There's an uncanny numerology associated with Theeradej "Kane" Wongpuapan. One of Thailand's most lovable actors, who's still attracting deafening screams at every public appearance, seems to have a thing for number six.
His first appearance in a TV drama was as one of the six siblings in Hok Pi Nong (1985), directed by his father, the late Weeraprawat Wongpuapan, and his film debut was in Poj Anon's comedy Go-Six (2000).
His lucky number? Maybe, and Theeradej, who's turned 40, has other reasons to feel excited about the new film.
"It had me questioning, 'How did the protagonist end up there in the first place? In that dry pool? How could he survive?'. Like me, other people will be curious. The story then unfolds to give all the answers."
Though he's a household name as a television actor, Theeradej has had a fairly good record with feature films. The Pool comes nine years after Theeradej was last seen in a movie, Bangkok Traffic Love Story, Thailand's biggest film in 2009 and the 14th all-time top-grossing Thai film. One of his earlier roles was as the lead in Khanglang Phap (Behind The Painting), an adaptation of a classic novel about a young student who falls in love with an older female aristocrat.
With The Pool, Theeradej's ready to show his range. The film is a situational thriller, a rare genre among Thai films. When he first read the script by writer-director Ping Lampraplerng, Theeradej was struck by the peculiar plot, which requires him to spend the entire movie with the only other character, played by Ratnamon "Grace" Ratchiratham. But for the most part he's alone, and the waterless pool becomes a sinister trap from which he has to escape. The trailer has revealed that at one point a crocodile somehow finds its way into the pool. (A real reptile was used for the filming of certain scenes, and CGI for the dangerous ones such as fights between Day and the crocodile.)
"Being trapped in an abandoned swimming pool seems like a strange scenario. But anything can happen. One can get stuck in a lift and even the Wild Boar football team in that cave," he said. "Whatever the situation, one has to get a grip of oneself and deal with it in order to survive."
Beyond pushing the protagonists into survival mode, the life-or-death situation in The Pool works as a metaphor: a trap, a no-escape situation, hope in the midst of despair.
"Finding oneself at the bottom of the pool is like hitting rock-bottom in life," Theeradej said. "We can choose to overcome obstacles and get back on our feet or give up and be a victim of circumstance."
To fulfil his perhaps most demanding role, the 80kg actor had to shed 10kg in order to look starved. He was also instructed to refrain from shaving during the length of the shoot to achieve a rugged look.
The action choreography had him falling and rolling over the pool's broken tiles, which gave him cuts and bruises over the six weeks of filming. The director also had him freediving in the filled pool and called cut at almost the last moment that the actor could hold his breath.
Though an ordeal in itself, the acting in The Pool allowed the heartthrob to depart from soap operas' familiar plots, after having starred in over 30 TV productions.
"Some people may ask the difference between TV and movie acting. To me they are the same," he said. "At heart, acting is about imagination and belief that you're that character, and being able to convey his feelings to the audience so that they empathise and share the same emotions as him."
Theeradej's acting career spans two decades, after his debut in Super Luk Thung (1998).
The previous year, his family was hit by the Tom Yum Kung economic crisis in Southeast Asia, and could no longer afford the cost of his education in the US due to the rapid depreciation of the Thai currency.
"My mother asked me to return to Thailand and encouraged me to try out acting, but that wasn't my cup of tea," he recalled. "But I did it because it was a means to earn and save money so that I could go back to study and complete the film-production programme."
He shied away from acting because of his reserved nature and would rather be behind the scenes like his director father, Weeraprawat, and his scriptwriter mother, Kanchana Wongpuapan.
"I was a shy kid and didn't like socialising. Being an actor requires me to be more outgoing, and that's fine for me now, as it's part of the job to be in the spotlight," said Theeradej, who shined after becoming a Channel 3 actor in 2000.
In the following decade, he fulfilled various roles and was best known for those opposite Ann Thongprasom, such as in Raeng Ngao (2001), Oom Rak (2006), Sawan Bieng (2008) and Sootr Saneha (2009).
Their on-screen chemistry was magnetic and the Ann-Kane era is memorialised by wax figures of the two superstars at Madame Tussauds Bangkok.
His off-screen partner is Bussakorn, formerly surnamed Pornwannasirivej, whom he first worked with in the action drama Fon Tok Kee Moo Lai Khon Arai Ma Pob Gun (2000). The couple founded Citizen Kane production house, whose recent soap operas include the drama Rarerng Fai, aired last year, and upcoming romcom Mee Piang Rak.
Producer Bussakorn looked no further than her handsome husband to take the leading roles in these two remakes.
"I have no preference and enjoy acting in any genre. It's like eating food and enjoying various flavours and cuisines," said the father of two boys, Kun and Jun, aged eight and 10.
The seasoned actor doesn't mind playing a dad, as long as it's a substantial role, and prefers being cast as a character that matches his age.
"I can't lie to myself or the audience that I'm still in my 30s in order to portray characters of a younger age," he said.
"We go through a life cycle, which generally is shorter for Thai actors than for our Western counterparts. But with age comes the experience to execute acting for challenging roles such as my part in The Pool."
Ratnamon 'Grace' Ratchiratham and Theeradej 'Kane' Wongpuapan in The Pool.
The making of The Pool.
