violent scenes?

Foei: I have to believe in the character. I try to find his reasons for being violent. He probably thinks it’s the only way to achieve his goal.

How do you feel when you see yourself on TV?

Foei: It’s weird. I sometimes notice things that I wasn’t aware I was doing at the time, like squinting or raising an eyebrow. The actions were done unconsciously. It was natural for the character.

Is playing a good person easier than a bad one?

Foei: Not really. It’s challenging in different ways. You still have to make the character believable.
 
How did you prepare to play Lieutenant Panu?

Foei: I had to learn to stand up straight. When talking with higher ranking officers, I always had to be formal.

What preparation did you do for the action scenes?

Foei: I decided to build up my muscles because I was very thin. I exercised in the gym four or five times a week and ate five meals a day for more than a month. I also took workshops to learn aikido and how to handle a gun and handcuffs.

Have your feelings toward the police changed after making this series?

Foei: Yes. The cases in the show were based on real life. I was surprised to learn how they investigated the crimes. They went into a lot of detail.

What was it like to work with your favourite actress, Gypsy Keerati?

Foei: She’s a fantastic actress and a laid-back person. Her performance style is very natural. It was a pleasure to work with her.

As co-host on the travel show Tor Laew (Grown Up), what kind of places do you like to visit?

Foei: I like nature, camping and adventure. In the past, I’d go mountain-climbing and hiking. More recently, I’ve enjoyed going to the seaside.

Do you have a favourite place in Thailand?

Foei: Cheow Lan Dam. The nature is spectacular and it’s isolated from the outside world. I couldn’t get a mobile phone signal outside my room. So instead of everybody playing with their phones, we talked to each other. It was nice.

What have you learned from travelling?

Foei: I’ve had a lot of interesting experiences and developed new perspectives. I was recently in Japan and chatted with a tourist from Brazil. He asked me if Thai people have elephants at home. I was surprised that he’d think that, but I realised that’s how some people see us.