Hot Thai Actor is a Cebuano, too

Poompong who?

This was my initial reaction when I was told to do an exclusive interview with Poompong Hiranpruck. That was a pretty acceptable answer to have come from a student like me, but for a Thai, the name would undoubtedly ring more than a bell. This writer was also informed beforehand that he's the brother of Anthony Ballreich Hiranpruck, the owner of the Thai cuisine restaurant chain Krua Thai, and Hai Phong, the Vietnamese-themed restaurant at Crossroads, Banilad.

A first-time experience at either Krua Thai or Hai Phong is intriguing as is exciting for you can never perfectly tell what tastes to expect from your food - especially if you only depend so much on the photos on the menu and the brief descriptions that come with them.

Add to that the rare chance to bump into an attractively tall guy with a gorgeously sculpted body and a goatee who welcomes and treats guest with utmost hospitality. He may usher you to an available seat, ask for your orders and serve them personally, and even stop by your table to ask how you find their food. He's Poompong Hiranpruck, the owner's brother, who has a life as distinct and impressive as the delectable offerings their restaurants serve.

From Bangkok to Cebu

It was in the year 1995 that Poompong got his first taste of the Cebuano culture as he came here to study for college, taking up Fine Arts major in Advertising. Like any outsider in a foreign country, he practically had a culture shock. Things were the exact opposite of what he was accustomed to his hometown in Bangkok, Thailand.

Poompong enumerated his list of lifestyle changes, topped by the early class schedules of the university that he enrolled in.

"In Bangkok, our classes start at 10:30 in the morning, but here it's 7:30," he recalled, incredulous. "Then at that time, Cebu still does not have big malls and cinemas. So the things that I was used to doing in Bangkok were limited."

Since he cannot speak, let alone comprehend the local dialect, he found himself occasionally sitting alone in one of the benches of the university during breaks. That time, he was only the second Thai to study Advertising in that school.

Adding weight to his seemingly endless endeavors was the verity that he has to study religious education, which was part of his curriculum. This made his college days all the more complicated - if not arduous.

He also could not speak English fluently, but he managed to learn the language because of perseverance and the support of some of his classmates.

The saying, "if you can't beat them, join them" proved true for this once alienated Thai as he began to adopt and admire the simplicity of Cebu.

"I began to love Cebu not only because of the beaches but also because of the people here who are both humble and nice," he shared.

Business to Show Business

The road to Krua Thai's stability in the local food business was not smooth sailing because to begin with, Thai cuisine did not seem appealing to the local market. But three months after it opened in the year 2000, they were able to establish loyal patronage because of the appetizing and reasonably priced food that they serve. Poompong then left for Bangkok the following year.

Even with a flourishing family business in Cebu, Poompong decided to strike out on his own and found himself working in the PR department of a five-star hotel in Bangkok. A couple of months passed a person from the local Puying Magazine (a Cosmopolitan-like glossy) asked him if he's willing to do a photo shoot. "Why not?" he remembered himself as saying. His photos covered six pages of the magazine's issue.

Three months after the magazine's release, he already had a commercial offer in his plate. And in less than two years, the number of his commercials skyrocketed to 15. That paved his way to the glittering world of "showbiz." His face became more than visible in Thai soaps and action movies.

Ruggedly handsome, Poompong would rather choose roles that cast him as the bad guy. In four years of doing commercials and movies, he already acquired for himself 16 roles in both action and drama Thai films.

"I like to experiment with my characters. I really like to be the bad guy," explained Poompong, who quickly added. "But the last four movies that I did in Thailand, I actually played the role of a good guy."

Most Difficult Role

Like any artist in the field of acting, one has to go the extra mile to showcase his creative artistry so as to secure staying power in the movie industry. Even if this means playing the role of somebody who is the total opposite of whom he or she is in real life.

With a string of bad boy roles in his acting portfolio, Poompong was surprised when he was offered to do the role of a gay.

"I was challenged when I was asked to do that role. Actually, it was not at all that difficult for me because I also have gay friends so that made things easier for me," he coyly said.

"My director even said 'Jim, do not act too much!' when we were shooting the first scene," shared Poompong. He then mimicked gay-like gestures effectively. Poompong is also known as "Jim Hiranpruck" in Thailand.

Right now, he's busy with a soap opera in Bangkok entitled "Jaoban Konkrua," which, if roughly translated, means "Groom in the Kitchen," where he plays the role of a chef who falls in love with everyone he gets along with.