'What's the story behind this?"
Chermarn "Ploy" Boonyasak sticks up her ring finger in a gesture of playful defiance. That's the pose we see on the poster of her latest film, Maimee Samui Samrab Ther (Samui Song). We get a glimpse of small tattoos on both wrists, peeking from underneath the bangles she's wearing.
A scene from Samui Song. Sahamongkol Film/ Samui Song movie
"A dreadful marriage," she said later, answering her own question, while sipping on hot chamomile tea. Samui Song -- There's No Samui For Her -- is a drama thriller directed by Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, which opens tomorrow in Thai cinemas. It's also a commentary on marital crises and the role of women trapped in a tough world. The film marks Chermarn and Pen-Ek's second collaboration, following the actress' role in Last Life In The Universe, back in 2003.
In Samui Song, Chermarn plays Viyada, a TV actress specialising in a bitchy slapfest melodrama who longs for a break from the stereotype. But her acting career is not the only thing she finds in the dirt. Viyada is married to a foreigner who's obsessed with a mysterious cult and his erectile dysfunction. Fed up with that dreadful marriage, Viyada sees a glimmer of hope when she runs into a hitman (played by David Asavanond) who proposes a way out for her.
"It's a very feminist story," commented Chermarn, 35. "Viyada has been trampled on, and she eventually has to make a decision to fight back. It doesn't mean she'll win in the end. But sometimes, we fight for survival. Even if we may not want to win it this way, there's just no other choice."
Director Pen-Ek, one of the most respected Thai filmmakers, said that the role of Viyada is meant to reflect upon how women in Thai society have to play several roles in differing circumstances.
"The protagonist in the film is an actress, because the way I see it, Thai women are all actresses," said Pen-Ek. "To her boyfriend, she has to play one role. When the boyfriend becomes a husband, she has to play another role. To her parents, she has another role to fulfil. At the office, to her boss and colleagues, she has yet another role. A woman has to go through so many roles in her life."
Chermarn Boonyasak. Pornprom Satrabhaya
On working with director Pen-Ek, Chermarn said she can now die in peace, as he's one of the directors she really feels good to be collaborating with.
"He often sees something others don't. A magical moment," said the actress. "And he was very talented to be able to carve and pull this Viyada character out. When you see her on-screen, she's not Ploy Chermarn. She's Viyada -- an oppressed woman with secrets. She wants to fight. She fears to lose. She threads each step with courage, fear, sadness and big scars."
Chermarn agreed she's playing a character that closely resembles herself, but not just because her character is also an actress. The resemblance goes deeper, to the pain and desire both women experience in their lives.
"The director said, and I quote, that both Viyada and I have been through a lot, with the media and everything. He knows I have a lot of scars on me."
While Viyada is haunted by a bad relationship, Chermarn is in a rocky marriage of her own, with Thai showbiz -- the groom that can be both loving and abusive to its bride. After over two decades in the industry -- weathering scandals, rumours and even a boycott from some influential newspapers -- she's now one of the most popular, and talented, actresses who switches between TV and film. And yet it's not far off to say that treading through stardom has been a struggle.
Chermarn has been criticised for her straightforward and unyielding nature. In 2014, she was banned by some of the entertainment media after a conflict with them following their provoking questions over her Instagram photo in which she stuck her middle finger into a cake. From then on, some media refused outright to cover her. Her frank, sometimes defiant, attitude towards the press and their circus means she doesn't fit the good-girl mould that they love.
"I have no control over criticism," said Chermarn quite matter-of-factly. "Privacy? I have none. And I'd rather not say anything much about it or I'll just land myself in trouble."
She didn't say "again", but she didn't really have to. As a public figure, her life in all aspects has been an object of criticism and scrutiny from the public. One misstep, and everyone is ready to throw stones.
This industry may have caused her great pain. But, despite everything, Chermarn says she loves to be here.
"I gave half my life to this industry and I went crazy with it. I love this job as I'd love my boyfriend. When I love someone, I don't give up on loving them, even when they treat me badly, hurt me, disappoint me or make me cry," she said.
Desire then becomes another trait she shares with her Samui Song character, Viyada the actress. A desire to break free. To stray away from labels and stereotypical roles of nang ake and nang rai -- the good and bad girls of soap operas.
"As actors, it's like we've been laid out a pattern that we have to follow, that we undertake certain roles in lakorn and engage in a certain style of acting as part of our job. A sappy formula, and one that still exists. It's something that I, too, still take part in.
"I've been trying to avoid that pattern, really," said Chermarn. "I don't want to just play the same character over and over. If given an opportunity to try something different and new, then I'm always up for it. It doesn't even have to be a 'pretty' role."
True to her words, Chermarn is not one to shy away from roles that other actresses of her stature might forego. In 2001, when she was just 18, the actress played a teen mum in the drama Na Tang Baan Raek (The First Window). And despite having been a big star since her 20s, she said yes to a small role in the 2007 gay-teen drama Love Of Siam, which eventually won her a Suphannahong National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her role as a vengeful ghost in Bupha Ratree is also interpreted as an expression of feminine anger over patriarchal society.
Films do offer a better variety of roles, opined the actress. But small screens are also catching up, she said, especially with the onset of digital TV and online content. "I think the landscape is changing and the content is getting more fun. People's taste is expanding. It's then up to us actors to choose whether we want to try something new for the audiences as well," she said.
Chermarn cited GTH/GDH series like the high school drama Hormones and the Rashomon-style teen crime story I Hate You, I Love You as some examples of interesting roles that she herself would like to try.
There are different factors that can limit an actor's choice of roles in this industry, and one of the inevitabilities is age. Actresses may eventually have to relinquish their cling on the spotlight roles of nang ake and find themselves suddenly playing mums on the side. But Chermarn is unfazed, feeling it's just a natural course of action that options may get tightened when actors get older. At the same time, she feels it also opens doors for many other opportunities.
"Thai people tend to look down on the acting career a bit. They often say that, when we reach a certain age, all we'll get to play are mothers. But, seriously, what's wrong with that? Do you know how hard it is to find people who can do that? Actresses my age are disappearing, and it's even harder to find people -- both actors and actresses -- to fit the roles in this age group. Then, we have someone like Tai Penpak who plays mothers in so many projects.
"It's hard to find people that actually make good on-screen mums. It's an important role. And, personally, I don't mind playing it. Hey, I even played a teen mum before! It's totally OK," she said.
In one of her latest TV series, The Writers: Kwarm Rak Krung Sudtai, Chermarn plays a lead character who's also a mother of three, and the story follows her love life and tragedy following a failed marriage. It's one of a few series in which the mother isn't treated as mere supporting character.
The actress agrees that Thailand is unlike Hollywood, where we see the likes of Meryl Streep still taking the world by storm. There are indeed more diverse projects available for older actors in the West. But at least Thailand is improving.
While she has no problem playing a mother, Chermarn did say she's probably not going to stay long enough to start playing grandmothers.
"I'm 35," said Chermarn. "If there are still things I can do, then I wanna do them. At the same time, I've been doing this my whole life. I'm tired. And soon the day will come when I'll have to choose whether to stay or leave to do my own things."
She's given herself until the age of 40 to retire from this career.
"But when the time comes, who knows, there might be things I still want to do. Or I might quit even before that. I really don't know my own future. For now, I'll just settle for taking opportunities as they come and make the best of them."
Aside from Samui Song, fans can catch Chermarn in a different role altogether, as a mentor on the modelling-themed reality series The Face Thailand 4: All Stars, airing on Feb 10 on Channel 3. This is her second time undertaking the mentoring job, in which she's pitted against five other mentors, likewise stars in their game, to give second chances to young, aspiring models and actresses -- contestants from previous seasons of The Face Thailand -- to win big and become the new It girl.
Samui Song
