Time Out meets Rhatha Phongam

Rhatha "Ying" Phongam is a household name to most Thais, as she’s been in the entertainment industry for 20 years. She was already considered a local star in her own right—singing hit tracks and starring in blockbuster films—long before she made her fame on the global stage, starring with Ryan Gosling in the crime thriller, Only God Forgives, and walking the Cannes red carpet. After years of staying low-key, handling a beauty business and appearing on sitcom on TV here and there, Ratha returns to the silver screen in the sci-fi/thriller flick, Sisters, in which she portrays a krasue, a female demon in local folklore whose head and internal organs depart its body at night, and flies around hunting for flesh. Time Out sits down with Ying to chat about her role in the movie, her thoughts on the supernatural and the extraterrestrial, and how she sees her future.

What are your thoughts on playing a supernatural being?

Actually I have been cast in a few horror films. When it comes to the krasue, I have been familiar with it since when I was young—I have seen a few horror films with the ghost in them—and, also, the krasue appears in stories that people have been telling through generations. I am glad that I got to play the role since the creature has been a part of Thai culture for a long time. But I also worry about being a krasue in the film because I am now skeptical about its existence—I used to believe the krasue was a woman who can detach her head from her body and float around at night, but with scientific development, it’s no use believing in the old way. I’m also a big fan of action and sci-fi so I’m interested in the krasue as a creature, not a ghost. It could be a person affected by a virus transmitted by aliens hundreds of years ago. Pratchya [Pinkaew, the director] also thinks the krasue is not a spirit. In these contemporary times, where science meets belief, a spirit may not be a spirit but something else. But in the krasue’s case, you can still see its heart beating. It could be alien, that’s the closet thing I can compare it to.

Do you believe in the krasue?

My nannies who brought me up were from Northeastern Thailand, so I believe in the krasue as well as the pee porp [cannibalistic female ghost]. They told me that the krasue ate body waste and rotten things, as well as animals—as also portrayed in the movie. But when we look at the creature as alien, it makes sense because aliens transmitted with a virus may not be able to eat human food. Its food source must be fresh livestock like chicken.

It must have been challenging for you.

Yes, it was. In the other ghost roles I played, I was still in human form. But in this film, my character only has a head. It was very new to me. Sixty percent of the whole film includes the use of computer graphics.

How did you get into character in the flight scenes?

The movement of the krasue with dangling organs shouldn’t be just “floating” and then “stop floating.” Gravity plays its part in the krasue’s unique movements, not to mention the wind that makes its hair flow. So I tried to observe and imitate the movement of birds and how they take flight.

" I do believe there are other species in the universe besides humans."

Did you do any research on the krasue?

A little bit. I have come across reports of sightings when I watch the news. I personally believe in aliens, but not the destructive kind portrayed in Hollywood movies. I do believe there are other species in the universe besides humans. We are not the smartest and the most advanced one. There could be others with more advanced technology.

What makes you believe in aliens? Have you seen one?

No, I have never seen one. I am not obsessed with their existence that I want to see them or know where in the universe they are. But when we consider landmarks like The Great Pyramids of Egypt, these can’t be manmade. The construction is far too complicated [for people in that time]. I do believe that there must be a being that brings all these knowledge to people and is watching over us. I also believe in God and the fact that everything is created by him.

Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok

What about superstition?

If you’re talking about astrology and horoscopes, I believe in them because I believe in the universe and the divine power of movement and the positions of celestial objects. I also believe in Hindu gods like Ganesh, the god of success, wealth and new beginnings, and Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth, fortune and prosperity. As for supernatural powers like mediums who connect with spirits, I don’t believe in that.

Let’s go back to the movie. How was it like working with the director, Prachya Pinkaew?

He isn’t a talkative person, but I can feel his personality and know that he is full of energy. When we were working on how to make Krasue’s look natural, he was the one who came up with all these ideas from his wild imagination. It kind of reminded me of when I was working with Only God Forgives’ director, Nicolas Winding Refn. Refn is colorblind and can’t see mid-colors, so when he directed frames and shots in the movie, something special really came out. I see something like that in Prachya—I think their “imperfections” are what make them unique.

People have associated you with singing and dancing, but are you more an actress or a singer?

I do like them both. If someone gives me a mic to sing, I can sing right away, but for acting, it takes more time since I have to impersonate someone else. All in all, I’m happy with everything I do, so I can’t really say what I like more than another.

Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok

Is there a role you haven’t gotten a chance to play but want to?

There is, actually. I want to play a mime. No words. Only eyes and facial expressions. In sitcoms, people have gotten used to my voice and how I speak, so it would be really challenging to not say a word at all.

"It became what I love, and I started to crave good and challenging roles. I started wanting roles that would teach me something."

You’ve been in the industry since you were 16 years old. Can you describe how things have changed in terms of work?

From age 16 to 20, everything was so easy. There were always people doing things for me in every situation, from coming up with song titles to creating song lyrics. All I had to do was practice and record, and then do music videos and cover shoots. Everything went by so fast, and I didn’t even know if that was what I really wanted. It was a good time, though. I got to meet a lot of people, worked in several projects and performed in so many big concerts. I got to travel around the country and do radio tours, from south to northeast. I really did enjoy them all. But if someone had asked me if I liked or even loved it, I would have said no. My 20s, I would say, was a period of finding myself. When I was around 19 until 21, an incident forced me to go looking for jobs myself. I went to tons of castings, even as an extra. I was lucky enough to do a stage show—Beyond Horizon of Boy [Thakonkiat]—and was then spotted by [TV producer] Nong Arunosha from Channel 3. That time I was in Nong’s soap opera was the time I really enjoyed being an actress. I didn’t even get to learn acting; I did everything by following the direction of others and the director. That went on until I met director M.L Bhandevanov Devakula when I was about 26 years old. I think that was when I started to truly understand acting. From just doing it for fun, it become more like exploring. When I got a certain role I would be like “what do I do with this character.” I would imagine back to the day when she was born. How she was raised. Why she became so spoiled. She must have been handed things easily by her parents. I had to interpret the character myself so it became more fun and challenging. I started to understand the role of an actor. It became what I love, and I started to crave good and challenging roles. I started wanting roles that would teach me something. I wanted to develop. I wanted to work with good actors. I set my goal that I would work with Nok Sinjai [Plengpanich] and even with Hollywood stars like Ryan Gosling, Angelina Jolie, and Natalie Portman.

People think you’re successful. You’re the head of your family and you’re in a good relationship. What do you think?

I don’t think I’m that successful. I can't tell what the highest point in life is, and don't really look that far ahead. But it is a reminder for me to keep things on the right track. For now, I’ll just do my best to make my mother, people around me and myself happy. 

Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok

Sereechai Puttes/Time Out Bangkok