I was just a normal kid who dreamed of being a pilot, a soldier or maybe an astronaut. Things that were probably unrealistic, but I was young.

The pivotal moment in my life happened when I was studying political science at Chulalongkorn University.

I had a vision of being the Prime Minister and fixing all the problems in our country. After witnessing what really goes on in the Thai government, I decided to give up and stay away from politics.

When I was studying, Thais would do anything the government told them. They didn’t have respect for their own rights or power as Thai citizens. Their allegiance lay with certain politicians rather than a political party or platform.

The power has shifted to the public today. Sometimes I feel a bit frightened because I think too much power is in the hands of citizens who are able to abuse it by irresponsible protesting.

My grandfather [Dr. Sujit Hiranpruk, a high ranking civil servant who worked for the Foreign Ministy] told me that the best political theory is communism, because everyone is equal and follows the same path.

But eat, shit, screw and sleep is all humans want. Taking advantage of others is human nature.

People should just live their lives happily. Don’t get stressed too much over politics. Elections are the only time we can change how our country is run. In the meantime we can’t do much to fix anything.

I had an easy upbringing. I never really had to go through much hardship. Everyone that went to university with me came from middle to upper class families.

Everyone wanted the same thing: a good job, a good reputation and living with satisfaction. But we were practically brainwashed into striving for the glitz and glamour of fame without noticing it.

I started working while I was still in college because I wanted to buy things. I acted and did whatever job came along and made a lot of money. I thought to myself, “Should I go back and work for the government and take a lower wage?” I decided to stick to show business because I had a better opportunity there already.

If I hadn’t worked as an actor back then, I might be a local government official right now.

I don’t believe a career in this industry has to be short. It’s really up to how much you can improve yourself and your skills. I think studying political science benefited me because it taught me how to manage my life and career.

You always have to have a plan B when your screen time starts to decrease. I have to build up my fortune by establishing my own companies. If I don’t do this I won’t have money to do anything like buying a house or a car.

My company is currently producing fourteen different television shows. I have a satellite channel, resorts and I am doing acting in stage plays such as Ruang Lao Kuen Fhao Pee (see BK+ page 30).

I don’t multitask. I don’t divide my time up. I just do it. I can’t just wait for jobs to come up. I have to work as hard as I can all the time. But typically, I act for three days and work in my office the rest of the week.

The entertainment industry definitely doesn’t offer stability. Yet, acting is the one thing I do where I get to relax and express my true emotions. There aren’t a lot of responsibilities while on the job, aside from memorizing lines.

I think acting on stage is more satisfying than television. It’s a real challenge because every performance is raw and live. The applause and feedback from the audience brings such pleasure that other jobs just can’t offer. It makes me feel like I’m at the peak of my acting career.

My family was initially kind of worried about this career. It meant I wouldn’t have the chance to go study abroad or do something else. Now they see that I’m able to support myself and they’re not that concerned.

Love is a great thing. It forces us to set goals and give reasons for everything that we do.