Emotional send-off for Thai superstar Ananda Everingham’s legendary character
Ananda Everingham (center) in “Khun Pan 3” —PHOTOS COURTESY OF HBO/HBO GO
Thai superstar Ananda Everingham, who was born to a Bangkok-based Australian father and a Laotian mother, may have made a name for himself in films like Banjong Pisanthanakun’s horror blockbuster movie “Shutter,” Pen-ek Ratanaruang’s “Ploy” and Nonzee Nimibutr’s “Queen of Langkasuka.”
But we remember Ananda best for his portrayals in Adolf Alix Jr.’s “Kalayaan,” the 2012 Filipino indie he starred in (and for which he was nominated for best actor at the Urian), and Sakchai Deenan’s “Good Morning, Luang Prabang,” the first commercial film shot in Laos since it adopted communism in 1975.
So, when we crossed paths with the dashing 41-year-old actor last June, he was all smiles when we mentioned the latter two films to him.
This Friday, Ananda will be joined by fellow heartthrobs, Mario Maurer and Phakin Khamwilaisak aka Tono, when he returns to the third and final installment of the hit action-fantasy franchise “Khun Pan,” which premieres at 10 p.m. on HBO and HBO Go on Aug. 4.
Ananda won best actor at the Thai film industry’s premier award-giving body for his performance in “Khun Pan” in 2016.
The visually delectable film, written and directed as a Western-style period piece by Kongkiat Komesiri, is a fictionalized account of real events based on the life of 1940s amulet-making, talisman-wielding hero cop Khun Phantharak Rajadej (Ananda), best known for using his “superstitious” powers to take down notorious bandits.
Final installment
The 2018 sequel sees Khun going undercover and rising from the ranks of gangsters, headed by bandits Bai (Arak Amornsupasiri) and Fai (Wanchana Sawatdee), after he’s tasked to go after them at any cost.
Set in 1950, the latest sequel, “Khun Pan 3: Judgment Day,” follows the sorcerer cop with increasingly diminishing supernatural powers as he pursues two bandit groups, headed by Mahesuan (Mario Maurer, in his first action role) and Dam (Tono), embroiled in murder and political intrigue.
But the franchise’s final installment is characterized by a merry mix of alluring elements that also include ravenous zombies, greedy cowboys and greedier politicians, killer crocs, some dancing in a perfectly positioned production number at a thief’s wedding, and a swashbuckling fight scene on a speeding train—eat your heart out, Tom Cruise!
“We shot ours first (laughs)!” exclaimed Ananda when we mentioned the action-packed train robbery sequence a la “Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning” during a fun roundtable interview two weeks ago that was made more memorable by the articulate and easygoing Ananda.
Over the course of our chat, the actor ended up describing himself as “an introvert who’s always dealing with some crazy issue in my head” and disclosed that he just got married last February.
When the Taiwan press made a big fuss on Khun Pan’s mustache, Ananda winkingly quipped, “I’m quite jealous of his mustache and the fact that—this is something outside of the films themselves—Khun Pan was actually known as a ladies’ man (laughs)! That’s also part of his legend, like an Easter egg you could say about the man behind the character.”
Asked if he’s a ladies’ man like Khun Pan, Ananda guffawed at the remark: “Well, I can’t be any more because I just got married last February. Maybe in the past (laughs).”
Meaningful character
The handsome actor did turn serious when asked what his thoughts were about taking Khun’s boots off for good.
“To be honest, it was quite an emotional send-off for this character. Ironically, it was my idea with the director to end it after three films,” he admitted. “I’ve been part of these films for 10 to 11 years, which is a quarter of my life. So it’s quite a meaningful character to me.
“But I feel like it had run its course, and we felt that three films would be the ideal amount for this version of Khun Pan’s story. That doesn’t mean that his legend ends with me because it can still be retold if another actor comes in to play him.
Cast of “Khun Pan 3: Judgment Day”
“His story can also be approached as a James Bond type of character—which is something I’d be very proud of if it ever leads to that.
“On top of that, Konkiat and I have spoken about possible spinoffs where the we could expand Khun Pan’s world, maybe not focus so much on his narrative, but maybe turn the spotlight on the bandits—which would be fun, like a ‘Suicide Squad’-type series.”
Our Q&A with Ananda:
The show is a work of fiction inspired by factual, true-to-life elements. It’s been about 10 years since you began living under the skin of this character. But weren’t you ever daunted by the responsibility of playing a real person and imbuing his story with your own interpretation of it?
In the beginning, particularly with the first film, there was a lot of trepidation and anxiety about portraying this character, especially given the fact that I am mixed—I’m half-Australian, half-Laotian—whereas this character is a true Thai legend.
And so yes, I was afraid that I was the wrong person for the role—I went through impostor syndrome. But the more time I spent with Konkiat, our director, and the more time we had at developing the script and character, I started to understand that this was not a biography of this person’s life. We’ve just taken inspiration from the legend of this person’s life.
Konkiat had always told me that he wanted to approach the film from its more fantastical elements… like Khun Pan seen as a superhero. So it would be like when you’re telling the story of a legend and imagining how he could do this feat or that… like, bullets and knives couldn’t touch him and stuff like that. So it was more around the legend rather than actual facts.
Everingham (right) with Amorn Supasiri
And that gave me a lot of creative liberty to put my point of view into how I’d like to portray the character. But yes, I have to admit that in the beginning, there was a lot of anxiety around me bringing this character to life, but it got easier and easier as we got on.
Part of the thing that may have helped me get into character were the sets and the outfit. And every time I’d put the mustache on, I felt like I was channeling the spirit of Khun Pan.
In the movie, Khun Pan gradually loses his power of invisibility and faces life-threatening consequences as a result of it. In real life, what kind of challenges did you face that had to do with something gradually disappearing?
Wow (laughs), OK. I’m currently building a new house, so maybe it’s my bank account that is gradually disappearing (laughs)!
One of the fun elements of these movies that you can’t easily find in other films is the fact that Khun Pan has been this untouchable character. And so, for this last film, it was actually more fun to give him this vulnerability.
Yes, I admit that in real life, I’m an introvert, so I’m a bit of the vulnerable and anxious type of person. I’m always dealing with some crazy issue in my head. We would have to speak for hours to get all my issues out and discuss the things that I’m dealing with (laughs).
Khun Pan becomes a father in this movie. How do you think has fatherhood transformed him and impacted the way he goes about his life and work?
In the first two films, we would approach Khun Pan as this larger-than-life character who is never afraid of anything… because we wanted to build this superhero type of figure. But for the third production, Konkiat and I wanted him to be more human—and one of the most human things that we care about is family.
So, this is the first time that we’re seeing the character actually afraid of death—the stakes of death are different and much higher this time around. Whereas in previous films, death didn’t mean anything to him. This time, death is part of the stakes because he cannot afford to die… because he had promised he’d get back to his wife and newborn kid after his dangerous mission!
We added that element to the film because it’s the final one. And we want to the audience to feel like they have to join him on this adventure to see if he can actually make it back home. INQ
