Coffee caper

Jakjaan aims to please

By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb and courtesy of
Five Star Movie and Hyper Movie

Cashing in on the current coffee craze in Thailand, the new romantic comedy movie Coffee Please combines a story about a local coffee business with conflicts in romantic relationships.

Coffee Please stars Akhamsiri Suwanasuk (Jakjaan) as Faye, who leaves her high-income job and city life to start a coffee farm.

Before Coffee Please hits cinemas on October 17, Student Weekly met up with Jakjaan during the film’s press conference at Terminal 21. The pretty actress told us all about the film and about her upcoming TV drama, Soo San Kon Pen (Cemetery for Living Person).

Student Weekly: Are you addicted to coffee?

Jakjaan: No. I usually drink mocha, but I’m not addicted to it. But I usually drink cold coffee to keep me awake if I have to film late at night on a TV drama.

Student Weekly: What got you interested in this movie?

Jakjaan: Even though I’ve worked on TV dramas more than films, movies have their own charm. If you want to watch a movie, you have to go out of your way to pay and see it.

Coffee Please also gave me an opportunity to work with the actor Pip Rawit. It was also nice to film at Thai coffee fields that I’d never seen before. The film shows viewers that the quality of local coffee is just as good as foreign brands.

Student Weekly: What was it like filming at the coffee fields?

Jakjaan: I saw every process of making coffee, right from picking coffee cherries off the trees. Going up Doi Chaang mountain made me feel dizzy because it was very steep. But once we arrived at the top, the view was incredibly beautiful. It’s definitely worth travelling there.

Student Weekly: As a TV drama actress, do you have to adjust your acting style when you work on a film?

Jakjaan: The director for this film wasn’t strict. I felt that I could act normally, since I’d had experience working on a few movies already. The main thing that I had to be concerned about was continuity.

Student Weekly: Which scene in the movie is your favourite?

Jakjaan: I like the scenes that I have with comedian Anna. I had to really focus on my part because Anna didn’t stick to the script. He always came up with new gags and I had to play along with him. It was hard not to laugh at his jokes!

Student Weekly: We heard that you play a bad person in the upcoming drama, Cemetery for Living Person. Did it take you long to decide to take the part?

Jakjaan: No. When I talked to director Tukta Kantana on the phone, she told me that she really wanted me to play the part of Rodsookon. I wanted to play a character that was the opposite of what I usually play, so I accepted the role.

Student Weekly: Was it difficult to play a bad person?

Jakjaan: It’s the hardest character I’ve ever played. I had to change my personality a lot, including my gestures and the way I talk. Rather than screaming to express her evil thoughts, Rodsookon works on her malicious plans step by step.

Student Weekly: What did you do to prepare for the part?

Jakjaan: I had to work hard to understand Rodsookon’s background. The script said that she had a tough life. She saw her father’s suicide and her mother suffer a heart attack. To overcome poverty, she will do whatever it takes to get other people’s possessions. She’s even prepared to kill people to achieve her goals. The other actors teased me that I probably won’t be able to go out when the drama airs, because viewers will hate me!

Student Weekly: Do you have any message for people who are planning to see Coffee Please?

Jakjaan: This movie will give you a chance to just relax and have some fun. You will see beautiful views and learn about how great Thai coffee is.

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