Aum Patcharapa glides at the top on fans' love
Actress Patcharapa "Aum" Chaichue deserves to be proud that her stardom never seems to fade - she was chosen as the cover girl for Vogue Thailand this month.
And September is a huge month for Vogue, although the Thai issue isn’t quite as bulky and heavy as those published in New York and Paris.
Aum’s cover shot and the interview with her inside reaffirm her position as the country’s most popular and consequently top-paid actress after 16 years in show business.
The longer she’s at the top of the game, the more she seems to relish her role and her responsibilities to the fans. Aum’s fan club might be one of the biggest and her devotees, thanks to her appearances on Channel 7, are spread all over the country, not just in the cities.
“I understand that my fans always want to have their photos taken with me, so why not? I want my photo taken with my friends,” Aum tells the magazine. “So I will give them the time and opportunities – well, except when I’m really hungry. That’s when I say no to everyone!”
Early in her career she rarely ventured upcountry, but she’s learned to value her fans outside the capital more. “In Bangkok they have more chances to see me, but when I go around the country I see their determination, some of them in tears, and it touches me.” Aum used to feel reluctant about travelling upcountry but now loves it. “Those are the times I have the chance to try new food and see more of Thailand!”
Poy in the buff?
Meanwhile things are also going great for former Miss Tiffany Universe and Miss International Queen Treechada “Poy” Petcharat, who continues to be among top transgender entertainers in Asia. Having appeared in the big-budget Hong Kong film “The White Storm” and starred with Louis Koo and Angus Zhan in “A Moment of Romance”, Poy has been approached by another Chinese studio to do a horror movie.
“It was always my dream to take the international path,” she says. “I’m looking at the script and, if we agree on the terms, I might have to go stay there.”
A Hong Kong magazine wants Poy to do a “swimwear” spread as well, offering a rumoured seven-figure salary. “I’m not worried about the money – I just want the concept to be good,” she says. Would she strip off for the cameras if they ask? No, she doesn’t think they want her to be nude. Do they know she’s transgender? “Yes, and maybe they want that as a gimmick,” she acknowledges.
Anyway, her boyfriend, Peerapong “Em” Kowropthai, is willing to accompany her to the shoot. “I’m more worried about my mum, really,” she says. Even if it’s not a nude set, it might to too sexy for her mother’s liking.
