Stunned, fatigued, "June Mary" is still happy
They say the best acting is not acting at all, and Patcha "June" Poonpiriya - newly crowned Best Actress at the Subanahongsa Awards - offers proof. "I don't think I was acting so much as being myself," the 19-year-old says of her acclaimed screen debut in
June was quizzed about the big win on Nation TV’s “Nation Midnight” just after picking up the trophy on Sunday. More than anything else, she said, she was surprised. Of course the stars always say that when they scoop up awards. In June’s case, though, she really was surprised.
She said she considered the trek to Pattaya to attend the awards presentation just another experience. And, to be sure, she didn’t get all dressed up for it, choosing rather a semi-casual blouse and slacks from her favourite Thai brand, Greyhound. Only during the broadcast did “one of my team” ask if she’d like to change into something less casual and they got her the dress that she ended up wearing onstage to accept the hardware.
Obviously, going onstage was the last thing she expected.
There was, of course, one other large perk to attending the awards show – June got to meet her favourite actor, Nadech Kugimiya. “He was really friendly,” she said. “When I asked to pose with him for a photo he just grabbed my phone to take a selfie of us!” A whole lot more photos of June standing next to Nadech were taken after the ceremony because he won the Best Actor award. Soon enough, though, June’s inexperience began to show – her face got fatigued from all the smiling, resulting in many pictures of funny expressions, much to the amusement of fans.
Poor kid! The Chulalongkorn University freshman didn’t even want to get into show business, but her dad Suraphol – an actor who’s appeared in “Manut Ngern Duen” (“Salary Man”) and the hit TV series “Hormones” – thought she’d do well onscreen. His attempts to persuade June went nowhere, however, until she won the role in “Mary is Happy”, an independent film directed by Nawapol “Ter” Thamrongrattanarit.
Suraphol is needless to say delighted to have his daughter in the same business as him, although he too was surprised when she won a “Thai Oscar”. It’s bound to bring some major changes, they both know, including many more offers of roles. For starters, June said she’s already seen a massive jump in the number of followers she has on Twitter. There were so many messages of congratulations that she hasn’t been able to reply to them all.
On the other hand, June isn’t exactly a superstar – at least not yet. It’s not like “Mary is Happy” challenged any box-office records: Not a lot of people have seen the movie. Even fewer people know her name, although some have taken to calling her “June Mary”. “I read one comment in the news asking who this Best Actress was,” June grinned on Nation TV. But bigger things no doubt lie ahead. Best enjoy being June Mary, or just plain June, as long as it lasts.
