Miss adventure

Ball gets happy

By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb
and courtesy of M39

Famous film director Yacht Rergchai has made several blockbuster movies for M39, including Bangkok Sweetie and Sood Ked Salet Ped (Loser Lover). More recently, the 45-year-old director took on the role as producer for the new comedy movie, Pa Happy She Ta Yoe (Miss Happy).

Miss Happy stars Pancake Khemanit as a happy-go-lucky woman named Happy, who often annoys her best friend Golfie (Ben Chalatit). Unfortunately, Happy is diagnosed with having an irregular heartbeat that will likely cause her death within a month. In an effort to survive, Happy looks up information and finds a YouTube video made by Tul, played by Jitpanu Klomkaew (Ball). Tul’s video claims that Happy can stay alive if she dances in the way shown in the video.

Student Weekly recently caught up with 24-year-old Ball at a café to chat about his experience making Miss Happy and working with Pancake.

Student Weekly: How did you first get interested in showbiz work?

Ball: I started by acting in TV commercials when I was a first-year university student. I wanted to earn some money and it was great pay for a student. But now I really enjoy acting. I’ve never looked at my watch while working at a set.

Student Weekly: Have you ever experienced any difficulties with your acting during filming?

Ball: There are many things that can distract an actor when filming on location, such as rain or noise from a crowd. For the TV drama E-Sao Antarai [Dangerous Girl], we filmed at a market and it was really noisy. I had to speak louder and louder until it didn’t sound natural.

Student Weekly: Can you describe your character Tul in Miss Happy?

Ball: Tul has a good heart. He doesn’t mean to hurt anybody. But he also doesn’t know how to express himself nicely. He often does the opposite to what he thinks, and he likes to be sarcastic.

Student Weekly: Did you enjoy playing this character?

Ball: Yes. It was challenging and fun. Tul has a complicated mind. Despite his good heart, he often gets angry. He sometimes lacks confidence and needs some support from his friends.

Student Weekly: What was it like working with Pancake?

Ball: She’s so beautiful. I felt tense when we had to attend an acting workshop together, but it helped us to get to know each other so that we could act naturally. Pancake is generally cheerful, but she takes her work seriously.

Student Weekly: Which scene in Miss Happy is your favourite?

Ball: The dramatic scene when Golfie confronts Tul to take responsibility for what he does to Happy. I could feel Golfie’s energy, and Happy started to cry. It felt so real that I forgot we were making a movie!

Student Weekly: Which character in the upcoming TV dramas Dangerous Girl and Nueng Nai Suang [One Love] is the most difficult for you to play?

Ball: In One Love I play a sincere doctor, while in Dangerous Girl I play an engineering student. Playing the doctor is more difficult because his personality is well-mannered and he speaks slowly, whereas I’m pretty hyperactive in real life.

Student Weekly: Did you enjoy filming on the island of Malta in Southern Europe?

Ball: The seawater there is crystal clear. It must be a place where people go to retire or visit for holidays because I saw lots of children and old people there. The nature, views and weather there were fantastic. We filmed part of Miss Happy in Malta because in the movie Happy hears that somebody lived a long life by breathing the clean air there.

Student Weekly: Why should people check out Miss Happy?

Ball: In this movie, you get to see Pancake with a totally new look. Ben Chalatit does a great job with his comedy role, and it’s also my first movie. Please check it out!

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