This week on Prime Cast , we meet “Thet Myron,” a Chula student turned mixed-race health-conscious actor who reveals his secrets for looking good and lastingly, a new generation who cares about their health. He reveals the concept of Health Span and Beauty Health Span, talks about the beginnings of the Thai entertainment industry, cultural adjustments, especially regarding consideration, and shares a health routine that anyone can follow.
Where does the sermon name come from?
Sermon: Sermon comes from the English language. Well, my English name is Tate. And the Thai name is “Tate”, which means the same as “Phra Sermon”.
I heard you just graduated?
Sermon: I just graduated from Chulalongkorn University, Balac CU, Faculty of Arts, International Program.
Define yourself a little. If you were a woman you just met, how would you introduce yourself?
Sermon: Hello, I’m Thet. I’m from Class of ’64. Nice to meet you.
Tell me a little about your life. Where did you grow up?
Sermon: I was born in Dublin, Ireland. I was born there, then moved to England, then Hong Kong, then Thailand. My father is English, my mother is Thai. I grew up speaking English and listening to Thai, and I only really started studying Thai when I moved to Thailand to work. After I graduate, I’ll work here. I’ll see what happens, maybe another five years, and then I’ll try to change my life.
Between England, Hong Kong, Thailand, where do you think is your home?
Sermon: I think it’s everywhere. In England, I have a family. In Thailand, I have a family. So, let’s say it’s two homes. In Thailand, I’m working right now. Wherever there’s work, that’s it.
How is work going? What is life like now? What are you doing?
Sermon: Good work. I just did a stage play at Ratchadalai 2499. I think they performed 29 times.
What do you think is the hardest thing about working in the Thai industry right now?
Sermon: Besides the language, first of all, Thai language and then sometimes like the chapters that come up or the jokes, I won’t be able to keep up with other people’s jokes or I won’t understand the subtext of something.
What is the biggest culture shock you’ve experienced in Thailand?
Sermon: I think the friendliness and thoughtfulness of Thai people is similar to that in Hong Kong and England. It’s not that people there aren’t nice, but it’s a different story. But here, it seems like everyone smiles all the time. Everyone is ready to help with everything.
Did you have to adjust a lot to the fact that everyone is considerate and can’t speak directly in Thailand?
Sermon: I might have to learn to be considerate, which is good. For knowledge, I’ll have someone like Auntie as my manager. She’ll teach me that, actually, they do this because they’re considerate. It was a new concept when I first came here, but now I understand.
What time do you go to bed and wake up on your free days?
Sermon: On a free day, my routine: If I know I’m free tomorrow, I’ll sleep a little late. I’ll watch a movie. I really like watching movies. I might sleep around midnight or 1 a.m. and then wake up. Maybe 9:30 a.m. or 10:00 a.m. Then I like to exercise in the morning. I like to do things like fasted cardio and fasted exercise. I feel like it alerts me. I drink coffee and then I go exercise. Then it feels like I’m awake.
Are you an extrovert or an introvert?
Sermon: I think I’m an extrovert. I like being around people. It makes me feel energized.
And how is food balanced?
Sermon: Try to eat enough protein. That’s the number one goal for your daily protein intake. You have to reach that. Besides that, try to avoid fried foods or processed foods. Try not to eat them. Eat whole foods. If we know what they are and where they come from, for example, chicken is chicken.
From a sermon perspective, what is Health Span?
Sermon: This is a new concept. It’s different from Life Span, isn’t it? Actually, Health Span and Life Span are not the same. They’re similar. But Health Span is the stage of our health. For me, it’s about taking care of ourselves using methods that we can do every day and are sustainable. It has to be a method that makes us feel happy while doing it, and it has to be a safe method. The main thing is consistency. It’s the sustainability of the methods we choose to take care of our health. Another thing that I find interesting is the concept of Health Span. As I’ve become more interested in it, I’ve begun to understand that it’s not just about physical health. It’s also about the health of our beauty, like our facial skin. So I came up with a new concept: Beauty Health Span. It’s about safe and sustainable methods for taking care of our skin.
What do you think about men starting to take care of themselves, going to clinics, and taking care of their skin now?
Sermon: I feel like this is something that’s incredibly important these days. I think everyone can do it. It’s taking care of yourself. I feel like if we do something that makes us feel more confident, happier, and enjoy doing it consistently, that’s something I really support.
