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Prachya Pinkaew (director)

Why did you choose Australia as the main location for Tom Yum Goong?

Well, I worked there 10 years ago. At that time, the country was opening up. There were campaigns encouraging people to settle down there. I worked comfortably, everything went very well. So when I finished Ong-Bak and planed a new project, Australia was my first choice. I intended to make the film more international with international elements - plot, characters and location. The country had the kind of qualities which we needed. You have probably noticed that, recently, many Hollywood films have chosen Australia as their location.

How did you and the crew prepare for filming “Tom Yum Goong” in Australia?

Before filming, I went there twice to survey locations and prepare work. We had to cooperate with the Australian film service for example understanding how we must work together as well as searching for appropriate locations. We had to find out what we lacked and solve the problems before filming started.

We were filming in Sydney for a month because 90% of the story is based there. But there were some scenes which we had to film in Thailand, especially action scenes or ones using explosives because Australia is very strict and they have lots of regulations. Although we had a high budget of over 200 million Baht, we still had to be careful with expenses. At first, we planned to use 50 million Baht for production costs in Australia. But once filming started, we had to increase the budget. There were things that were necessary to pay for. We couldn't go backward because we had already invested a lot of money.

For those who like Ong-Bak, I'm sure they will love Tom Yum Goong. They will see more of Tony Jaa's exceptional fighting abilities. We still add a pinch of Thai culture to the film. For Thai people, getting a chance to make a film for foreign audiences is a good way to show them who we really are.

What was it like to work in Australia?

In Sydney, we had to work with local Australian crews it was part of Sydney's Union policy. Our crews were half Thai half Australian. The strict rules and regulations meant that we had to adapt a lot. For example, when we wanted to film at the Tom Yum Goong restaurant which was located in a small alley, we had to block off all the streets in the vicinity and we had to get local crews to help. They wore day-glow shirts and held signs on each side of the street. Then we were free to work. It is a typical production - detailed, accurate and refined. So we didn't have many problems and we were able to finish filming quite quickly. We needed a fair amount of time to prepare things but, like I said, the rules there were very strict compared to Thailand. We had to give people from the Australian crew's positions in the production even though we already the positions filled with our own crew, for example, assistant director, production designer, art director, security guard, stunt men, location manager etc.

What was it like, working with other nationalities? What are the advantages and disadvantages?

The working system there was very well-organized, duties are divided clearly. This is different from our system. In Thailand we use 30 separate crews to make a film, but there we had to use 100. We got a lot of new experiences from working with Australian crews. They gained new experiences from us as well. There are advantages and disadvantages to working with people in Australia. One of the advantages is that we had a chance to learn from their efficient system. One of the disadvantages is that we had to experience things that were not familiar to us and that make us a little nervous. We have to adapt ourselves a lot.

Tom Yum Goong is an action film that emphasize on fighting scenes. So, there must have been some explosive scenes. Did you have any problems filming those scenes in Australia?

The security there was very strict which was sometimes a bit of a stumbling block. We intended to do really violent and vigorous action scenes, similar to Ong-Bak but we couldn't do that much in Australia. There, stunt men have to have licenses and there is a union which takes care of all of its members. Thai stunt men had to be approved by the Union too. So, filming in Australia wasn't easy because of the safety first requirements. In one particular elephant scene, one of the elephants was walking in the street whilst people and cars were passing by. To ensure safety all the extras in that scene had to be stunt men. Or even me, I could watch from the footpath, but whenever I stepped on the road, I would have to wear a fluorescent top. That this is quite a high quality security system.

Were there any special locations in Australia that you want to film?

Yes. I intended to film The Opera House and The Harbour Bridge which are symbols of Australia. These two important places have appeared in many movies like Finding Nemo and Mission Impossible 2. But I want to use them in a different setting. Darling Harbour, a trademark of the country where many tourists come to visit, is one of my locations. We also filmed at Thai town where the lifestyle of Thai people is eminent everywhere. This was an important location because most of the story happens in Thai town. The character Mark played by Mum Jokmok is a police officer who patrols Thai town in Sydney. Sydney is the Australian city which we filmed in.

Apart from Tony Jaa's Muay Thai scenes, what do you really want to present in the film?

I want to talk about Thailand's elephant problem. Australia is a country that preserves animals. You will find that many symbols of their country are animals; kangaroos or koalas. So, they oppose Thailand's bad treatment of elephants, such as; breaking up elephant families or allowing elephants wander in city streets. I want show that most people misunderstand the situation. I want to tell everyone that Thailand does not agree with what is happening to the elephants and we are trying to solve the problem. So, it is important for me to explain to everyone the differences between the truth and myths and I wanted to set the record straight before we even started filming. To use animals in Australia, we needed to first quarantine the animals in Singapore for 6 months before we were allowed to bring them in the country. This wasn't easy because the importation of elephants has to be authorized by the Australian government. We also had to cooperate with many organizations from both Thailand and Australia, including respective governments, Embassies and the Consulates.

What are the differences between Tom Yum Goong and Ong-Bak?

Like Ong-Bak, we have introduced Thai culture into the movie. We want to show how Thai people feel about their culture. In Ong-Bak, we tried to show how theft and the improper dissemination Buddha statues could not be accepted by Thai people. In Tom Yum Goong, we place significance of elephants in Thai society. We have elephants in Thailand but unfortunately many countries accuse us of treating them badly. I wanted to explain what was really happening. And because this is an action movie, we created new Muay Thai maneuvers specifically for all those people who are interested in our style of martial arts.

Could you tell us about the elephants in the film?

There are 2 elephants in the film, Por Yai and its son. The first one appeared the film Suriyothai. He has beautiful ivory tusks. The other one is named Yoyo. He is really clever. We had a lot of assistance from elephant keepers in Surin and Ayuttaya as well as many elephant foundations.

We heard that you cast foreign actors.

That's right. There are some foreign actors. One of those is Johnny Nguyen, a Vietnamese national who grew up in L.A. where he became an actor and stunt man. He was the stunt man in the blockbuster movie "Spiderman". He has superb fighting skill so he was picked to be one Tony's greatest adversaries. After seeing Ong-Bak, Johnny immediately agreed to star in this film. I also cast Nathan Jones who starred in as a giant warrior in the film "Troy". He is an Australian wrestler with a giant body. I wanted to see how Tony could beat such a humungous guy as him. I think these actors decided to play in Tom Yum Goong because of Ong-Bak's reputation. As for Jin Xing, She is a Chinese woman who I saw on UBC cable TV. She is gracious yet strong. Her life is very interesting. She had to struggle a lot to achieve the kind of success she has now. Now, she is an actor and dancing trainer with lots of personal skills. She will also be one of Tony's leading opponents.

Audiences were impressed by the action scenes in Ong-Bak. Can you tell us about the action scenes in Tom Yum Goong? How did you prepare for them?

After Tony and I finished Ong-Bak, we were always trying to come up with new ideas for action scenes. We try to imagine what we wanted and then checked if it would be possible to make them happen. We were constantly developing and modifying the ideas because we wanted the film to be perfect. I don't want to disappoint the audiences. I want to show them something new, something they would never expect. We put so many different ingredients into the film just like the dish 'Tom Yum Goong' which is full herbs and spices.

Do you have any surprises to tell us about Tony Jaa?

Of course, I do. The audience wants to see a story with a good plot and exceptional fighting scenes. I can tell you that we filmed a four minute long action scene without even a single cut. It's true that this kind of continuous shot has been popular amongst many filmmakers for a long time, but in Tom Yum Goong, it's different. This is the first martial arts movie to use such technique in an action scene. It was extremely difficult. We had to be careful about the timing everything had to be spot on. If we made a mistake we would have to start right back at the beginning. But this was even more difficult for Tony because not only did he have to fight but he had to climb several flights of stairs in the process. That was exhausting work for Tony but he managed to do it. We had to do many takes which cost a lot of money to perfect this scene but in the end it was worth every cent.

Ong-Bak is essentially a movie of Muay Thai vs. other fighting styles. What is in Tom Yum Goong?

There is a martial art called K-1 which is very popular in Japan and other countries at the moment. We also have Wu Shu by Johnny Nguyen. The effects of these styles of fighting when placed beside Muay Thai are stunning.

After increasing our budget, we learned that filming abroad even with a standard production crew is much more expensive than filming in Thailand. However, the end result is definitely worth it. I personally that Tom Yum Goong can compete with major Hollywood titles.

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Tony Jaa

From his worldly success in Ong-Bak , “Jaa Panom Yeerum” or “Tony Jaa” as know by his foreign fan, is now famous for his Thai boxing and action scenes with no sling. He is now a superstar like Bruce lee and Jet Lee and become “The Icon of Martial Art” for his fan around the world.

Certainly, in his latest film “Tom Yum Goong” , his fan will get to see the colorful art of Thai boxing “The legend of Elephant Movement” , which he has been trained for years. No one has seen this on a film before.

Please tell us about working in Australia

Yes, for shooting this film in Sydney, we use many places that are the symbols of Australia such as Darling Harbour, Harbour Bride, Opera House, etc. This is because we want a new and refreshing atmosphere for a Thai film.

While working, we separate in two teams. The Australian team and the Thai team. The Australian, they had seen “Ong-Bak” and they liked it very much. Both team worked smoothly and they coordinated well with each other. That's why the work come out so professional. The Australian way of working is very disciplined, which is good. They were always on time. They started and finished shooting exactly at the time on their schedule. Once it is five o'clock, they immediately stopped working. So we need to make adjustment and need to speed up in our part. Another important thing is safety. There could be danger if our safety system is not good, so we were also very careful about this.

Action Scene in Australia

We had already prepared for the shooting of the action scenes from Thailand . We designed the action movements and then put them in camera so that the director and his team could see how it would come out. There are attacking, defending and safety movements, which made it easy for everyone involved. When we see the location in Australia , we can add more actions that seem fit. I think, overall, the action scenes really look grand and beautiful. The action shorts are plenty and various in style. I think the audience will enjoy them. There are also new things like the fighting with X Game, the fight scene in Thai temple, the 4-minute action long-take scene, and the high-light of hurling, pressing, grabbing and breaking movement that I use to fight Nathan Jones in the climax of the film.

What is new about the Thai boxing in this film?

We have a new set of Thai boxing movement that foreigners have never seen and even Thai people are not familiar with. It is called “Muay Chang Tumlai Roang” (Smashing Elephant Boxing). The main movements are hurling, pressing, grabbing, and breaking. The heart of this art is to get close to the enemy and fight them with fists, arms, knees, shanks, and feet. We hurt the enemy by mainly using the force of throwing, the weight and the moving of body. The highlight movement is called “Smashing Elephant”. It's not like anything in other action films. You better see it in the theatre.

What about the before-shooting preparation for the action scenes?

It is very challenging for me and our team since the people have been impressed with the ancient Thai boxing in “Ong-Bak”. We have prepared and practiced the action shots way ahead of time. We have experience from Ong-Bak so we just added in the new things that are still reflect Thai martial art into the film. The production is much bigger. As for the elephant boxing that I told you, I and my team had been researched and gone through training from many boxing teachers in Thailand, until we come out with these wonderful movements in the film.

What about character and story?

In ‘Tom Yum Goong”, I play Kham , a man who has to live his home to find an elephant and its baby, which had been kidnapped by foreign villains. He also had to fight them in a foreign land.

Kham is a character with good moral. He has the quality of a person who has been well-trained in the art of boxing. He is brave and he is kind to anyone in need. Also, he is a very grateful person. These are the quality of a good Thai boxer.

Throughout the story, the audience will see the bond between people and elephant. Actually, there is this bond in my real family, too. It is also about Jaturongkabaht, the four royal bodyguards that stand at each of the elephant that the King rides to fight the enemy in battle field in the ancient time. When they lost their sword, they will use the elephant boxing (Muay Kochasan) to defend themselves.

About the bond between man and elephant, Kham loves and respect his male elephant “Phor Yai” or “The Big Father” as if it is a member of his family. He meant to give the elephant to the King but unexpectedly it had been stolen and taken away to Sydney . So Kham has to make the decision with his last hope. He will go find it because the elephant is very precious to his family.

The villain in this movie is also something new?

Yes, the villains in this film are different from my other film, in terms of ability and nationality. They come from many different countries. For example, I must fight Nathan Jones, a K1 boxer with such a huge figure. I think it's a challenge and a fun to figure out how a small Thai guy could beat such a giant. The audience will get to see that in the film. I will also have to fight Johnny Nguyen who is a Wu Shu boxer and Jing Xing with his flexible body as a weapon which he had gained from modern dance. I'm sure that my fan from around the world will really see something new in this “Tom Yum Goong”.

Working with Panna and Prachya

I've been getting along well with them for a long time. They always give me freedom to design my own movements, so I did it and show them what I have designed and applied, in order to use the movements in the film. I have worked with Prachya since “Ong-Bak”. We always understand each other well. I focus on the action. He directs and supervises the making. I feel very comfortable working with him.

Tell us about the 4-minute action scene with no cut.

That scene in Tom Yum Goong restaurant is a long-take shooting. It happens when I walk into the restaurant, looking for my elephant, then I see my enemy Johnny Nguyen and we fight. It's the longest no-cut action scene in the world. No other film has done such a thing. We fight from the first floor to the fourth floor.

On the first floor we use 40 stunts and 100 extra actors. It is a huge scene and we practiced a lot before the real shooting.

The audience will see everything for 4 minutes without any cut. This takes a lot of energy and skill. I had to be very fit for this scene. Everybody had to walk up the stairs of a four-floor building, including the safety team, the shooting team, and the stunts. Everything must be ready. No mistake or we'll have to shoot it right from the start again. Oh well, it took us 5 takes. I was really exhausted!

Tell us why we should not miss “Tom Yum Goong”

If you're an action film lover, you shouldn't miss it, especially those who have seen Ong-Bak before. You will have all the excitement and fun, and certainly, something new that you have never seen in any other action movies, the elephant movement: hurling, pressing, grabbing and breaking. We still use the same concept, no sling and no stunt. You'll see the real talent of the actors and the shooting team in this film.

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Petchai Wongkamlao

Before the audience will get to laugh out loud till they fall off their seat watching “Hello Yasothorn” the second film that Mom directs, they will firstly get the hors d'oeuvre by watching him play the young police role in Tom Yum Goong who gets involved with fighting all the enemies of Jaa Panom because they are also the enemies of his own career.

Although Tom Yum Goong has a bunch of fabulous action scenes, it needs a spice of laughter to make it colorful as well. This “Mom Jokmok” spice will make the film even more tasty.

Can you introduce us to this “Tom Yum Goong” dish?

Oh, it's a very hot and spicy dish. You see, the name tells everything. Tom Yum Goong is hot and sour and delicious. Very different from what you have seen before.

What is special or different about it?

Don't you know? It's special because it has galingale, lemon grass, and kaffir lime leaves. Tom Yum Goong cannot be complete without them. Well, let me tell you, they double up the spices. Just imagine how it will come out.

This is a first time that you get a police role

Yes, I play “Sergeant Mark”, a very hard role to play. Why? Well, there are hundreds of foreign people surrounding me. That's why! And my English is so excellent, you know that. I was born in Texas , go to school in Van Couver and have a Swedish father. No problem with English at all. Yeah, right. (Sarcastically speaking)

This is the first Thai movie that the Thai audience will have to read the subtitles. There will be a lot of subtitles to read, you can bet. Well, the film is going to international class, you know. And I, Mom Jokmok, is also going to be an international actor! Well, or something like that.

Do you have a buddy for your role?

Yes, of course, I got David for my buddy. He plays the role of Rick. Rick with the “K”, please pronounce it correctly, people. I have no problem having a buddy. A young man half-American half –Thai. Fluently in English. That's him. Not me.

Tell us about Mark character

He is a straight forward person who is betrayed by another police man. Normal thing that happens to a good cop, I think. He is very honest in his work and does not like to take advantage of other people.

How do you feel about working with Tony Jaa again?

Tony Jaa is his English name. Do you know that I also have my English name? It's Mommy Lao. If one day you hear someone talks about Mommy Lao, that's me. Ok, Jaa in this film is very outstanding. He has brand new acting shorts to work with everyday. He is very hard-working actor. He really loves what he is doing and he devotes himself to it. He was born for it. Oh, my God, Tony Jaa!

Can you tell us about working with foreign actors?

We have many foreign actors in this film. The big huge guy is Nathan Jones and the Vietnamese is Johnny Nguyen. He used to be the Spiderman stunt for Toby McGuire so you should know that he was the one climbing the building in Spiderman suit.

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Bongkok Kongmalai

Another spice of Tom Yum Goong is the hot and talented Thai actress “Bongkuch Kongmalai” or “Tuk” . In this big world-class action film, she plays a character that is different from most roles that she had received throughout her acting career. She is going to tell us about it in this interview.

Talk about your character/role in this film

Ok, right now, I am in Sydney, Australia for the shooting of Tom Yum Goong. I play the character of “Pla”, a Thai girl who has been deceived and sold to prostitution in Australia. She gets addicted to drug and gets herself involved with a bunch of drug sellers. Then I meet Jaa and we start to help each other because we both are Thai people who are lost in a foreign land.

What you find interesting about this role?

One thing I like is that I get to speak English in the film. Doing that it's like you move up another step of your career. Besides, the film is shot in Australia and I find that changing the atmosphere from Thailand to another country is a lot of fun. I get to work with the Australian camera crew, too. As for my role, what I find interesting is that she is a girl with a good heart although her lifestyle is something that most people look down at. In the past, I usually get a role of ancient-time Thai lady, but in this film I am a very modern character, an audacious girl. It's a big change for me.

Are you worried about taking a role of a prostitute?

Not at all. In the film I just dance in a bar, no love scene or any act of selling sex. Dancing in a bar just make you look sexy. Besides, I find that Agogo dance is quite challenging.

How do you feel about working with Australian crew?

Hmm…actually, I'm a little scared. I am a Thai, they are Australians. There must be a lot of differences in culture. I'm not sure how to please them. However, they seem to be simple and easy. They can take everything half-half. Like half Thai food and Australian food mixing together. They also learn a lot of Thai language from me and I learn English from them. Well, it's good. A change in atmosphere and a language improvement for me, I think.

They are very professional in their work. They do everything quickly and on time. It's a different from the Thai. They are really into what they're doing. Their schedule is very strict. No early. No late. When it's time to eat, they eat. If it's 15 minute break, then they just take exactly 15 minutes, not more or less. It helps improving our discipline in a way. At first, when the Australian team met the easy- and-laid-back Thai team, they seemed to be a little confused. Well, after that we know how to get along with each other anyway. Everything goes smoothly.

How do you feel about working with Prachya Pinkaew for the first time?

Yes, it's my first time working with him. He speaks very little, but he is cute and quiet in his own way. He really focuses on his work. Was there any difficulty in working with him? Well, actually, in a way, yes. If there is any scene not perfect, he will keep doing it again and again. He does not make it look like a big deal, though. He does not pressure the actors and actresses.

However, there is something easy about working with him, too. He does not speak too much, not like some other directors. It's easy to work with him because he explains shortly; if I get it then I can go ahead and work. Well, but if I don't get it, he will not explain anymore. The assistant director will be the one explaining, he-he!

The most difficult thing about acting in this film

Every scene that I have to speak English is difficult for me. I don't use much English in my daily life, so this is hard for me. We need to understand all the dialogue thoroughly or we won't be able to know what feeling or emotion to express. At first, I took many takes to pass those scenes, but later I understand more English and it gets easier.

What do you like about the film “Tom Yum Goong”

The action movements. They are outstanding and original. I like that rare Thai-style boxing, and I think putting a foreigner and a Thai in a fighting scene makes it look challenging. The audience will wonder how the Thai is going to win.

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Xing Jing

What is your character in this movie?

In this feature film, Tom Yum Goong, I play Madame Rose, which is Chinese mafia who running a restaurant and mafia business in Sydney.

How is your character in this movie?

In this movie she's quite controversial character. One is very substantial suspicious, always has a fortune teller guides her life, same time, she's very mean person. She has all the wretched ambition in her mind, and she tries to find all the ways to get what she wants. And she has a special hobby to collect the skeletons of animals, which was the main topic of this movie.

How did you feel when you get a casting for this movie?

I was surprised by the quality of the film, Ong-Bak, because before I think I have little knowledge about Thai movie. But before I take this job I saw Tony Jaa's first movie, it was good quality, well done, really convince me to participate, to join this film. And of course, besides of that, personally I'm a big fan of Thai culture so that's why for me it's so easy to take this job.

You said you are a dancer, right / How do you mix the dancing with the fighting scene?

Actually, the fighting scene, of course, the way you act, everything comes from my background. I'm a dancer, I'm a performer on a stage and for the physical movement performance for me is quite easy. And especially, when facing Tony Jaa's movement is really beautiful fighting and very convincing. I think, according to this partner, when you play the movie, I don't think any kind of quality you can beat him. He is very convincing, very beautiful fighter.

How do you feel about the original Thai boxing?

Actually, Thai boxing is one of sports that is very challenging and exciting and also shows lots of strength of Thai people. I think Thai boxing is beautiful legs, the kicking and legs, the techniques, it's amazing. I think one of the most beautiful one of the ancient art that exists in the modern time. I think that's why for me it's amazing to participating, to know more about Thai boxing.

Have you got any obstacle when you do the scene with Tony Jaa?

Actually, when I did the scene, I play the character of Madame Rose that is a bad woman, bad character. But, same time, besides the shooting, I really enjoin watching his performance, his acting, his movement and also the action directing of the movement that's creative it's quite enjoyable even I'm in the production. I'm sure the audience will not be disappointed.

How about the director? How do you feel about working with the director and Tom Yum Goong?

I think, personally, I meet all kind of directors, theatre director, movies director, but I like a director quiet. They have a lot of things in their mind, they don't talk too much. Some people talk too much, I mean they don't have many things in their brain. But I like the director. He is very cute and thinking a lot. He doesn't talk too much, but he knows what he wants. I think the end of the film come out, it's a surprise.

How about Tony Jaa?

Tony Jaa is sweet character and besides his character he is very nice man, sweet, humble and caring and good performance. He knows exactly where a camera is, he knows how to use energy and he knows how to act this movie. I feel privilege working with Thai production, it's my first time, I think it's very good team, I hope it won't be last time, it's really enjoyable. I'm sure this film will get a lot of audiences to appreciate it.

Would you like to say something to Thai fans?

I think Thai people should be proud of having such a good quality film, such quality actors in the country. And in the correct and emotional to promote Thai culture and Thai boxing in the correct way. And this is a very quality action film; of course, this is not a lot of junk action. But this is a good one. Not because I'm in this one, it's Tony Jaa's performance is excellent.

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Johnny Nguyen

What is your character in this movie?

I play a Vietnamese-Australian living in Australia and run a restaurant called Tom Yum Goong, we are up to no good.

How do you feel about working with a Thai Crew, Thai actors and actress?

I haven't had a chance to have any bad experience working in the set yet. They have all been good; I have not experience anything uncomfortable yet. I am very comfortable working with film crew, everybody is lovely.

How is Prachya Pinkaew?

He is a little quiet, so I don't know if he likes me or not, but when he does talk to me, he seems nice.

Do you think your character is interesting? Why do you choose to join into this production?

I saw the movie Ong Bak when I was in L.A. before even I was offered the past. A friend of mind shows the movie tome it's very revolutionary to do an action. And when I got offer the part I was very excited, I wanted always to play bad guy, it is more interesting to play.

Why?

You know, when we all grow up watching movie, it's the bad guy. The good guy made the movie good, but the bad guys make the movie better. When we made action movie, it was always a villain, I like to play a villain.

What's special about this character besides being bad?

I choose, love to play this character because I got to fight Tony Jaa. I think, I look forward to it a lot even before we start shooting, did start shooting. It's very comfortable doing a fight scene with Tony, because he has a very good control and technique.

Can you tell us the special action scene that you play just for example?

I don't want to give away anything. But I can say I didn't know if I am allow to say… It's when Tony goes to the Tom Yum Goong restaurant and look for his elephant. And he has to fight his way all the way to the top of the restaurant and then meet me up there, but I saw the footage of his fighting all the way up to the top and we did a big fight then at the end of the scene and that ‘s when I fight with him.

What's your specialization in term of martial arts?

I've been training in Wu Shu for 12 years and later Kung Fu, Traditional Kung Fu, Aikido and even Tai chi.

When you get into a fight scene with Tony, what technique do you use?

We use Wu Shu and a little bit of Tae Kwan Do, Aikido mix together.

Do you have something to say about Tony?

Tony is a very nice guy. We joke around a lot on the set to keep the tension, the pressure down, and he is very talented and he is a nice guy.

Have any of you tried to teach each other the fighting technique?

Yes, we have. Tony is interested in Wu Shu and the stuffs I do. I try to do the thing I do and the other. Yesterday, when we are rehearsing for the fight scene I saw Tony did a couple of kicks which are kind of pretty new to me. So I went on to try it. We try to teach each other. Like a friendship kind of things.

How do you feel about working with the Thai crew, I mean the actor specifically, Tony, Tuk and others?

Tuk was very light-hearted and very comfortable to me to work with. She does not speak English that well and I do not speak Thai very much at all. We try to communicate on the set and that kind of interesting.

How do you feel about working with Mum?

Pee Mum? Somehow, I don't understand what he is saying, but it's still funny. It's just you don't know what he is saying but it's funny to me. I don't know, he is a natural talented comedian.

Sometimes you need to interact with him in English, right?

Yes, sometimes, he will say a few words in English and the rest in Thai, I will laugh with his Thai jokes even then, it's something about his face or his character.

How do you feel about working in Thailand and in Australia in comparison?

Working in Thailand the only thing that was uncomfortable to me was the heat, it was SOOO Hot. Especially when we are doing the fight scene. We were in jacket, lather jacket thick one, we were sweating a lot. Here, I assure you the weather was great, but the flies, does it happen to you too? The flies that fly around, I don't know where they come from. This is the only thing bad here.

Do you think there is a difference working in Australia comparing to working in Thailand ? Except those...

Except the Heat and the flies? I'd say it's pretty much the same.

What is your impression for this Tom Yum Goong Production?

I saw the trailer yesterday and I got a chance to see the footage too. It looks very beautiful and I have a chance to see some of the action scene. Awesome, I think it gonna be really good.

Source : TYG official site