Cris Horwang made a name for herself playing a clumsy spinster who is desperate to get married in the movie Rot Fai Fah Ma Ha Na Ther (Bangkok Traffic Love Story) but in real life the superstar is in no rush to reach the altar.
Cris and Watchara "Junior" Watcharapol, heir to the family behind Thailand's No1 newspaper Thai Rath, have broken off their three-year relationship. She says they grew apart because they didn't have time for each other.
"It's not fun to see my broken heart splashed all over the tabloids. I don't want to dramatise it, though. I'm not Moey Li [her character in Rot Fai Fah]," she laughs.
"Like, I'm not looking around and all my friends are married and asking myself, 'What about me?' Marriage is what you do for the right reason. I have an older friend in her forties. She has been going to friends' weddings quite often lately. I asked her why they waited so long to get married. She said it's their second time around."
Cris catapulted to Thai superstardom overnight after the box-office success of Rot Fai Fah Ma Ha Na Ther, and she nabbed best actress awards from a number of national film institutes. She played a plain-looking, 30-year-old woman despairing at being the last of her friends to marry who then fell hard for a skytrain engineer played by heart-throb Theeradej "Ken" Wongpuapan. She made her looks trendy and suddenly every woman dreamt of being ordinary. Well, at least for a couple of years.
"I'm still that ordinary girl," says the actress, who studied ballet at the California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles.
As far as love and marriage go, Cris says they are two totally different things and need not happen together. "When I love somebody, I want to make it work so to be with him for the rest of my life. I spend time with him like a normal couple. Come on, I'm not a 15-year-old girl," Cris says with a wild sort of openness. "A wedding is the social thing. It's the event to officially register we're going to [try to] be with each other for the rest of our lives and to get pregnant without criticism. It doesn't guarantee only death will take us apart."
The 33-year-old actress is drinking up her bubble milk tea while her PR agent comes over to discuss the itinerary and a make-up artist pads her nose. She takes a look at a copy of Brunch from three years ago when she graced the cover. "I remember that interview and the photo shoot at Papaya," Cris says, now some four more films into her career. "It's been quite a ride. I've never stopped working since.
"Am I tired?" she repeats when questioned, smiling, then trying to hold it together, in a way. The effort is a bit exhausting. She flips her wavy hair as she curls up on the couch. "Of course, I am, but I am more of a workaholic. Exhaustion is my driving force. It can be a good thing. It means I have a lot to do," she replies, projecting a warm energy and optimism.
The trouble with being a star is that when people start to treat you like one it can spoil your creativity. Superstardom is a double-edged sword, however Cris seems to be able to handle it and enjoys exploring her talent.
''I can't complain. It's getting better and better. I just wish, though, I had more time for everything.''
She is as busy as ever. In the past three years, Cris averages a movie per year and has been juggling these with her day jobs as a dance teacher, a handbag designer, an entrepreneur and a product representative. Last year she appeared in Rak Jet Tee Dee Jet Hon, and can next be seen in OMG! Oh My Ghost, opening nationwide on Thursday.
In OMG! Cris plays Bee, a sexy upcoming model-celebrity who prematurely passes away. Her spirit is stuck with Kitty, played by comedian Sudarat ''Tooky'' Bootprom, the only one who can, though unwillingly, connect with her. Kitty is a less than mediocre product presenter whose ultimate dream is to appear on a TV show to please her mother. Bee's mission is to help Kitty accomplish that dream. The movie features supernatural friendship and an unusual connection between the two characters.
''I choose to do films that have certain elements which draw me to them, especially the script. After I read OMG! I kept thinking about it. I thought, 'It's going to be good, I can tell.' I didn't choose it because I wanted to play a ghost,'' Cris says. ''I did it because it's a buddy movie, which I'd never done before. Besides, I didn't have to play a ghastly-looking ghost running around to kill people. Actually she's quite a pretty ghost who is high-maintenance even after death. If she was visible you may mistakenly think she's a regular girl. She's not even scary _ she just possesses people a few times,'' she winks.
Cris is full of admiration for her co-star. ''When I was told I would do the film with Tooky, I was very excited. We met before at functions and events and TV shows but we never really worked together like this. She's a genius talent and a real pro,'' says Cris. ''In the scenes with me, she had to do it twice because I was invisible as a ghost. She redid the lines and acted exactly the same. That was amazing. I'm also happy we've become good friends in real life.''
The enthusiasm for the buddy movie probably also comes from longing for her circle of friends. ''I'm the loud and funny one. I'm not the 'pretty' one when I'm with my friends. Never. I'm lucky to have them in my life to support me and ground me. Now we're working all the time. Although we keep updating one another through social networks, we don't hang out as often as we used to. Some of them work harder than I do, some are married and some have kids. I think we've come to the stage of life to do our own things.''
A hint of loneliness can be detected in her voice, which is quite understandable after her highly publicised break-up.
''I thank a lot of people in my life for helping me get through a difficult time,'' she says. ''I was consumed by trying to hold it together. It's challenging and only reflects how little I was living by doing so. Now I'm devoting my time to my work, family and friends.
''Don't get me wrong. I'm still an ordinary girl. I want to get married and have kids and all that stuff, it's just that I'm at a different level now.''
Apparently the self-proclaimed girl next door we met three years ago is still real, but now she's all grown up.
JUST AS SHE IS
AS A GHOST
I don't really believe in ghosts. Their supernatural powers like invisibility or floating don't do it for me. I'd rather be Doraemon [the Japanese anime robot cat] so I could use his magic door. Open it once, I'd be in Paris. Open it again, I'd be in New York (laughs).
AS A WOMAN
I'm just a normal girl, a bit boyish even (laughs). That's probably because I don't have time to get fussy. Besides, I'm too busy to check my boyfriend's phone or to be jealous. I don't want to waste my time on those matters. So when I'm in a relationship, I'm the loveliest girlfriend for him (laughs).
A DANCE TEACHER
I love dancing. It's a part of me. However, I've put it on hold since early this year. I feel like that's cheating. Last year, I didn't have time to prepare lessons for my students at all. Teaching requires focus, time and dedication. I'm sure I will teach dancing again but not for a while.
AS AN ACTRESS
I'm lucky to work in the film industry and the scripts keep coming. I take my job seriously and always look for new challenging roles. I will probably try playing in a television drama. Growing up, I never thought I would be an actress. I'm happy my parents are proud of what I do.
AS A HANDBAG DESIGNER
I like to keep my handbag business small. Again that's because I don't have enough time. My brand name is Secret Weapon because a handbag is indeed a woman's secret weapon. Like we may not feel like dressing up ... but if we carry a good handbag and a nice pair of shoes we're good to go and feel pretty (laughs). My shop design is inspired by Batman's cave.
AS A BRAND AMBASSADOR
To sell a product isn't about showing up with a pretty face and holding it in my hands. I must know it well. It'd be even better if I love it or use it for real. I'd rather represent something I believe in otherwise I'd feel like I'm lying to people. That's unethical. I mean in the advertising world we can sell the truth, can't we?
