By Honorary Reporter Eftychia Dovletoglou from Greece

Photos by Supranee Charoenpol

The K-drama “City Hunter” starring Lee Min-ho, Park Min-young, and Kim Sang-joong, remains one of my favorites after all these years. I saw it for the first time in 2011 when it first came out, and as a family we watch it in repeats every year. I thought it would be nice to find the Thai actor Supranee Charoenpol, who played the woman who took care of Lee Min Ho as a child in the "Golden Triangle" of Thailand, and learn a little about her impressions and the background of her collaboration with the Korean team. She managed to play the loving mother role so well that her voice still rings in my ears. I searched and found her on Instagram and we communicated several times from Feb. 17-26.

Tell us a little about yourself

My name is Supranee Charoenpol. I live in Bangkok, the capital of Thailand. I’ve been in the Thai entertainment industry for over 30 years, beginning as a model and appearing in fashion magazines, TV commercials, dramas and films. I am married and have an 18-year-old son. I am currently in three Thai television dramas, mostly as the main character’s mother.

You acted in the drama “City Hunter,” with Lee Min-ho, in the role of “Mueangsurin.” Can you tell us about the casting and other procedures?
Only two weeks before the team’s arrival in Thailand, I was contacted by a company that coordinates with Korean dramas. I initially suspected it was a bluff because I had never received any offers to work in Korea before, but when I asked where the team would be filming, they mentioned a location where I had previously acted in a Thai TV series. On the day of the shoot, I discovered they were a legitimate Korean drama team, and I was selected to play Lee Min Ho’s mother in City Hunter. 

 

My first time on set was about two days later, and I had a five-day shoot in Sangkhlaburi with the team. It turned out that the Thai agency that represents me had sent my photo from a TV screen capture of the Thai drama “Duang Ta Sawan” to the production team of the Korean drama, who had been looking for an actor to play the role for months.

 

How was your collaboration with Lee Min-ho?
At first, I didn’t know who Lee Min-ho was or how famous he was because I wasn’t a fan of Korean dramas back then. I only found out after we finished filming and the series was being aired. I learned that Lee is a hugely famous Korean superstar who came from the series “Boys over Flowers.” Many Thai people adore him, including celebrities. 

 

I found him to be very friendly and professional when we worked together. On the last day of shooting, the producer approached me and asked me to take a picture with Lee to commemorate our collaboration. Taking a photo with the lead actor is not easy so it was an impressive moment for me. Lee was very busy with work, but he came over and took a picture with me without hesitation.

Almost 12 years have passed since ‘City Hunter.’ What are your impressions from this experience?
Although I didn’t feature in a lot of scenes, I was still impressed and felt very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with a Korean team at an international level. It allowed me to see how Korean teams work differently from Thai teams. I was able to observe the differences between the methods used by the teams. They are meticulous in every step and take their time with each scene.

It was an excellent learning opportunity for me professionally, and I even got to travel to Korea to film parts of the drama at SBS. Each scene was grand and impressive, and the producers were very thoughtful. On “SBS Night,” I also got to meet actor Kim Sang-joong, who came over to say hello and told the crew to look after me because I came all the way from Thailand. I was warmly impressed by this.

 

I would like to thank the “City Hunter” team for allowing me to work with them, and I hope to have another chance to work with a Korean team.

kalhong617@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.