Actress and VJ Natthaveeranut “Jaa” Thongme, 32, now an industry veteran, opens up about her love life and her search for her true passion as she gears up to perform in FAT Radio’s first stage musical, Rak Ha-Hok Sao.

I dreamed of being a diplomat because I loved the idea of traveling abroad and learning the history of a country. I also love languages so I chose to study political science.

I’m so proud, when I’m abroad and I get to talk to foreigners. I always try to convince them to visit Thailand.

Studying gets my adrenaline flowing. It’s fun. I love learning new things. That’s why I’m currently taking a master’s degree, also in political science.

I love giving things a try. At first I didn’t want to work in the entertainment industry but Channel V was auditioning for new VJs, so I thought, why not? Out of some 500 entrants, I was one of six selected to become a VJ after a five-minute trial in front of the camera.

I don’t want to be the center of attention. I never think of myself as an actress. I’m a person who is lucky enough to do many things in life, and acting is just one part of that.

The media is so powerful today. They can decide who is a star and who is a flop with the stroke of a pen.

People tire of their everyday life. That’s why celebrity news is so popular now.

You must work hard to be truly famous. You can’t survive on a pretty face alone. You have to really invest yourself in your work to ensure it’s of the highest quality.

Don’t judge people until you’ve met them. And don’t put on an act to get close to someone. These are some of the biggest things I’ve learned from being in the business for over a decade.

Thai society today is driven by people only thinking of themselves. I mean, we don’t all need to drop everything and help each other, but a little more sharing would be a good start.

Education is the only way to improve society. It might not happen in our lifetime, but serious changes need to be made. Now kids only learn what the system tells them to, so by the time they grow up they don’t know what they really want. Students should be given more freedom of choice.

I don’t mind that people aren’t reading much. It doesn’t mean that they are lazy. The most important things are being able to distinguish between right and wrong, and being able to analyze a situation.

I used to see love as a fairy tale. Everyone would live happily ever after. Now I understand you can’t change someone to be who you want. However, I still dream of finding a soul mate.

There’s not necessarily any right or wrong in a love triangle. I was caught up in one and it was very distressing. I couldn’t choose between the two as I had feelings for both. I was afraid to hurt the other’s feelings.

I don’t have a clear picture of my life at this point. Many women measure themselves by whether they have a good job or a good marriage. Those who are lucky might have both, but I feel like I have neither. I’ve tried so many things, but I don’t know where my true passion lies.

Money isn’t everything. I don’t want to force myself to do things I don’t like for the sake of money.

I pick and choose my work according to my instincts. I don’t make extravagant demands nor do I necessarily need big budgets or top directors.

I like being a DJ best of all. It’s me. I don’t need to wear make-up. I can dress how I want and be myself.

I’d like to work as a coordinator between the government and the entertainment sector to promote our movies in the international market. Thais shouldn’t just accept foreign culture to the detriment of our own.

I love running. You don’t need any gadgets. It’s all about improving yourself. I had a go at car racing but it wasn’t really me. I have no interest in controlling things. I just want to control myself.

Every day is a success. I think like this in order to keeping moving forward. I don’t know how far I’ll go tomorrow but I know it will be a progression from yesterday.

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