Program "Sisterhood" on the YouTube channel MIRROR THAILAND, hosted by Nat Thanawalai Watcharaphon interviewed Pat Chayanit Chansangawech about her childhood and life in the entertainment industry.
During a segment of the program, Pat Chayanit shared that in her childhood she attended Wattana Wittaya Academy, an all-girls boarding school. In her time, after the news ended, teachers would turn off the TV; there were no comics, no phones, no money, no snacks on demand. Meals, study, and sleep were strictly scheduled until she graduated high school. She could only visit home on weekends. Everything was very strict.
When she told people about this, they wondered how she managed, but she never felt constrained. Her daily routine was waking up, eating, studying, sleeping, chatting—very comfortable. Adults would think girls at an all-girls school were very proper, but actually, there was a bit of rebellion inside.
In university, she experienced a sort of 'heartbreaking' moment—not literally heartbreak, but shock at the outside world. She didn’t understand men, their mindset, or their way of speaking. Some friends were scared, others excited by men; there was no middle ground.
She didn’t know how to cross streets because there were none at her school. She didn’t care about small change, thinking it didn’t matter if she wasn’t given the exact amount. At school, she never had to pay. Using words like “gū mūng” (a casual Thai pronoun) was rebellious, but outside, it was normal.
Asked about her entry into the entertainment industry, Pat said it’s a common question she can't clearly answer. She thinks it started when she had a chance to act in a film. The director invited her to audition, she got the role in a fairly big indie foreign film shown abroad.
Once she started acting, people began to notice her. Coincidentally, a producer named Yong (Songyos Sukmakan) had a project. Pat auditioned and got the part, even though she wasn’t signed to a company yet. After that, Yong and others talked and invited her to join their company and be looked after there.
At first, she didn’t want to join the company or sign with Nadao. She wanted to be a designer and consulted her family a lot. They told her not to worry but to stay with people she trusts, knowing the entertainment world can be scary and newcomers might be exploited.
She didn’t understand who might exploit her then, and her ego was high, so she argued with everyone. They said, "Okay, just this once." She agreed to join. She felt it wasn’t that bad; the staff were kind and friendly. She worked and went home, feeling okay.
But she told Yong, "I don’t want to be an actor; I want to be a designer." She said this openly and still hasn’t done design work. She’s very grateful to Yong for opening this door and to Nadao for teaching her a lot about responsibility, discipline, work, and living with others. She learned a lot because she was very new and overwhelmed by the environment.
Once in the company, she had to learn to live in a more orderly system. There was a 'celebrity formula'—a way to behave appropriately. As a kid, she didn’t understand what others did. When she joined, she noticed many people she wasn’t close to followed this formula: no swearing, be image-conscious, no drinking or partying.
There was a pattern: not showing relationships publicly. But she felt Nadao was very open; if she wanted to reveal a relationship, she could discuss it and get support. Nadao was the most relaxed company. There were rules, which she understood, but she was very young and hadn’t proven herself, so she followed them.
Stepping outside the rules wouldn’t be good—it would affect work opportunities. She acknowledged the business nature of the industry. If you act out of line, you risk losing work because companies must protect everyone. She decided to try it, though it was very stifling.
Asked when she finally became okay with this or when she felt free, Pat said it was a gradual process. Inside the company, her nature was to move forward and try things. She would try whatever was offered, digest it, and develop into who she is now.
At that time, she didn’t know what she wanted or what type of person she was. She just tried things given to her. If she didn’t like something, she would leave. This cycle helped her discover what she wanted, what she liked, and what she was comfortable with. Without those experiences, she wouldn’t know who she is or what she wants. She never felt angry or that any time was wasted.
When asked how much of herself she has expressed since leaving her company and unlocking her true identity as an independent artist, Pat said during her second 'heartbreaking' phase—after leaving the company—she went all out. No one was responsible for her actions anymore, and she didn’t have to worry about anyone’s approval.
Asked if her family forbade her from this, Pat said no, as her father trusted her to be responsible. She came home every day because she loved being at home. When in the company, she was only about 50-60% herself. It was an experimental phase with some appropriate and some less appropriate trials, normal for self-discovery.
Asked if being rejected for jobs was due to not being herself or not being good enough, Pat said she hadn’t planned to be here or had high goals. She lived half-awake, doing whatever was asked without aiming for success or fame, and was easygoing.
She encountered many remarks, like being rejected from auditions she wanted. She asked why and was told the casting had no problem with her, but the seniors thought she wasn’t famous enough. She understood that.
But coming home, for the first time she thought, "Do I need to be more famous here? Not too much, just enough to be recognized?" For the first time, she understood why her colleagues worked hard and started questioning herself. Maybe having good opportunities meant she had to be more famous. It was a bit shocking.
Pat also recalled someone telling her, “You’re picky about roles, behave like this, act like that, be yourself like this—when will you ever succeed?” Pat wondered, “What does success mean? I never even had the mindset to aim for anything as an actor back then.” She was angry and stared fiercely, saying, “I don’t even know, so don’t lecture me.”
Many in the industry gave advice so intense that Pat felt not everyone took it so seriously. She’s easygoing, but hearing that stingy comment stuck with her. She remembers it to this day and thought, “I can wait ten years. Maybe it won’t be the success they think of, but I’ll be better than when they doubted me, being true to myself and loving who I am.”
When Nat Thanawalai said, “Look, you’ve done it, you’re empowered now,” Pat replied, “Have I? I did it? Yeah... but I’m not obsessed with staying in this for ten years. I remember it calmly. Just wait and see. When we meet at events, I’ll just give a look,” referring to ignoring such people. She said she doesn’t bring those people into her life, filtering them out to keep life joyful.
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