“Jes Jesdapipat” opened up on the Woody Talk program, reflecting on his 18-year journey in the entertainment industry, from his first job to the present. He shared his perspective on working in the modern industry, which emphasizes being yourself without harming others, and revealed stressful and difficult periods, including waiting for opportunities for so long without knowing what he was waiting for, before learning that he had to create his own path.
Many fans may not know how many years ago Jes started his career.
Jes Jesdapipat: If I had entered the entertainment industry, it would have been around 17 or 18 years old. My first job was in “Taew Tae Teen Raberd” by Pohn Anan, probably when I was in my fifth year of high school.
What was it like on set that day during filming? Did you think you would grow up to be who you are today?
Jes Jesdapipat: I didn’t understand anything about it. I was confused. At that time, I went to meet a football team with about 20 guys my age, and there was a huge crew. I didn’t understand acting, and they didn’t give us a script. Poj Anan’s style was that he would just tell us what to say on set, and we would memorize it and act it out. I never thought I’d reach this point, becoming a real actor almost 20 years ago.
How to survive in the Thai entertainment industry? Is there a formula for success that allows you to thrive in every era and every situation?
Jes Jesdapipat: Things change constantly; you have to adapt to the times. When you were a child, you were different. As a child, you had to conform to certain stereotypes about what it meant to be a star. But today, with so many TV programs and media, I think what makes stars different isn’t their roles, but their individual personalities. And everyone’s personality is unique. We just need to showcase our personality in a way that doesn’t hurt anyone or act disrespectfully. I think nowadays, it’s about having an identity as yourself, not just as an actor.
Have you ever had a conversation with yourself about things you dislike about yourself?
Jes Jesdapipat: I often say that I’m not good enough all the time. I don’t necessarily consider it a bad thing; I’d say it’s both good and bad. Sometimes it makes me feel like I need to constantly improve, but sometimes it makes me feel like no job is ever good enough. Primarily, this applies to acting, the work I love most and feel I have to do my best at. On days when things don’t go as expected, even if the final result is good after editing, it’s like I already know what I did that day, and I still feel bad, wondering why I didn’t do better every day. I think that’s a negative thing; it makes us unhappy, unproud of our work, and unprepared to present our work to others.
So what does “better” mean to you?
Jes Jesdapipat: That’s right. I don’t know. I only really realized in the last year or two what “better” means. We don’t even know what “better” means. How can we make things better when we don’t even know what it is? Sometimes, this change makes us feel better. Before, when we thought something wasn’t good enough, we judged it based on our own individual standards. But sometimes, in work, it’s group work. For example, I go on set, I perform, I’m satisfied, but the director is. I go home stressed, thinking I didn’t perform well, that I couldn’t do it right, even though the director was happy. Sometimes we have to think about this: “Okay, this is good enough.” Something better might not be good for everyone.
What makes you prioritize the people in front of you and choose to fully engage with them? Is it something instilled in you from childhood or something that arises from life experiences?
Jes Jesdapipat: “ In the early days of my acting career, working with P’ Boy Takonkiat, he taught me a lot. I didn’t have much life experience; my life wasn’t difficult, and I didn’t have to support myself from a young age. This limited life experience affected my acting – I couldn’t understand the characters I played. P’ Boy taught me that if I didn’t understand the character, I should try to understand other people. It made me start paying attention to people, looking deeper into the people I met each day. It was a way to improve my work as an actor. Later on, I realized it’s all about Quality Time. Everything is so fast-paced these days, and having Quality Time is crucial for living life to the fullest, not just going to work. Things are so different now than before. We don’t need to see everyone; we can text anyone. But even if we don’t meet in person, there’s always a reason to meet. Meeting in person is about receiving energy. I received energy from P’ Woody. I know what he’s thinking when he listens to me; I see it in his eyes. It’s different from when I call him. Therefore, meeting in person is always more important. I think this is important and valuable. We should spend time and concentrate on this Quality Time, which isn’t happening often and is disappearing every day.”
Do you make time for your loved ones at home?
Jes Jesdapipat: Sometimes I’m tired. Sometimes when I get home, I just want to be alone in peace and quiet. Honestly, it takes effort to do that. But I’m lucky that I live with my parents. Sometimes we can order food to eat in my room. I try to go down and eat with them. I try to call them when I’m not too tired, to ask how they are and talk to them. I can sense that my parents want to talk to me because they don’t see me often, even though we live in the same house. My dad, for example, is quite reserved. He doesn’t go into detail about his concerns like “Are you tired?” Sometimes I’ll be eating downstairs, and he’ll walk over from his office where he works, pretend to pick up some fruit, and ask if the show is airing yet, or what I’m doing tomorrow. It’s just general things. And things like golf. It doesn’t have to be about showing concern, but I can sense that he’s finding things to talk about with me. My mom is the same; she’ll talk about current events, the floods, and so on. It’s not ordinary topics or anything that warrants a serious conversation. I feel like it’s their intention, that they want to spend time with me because they don’t see me often. Sometimes you have to understand their intentions. Because in my family, we didn’t really say “I love you” or hug each other, or have much physical contact. So I feel that these little things are important.
Do you like or dislike physical contact? If you were to date someone, which type of love language would you value most?
Jes Jesdapipat: It’s okay, not quite that much. I value the language of love I learned from my parents. I value caring for them, helping them with what they need, more than saying “I love you” every day. It’s about making them feel comfortable with their stress, taking care of them during difficult times, or when they really need us. But I understand that you have to show affection sometimes; it’s not like we never say it. We can’t be heartless. We might not be as sweet as in the Korean dramas you watch, or in the roles I’ve acted in. You might say, “Why are they so sweet in the dramas? That’s not how it is in real life!”
In this day and age of being an actor, is there a boundary between sharing and relationships? Where are you in life right now?
Jes Jesdapipat: If I’m in a relationship, I’ll stay in my own zone. I won’t hide it or make it public. I’ll just live my life normally, not go around announcing to everyone that I’m with someone. But I also won’t keep it a secret; we’ll stay home and hide from everyone.
Changing and taking better care of yourself?
Jes Jesdapipat: I’m not sure if it’s a matter of age or not, because my friends are around my age—I’m 34 this year—and everyone is thinking more about exercise, healthy eating, and wellness. But there are still days when we go out, and some younger friends are still talking about where to go this Friday, what club to go to. So I think it’s probably a matter of age, and that today there are more activities you can enjoy for yourself than before.
Over the past decade, it might have been a wait to reach the top tier of acting. Have there ever been times when you came close but weren’t chosen? That’s the path we’ve taken.
Jes Jesdapipat: Using the word “waiting” isn’t quite right, because we don’t know what we’re waiting for. Opportunity? Luck? What are we waiting for? But honestly, it’s been a stressful and difficult time, waiting for something we don’t know what, and also assessing ourselves based on the job offers we receive—specifically acting roles. We need to know how people perceive us, what kind of roles they’ll offer. If they offer a role where we’re not the lead or a main character, sometimes we feel bad about it and wonder what we can do. For me, there’s nothing I can do to make myself rise, as you mentioned. I can only do my best in the roles I’m assigned and plan my career well, deciding where I want to be in the work I’m given. It’s not about planning to be the lead and then refusing villain or supporting roles; that’s never going to work. Instead, plan well: how do you want people to perceive you in the industry? What position do you want them to see you in?
You don’t have to be an actor to succeed. These days, there are idols, people who use acting as a stepping stone to other things. Define your goals and decide what you want to be, then use that to plan your career and your work schedule. Having a lot of work, frankly, people might say, “Wow, you have so much work! Having 3-4-5 dramas airing back-to-back isn’t always good.” For experienced actors who are already well-known, it’s good in the beginning, opening up visibility for them as an actor in the Thai entertainment industry. But if you take on many dramas back-to-back and play the same roles, it creates a lasting impression. For example, it took Robert Pattinson decades to erase his Twilight image; even today, people still see Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter. It’s the same thing. Once an image is ingrained in the audience’s mind, it’s hard to remove. Therefore, you don’t need to take on a huge number of projects just to make people think you have a lot of work. Just be meticulous with your work. If you are meticulous, I believe you won’t be able to take on more than two projects simultaneously. If you’re serious about it, you won’t have time to worry about other things. Acting is much harder than that, and it always has been.
What are some of the challenges of acting that you can share, including the art of acting itself?
Jes Jesdapipat: The interesting thing about it is the fun and the challenge is that you’re the only one who plays this role, and you play it the way you want. No one else can play it like you, and you can’t play it like anyone else either. That’s why casting happens. The artistry is that on one script, you can play it in countless ways. You can play it a million times. For example, you say one line one way, then another line another way, and in another take, you say that line a second, third, fourth, fifth time. You react to other people’s lines in different ways. This doesn’t even include adapting your character to be different from anything you’ve ever done before. It’s an art form that I think is intangible, and there’s no right or wrong, only a standard of judgment: “Okay, this person is a good actor.” You have to memorize your lines, you have to listen to your co-star, you have to speak what you truly feel. But beyond that, it’s anything. Because of this “anything,” it’s difficult, because you don’t know if what you’re doing is right or not. What I feel is the charm of acting is the magic moment that happens, and I believe it comes from the character we’ve been with.
I have to admit that Thai actors are all very talented. They all respect their profession, which is why they’ve been in the industry for so long. Do you think that’s what has brought us to where we are today – respecting our work?
Jes Jesdapipat: Yes, it’s our own. We’re very serious about it. We want to do it well. I don’t think I just want to do it perfectly; partly, I think about doing it well so we can continue in the industry and in other projects. But what’s more fulfilling is seeing our own good work. That’s the greatest success—being satisfied with our own work.
