WE LOVE KIDDING actress Araya A “Chompoo” Hargate about appearing on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival – for three consecutive years now – despite never having a movie to show the nice people there.
Chompoo has made movies, of course, but it’s unlikely the not-so-nice judges at the world’s most snobby cinema party would be wowed by her comedy “Saranae Siblor” or her last outing, the 2012 flop “Khunnai Ho”.
Regardless, Chompoo can just laugh along with the kidding (all the way to the bank) because she’s among hundreds of actresses and models from around the world flown to the French Rivera by the festival’s official sponsor, L’Oreal. She’s the makeup brand’s well-made-up face in Thailand.
And anyway, it’s a bit of a thrill for Thais to see Chompoo on the red carpet among all those Hollywood stars, and another bit of fun commenting on her haute couture gowns. She always looks great and graceful, mind you, a fine Thai ambassador to the world.
Her mere presence is far more important than any of the movies vying for awards. It’s not like this is the Oscars or anything, right? If you read the many, many comments about the festival on Pantip.com, everybody’s heard of Palmy, the singer, but no one’s ever heard of the Palme d’Or, the top prize in Cannes.
When it comes to Cannes, we want to see Thai stars on the red carpet. What goes on at the screenings, we’ll skip that, thanks.
And evidently we’re not alone in our pool of provincialism. This year there are no movies from mainland China in the main competition, but beautiful Chinese actresses and models they’ve got.
Gong Li is a regular at Cannes, having appeared in several critically acclaimed films from her homeland and once even serving on the jury. This year, though, she’s just another invited guest of a festival sponsor.
A reporter for the China Daily found this odd for some reason and asked what’s with the red-carpet pictures when you have no picture to show?
Li demonstrated with her answer the kind of impressive coolness that’s made her a global idol and a powerhouse of Asian cinema.
“I think you can participate, come and see what film festivals abroad are like and how much respect actors abroad have for films,” she said. “Our actors should go beyond the national borders, see some films if they’ve got time, and not just walk on the red carpet and leave right after.
“See the films – it’ll be helpful for your career, and maybe you’ll love your job more, from deep inside. If you have this mindset, then coming to film festivals won’t do any harm. If you go off the tracks, then you’ve come for nothing, and that’s a pity.”
It’s enough to give you goose bumps – and surely an inspiration for all the other non-acting actresses.
This source first appeared on The Nation Life.