bout de papier, Vol. 3, No. 2 (1985) — Summer 1985 // Été 1985, p. 18
As Nancy Adler points out in the conclusion to her piece on life abroad, the challenges can also include unique opportunities. Rani Greenberg, the daughter of our commercial counseller in Bangkok, Terry Greenberg, capitalized on her own career as a Thai movie star. She recently wrote bout de papier about the experience.
I am soon going to be 15 years old and have, so far, four years of modelling and acting experience. When I was I started modelling in Canada. A friend of mine was doing it and I thought modelling would be fun to try. Lasked my mother to submit my photograph to a few companies. I had some jobs, such as newspaper advertising and children’s fashion shows, before we left for Thailand when I was 12
When my father was posted to the Embassy in Thailand, I thought my modelling and fun experience was over for a few years, but one day, shortly after we arrived here, my mother saw an ad in the local newspaper looking for new models. We went together to the modelling agency and they immediately accepted me.
My first assignment was modelling teenage clothes, although I was not a teenager yet. Many people, however, saw those ads which were carried in magazines and newspapers all over Thailand.
Then my phone began to ring
I have received so many requests for modelling assignments that I had to turn many of them down, especially because lam attending school and have lots of homework. Nevertheless, I did dozens of magazine advertisements and television commercials in the following year.
My movie career started quite unexpectedly about one year after we arrived in Thailand when I was 13 years old. One day Prince Thipayachat, from the Thai Royal family, called my mother to introduce himself and to invite me to be the star of this next movie. Prince Thip, as I call him, had seen one of my IV commercials and decided I would be perfect for the starring role.
My parents and I were reluctant to acting experience, I did not speak Thai very well, and I was very busy with my school work. Prince Thip said that it did not matter, he had complete confidence in me and he could train me in acting and speaking my role in Thai. About school, he promised to schedule the filming during Christmas holidays.
I really enjoyed making the film which was shot in northern Thailand, in Chiangmai City. The name of the movie was translated Oftenslish, “And Then We Will Love Each
Making this movie was a wonderful experience for me, because I saw how movies are made and I met many interesting people including several famous Thai movie stars.
The story centred around a teenage girl, me, who was not allowed to meet the boy she loved. When she had a serious car accident, the parents finally let her meet him, and he was able to help her to learn to walk again. The movie was a box office hit when it was shown in Bangkok in March 1984 and was awarded the Golden Reel Award from Kodak for that year.
In June last year I made my second film in London, England. It was also a Thai film and a teenage romance entitled “Just Let Me Think of You”. It has already shown in the theatres in Bangkok and was successful Now I am beginning to plan my next film which will probably be made again in Thailand.
Being a movie star has its bad side, because I can never go anywhere without having people staring at me and pointing at me. Sometimes they even stop me and ask lots of questions and it is difficult for me to relax in public. But people are also very nice to me wherever I go, and I enjoy meeting so many new people.
All in all, I have really enjoyed my modelling and acting experiences in Thailand but I do not want to make this my career. I am planning to study science at university, and may take up medicine.
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Originally published in bout de papier, Vol. 3, No. 2 (1985) — Summer 1985 // Été 1985, p. 18. Read the rest of this issue →
