Published: 29 Apr, 2019
- The Thai actress and model grew up in the spotlight as a child actor and her fame made her able to see the inequalities in her homeland
- In 2017, she was named Thailand’s first Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Praya Lundberg at the Kutupolong refugee camp in Bangladesh, last year.
With a successful television and film career spanning well over a decade, more than three million Instagram followers and endorsement deals with some of the world’s top brands, Praya Lundberg is a bona-fide A-list celebrity in her native Thailand.
The 30-year-old is also part of a cohort of Thai millennials who call themselves “third-culture kids”.
Lundberg’s mother comes from a rural part of Thailand and her father is a Swedish diplomat. Not long after her parents divorced when Lundberg was a year old, her mother married a British man, whom Lundberg considers her actual father.
“I was lucky because if my mum had not remarried I could have been like any other Thai kid who couldn’t get many opportunities,” Lundberg says. “I would probably be living in the rural area where she was born and my life would be very different now.”
The 30-year-old is also part of a cohort of Thai millennials who call themselves “third-culture kids”.
Lundberg’s mother comes from a rural part of Thailand and her father is a Swedish diplomat. Not long after her parents divorced when Lundberg was a year old, her mother married a British man, whom Lundberg considers her actual father.
“I was lucky because if my mum had not remarried I could have been like any other Thai kid who couldn’t get many opportunities,” Lundberg says. “I would probably be living in the rural area where she was born and my life would be very different now.”
“It was a very tough period but it shaped who I am and was valuable because that type of upbringing made me understand the wealth gap in Thailand,” says Lundberg, who went on to earn a degree in law and politics in Britain.
“Now Thailand is very developed and has great infrastructure. But back then it was completely different and the variety and opportunity for acting roles were very different. It would be the equivalent of a telenovela in Latin America 15 years ago – that’s how I started.
“Seeing my mum’s background and going to an international school, and also working in the Thai entertainment industry back then, made me realise that most of our country lacks opportunities.”
Her first television shows became huge hits and she had to deal with the attention from fans and the Thai tabloids from a very young age.
As a mixed-race teenager with very limited Thai, Lundberg found it difficult to fit in. She also had a hard time grappling with the social media-driven nature of the Thai entertainment industry.
“Seeing my mum’s background and going to an international school, and also working in the Thai entertainment industry back then, made me realise that most of our country lacks opportunities.”
Her first television shows became huge hits and she had to deal with the attention from fans and the Thai tabloids from a very young age.
As a mixed-race teenager with very limited Thai, Lundberg found it difficult to fit in. She also had a hard time grappling with the social media-driven nature of the Thai entertainment industry.
“I was so into the deep end when I was younger that I didn’t have privacy and was put under a spotlight I did not want,” she says.
“However, I love acting – I think that learning about the human psyche and expressing it, is an art form – and I couldn’t live without it. It’s a big price I have to pay to act.”
Lundberg has also capitalised on her fame to support causes that are close to her heart. One of them, the plight of Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar, has become her main focus. In 2017, she was named Thailand’s first Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
“However, I love acting – I think that learning about the human psyche and expressing it, is an art form – and I couldn’t live without it. It’s a big price I have to pay to act.”
Lundberg has also capitalised on her fame to support causes that are close to her heart. One of them, the plight of Rohingya refugees fleeing Myanmar, has become her main focus. In 2017, she was named Thailand’s first Goodwill Ambassador to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
Jailed reporters in Myanmar win Pulitzers for revealing Rohingya massacre
“I read about Rohingya refugees coming to Thailand on boats to go to Malaysia, and it was a very controversial issue five years ago. People didn’t even mention this in Thailand; it was very sensitive,” says Lundberg.
“Seeing those images consistently made me realise that it’s not about immigration but about humanity. I thought, why is this happening here? And how can I help even by just bringing a bottle of water?
“A lot of Thais were questioning why I was helping others while Thailand was suffering, although I also work with other charities that support education in Thailand, but with the Rohingya it was different because these people are vulnerable and it’s not a small number.
“If we think that this is not an issue of national security, one day we’ll be very wrong.”
Lundberg has travelled to refugee camps on the Thai border and to places such as Jordan and Bangladesh on behalf of the United Nations. Thai media often refer to her as the “Thai Angelina Jolie”.
“I read about Rohingya refugees coming to Thailand on boats to go to Malaysia, and it was a very controversial issue five years ago. People didn’t even mention this in Thailand; it was very sensitive,” says Lundberg.
“Seeing those images consistently made me realise that it’s not about immigration but about humanity. I thought, why is this happening here? And how can I help even by just bringing a bottle of water?
Lundberg on the front cover of Vogue Thailand, April 2015.
“If we think that this is not an issue of national security, one day we’ll be very wrong.”
Lundberg has travelled to refugee camps on the Thai border and to places such as Jordan and Bangladesh on behalf of the United Nations. Thai media often refer to her as the “Thai Angelina Jolie”.
Hollywood’s Angelina Jolie intervenes in Rohingya refugee crisis
“There’s a strong correlation between having a voice in society and creating awareness,” she explains.
“As celebrities, we can sell any products and endorse all kinds of things, and get people to go and buy tickets to watch our movies, so you might as well endorse something to effect change.”
Lundberg at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh.
Lundberg, who has graced the covers of the Thai editions of glossies including Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Elle, has been an ambassador for brands such as Maybelline, Omega and Under Armour.
“I’ve been very blessed and lucky,” she says of her endorsement deals. “Thailand is a bit different from Europe, the US, and even other parts of Asia, because endorsement is a very big deal here as brands are still trying to create awareness about themselves. So celebrities have the power to make an impact on sales.”
Her goal now is to expand her repertoire as an actress in the United States. “In Thailand a lot of actresses who do well don’t take the risk of sacrificing their careers by going abroad, but I have the ability to do what I’m passionate about in English, which is my first language,” she says.
Lundberg at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Bangladesh.
“I have an agency in the US and I mainly work as a model and influencer. It’s an opportunity to spend more time there, but my dream is not just to model but to act. I took workshops in New York and it was life-changing to be introduced to method acting.
“I’ve done over 16 television series, but I’d never really understood real acting until I went to New York. It’s a craft, an art form. It’s more than just a fame thing.”
“I’ve done over 16 television series, but I’d never really understood real acting until I went to New York. It’s a craft, an art form. It’s more than just a fame thing.”
Lundberg’s first global break into modelling came in 2017, when she walked at a Dolce & Gabbana show in Milan, long before the brand was mired in a major controversy in China because of racist comments from one of the founders, which caused many of its Asian celebrity ambassadors to stop working with the company.
“Your decision to work with anybody means that you need to understand what their ethics and values are,” Lundberg says. “It’s very important but mistakes happen because we’re human.
“Every company makes impulsive decisions and mistakes, and if it’s your company, that’s your fault. If it was my lipstick brand and I made a racist comment, I would have to apologise because that’s what I said, but does that reflect on the entire ethics and morals of the corporation? It might not.”
Lundberg walking at the Dolce & Gabbana autumn-winter 2017 show during Milan Fashion Week.
“It reflects just one person, but one person can taint a beautiful legacy,” she continues. “So I always look at the corporation as a whole, and their morals and the people who work for the company. If you don’t truly believe it, then don’t sign. Also because if you don’t believe in something you can’t sell it.”
Whether Lundberg is representing brands such as Maybelline or institutions such as the UN, she knows that in this day and age you need to have a voice as a celebrity and not be afraid to use your platform for causes you believe in.
“Although I said that I don’t fit in because I’m a third-culture kid, I’m a Buddhist and I love Thai culture and history,” she says. “We Thais have a very strong sensibility and resilience, and we’re very passionate about what we believe in.
“As you can see from our love for our monarchy, language, art and history, we’re very patriotic, but no matter how much and fast we develop and how the infrastructure grows, we have kept our culture.
“We have temples next door to malls, which is very rare. We will never lose that because it’s deeply rooted in the soul and culture of Thai people. However, we have a large wealth gap and our literacy rate is very low.
“Our education needs to grow with our country. Most Thais are farmers and the faster education and the middle class develop, the faster the country will grow.”
Whether Lundberg is representing brands such as Maybelline or institutions such as the UN, she knows that in this day and age you need to have a voice as a celebrity and not be afraid to use your platform for causes you believe in.
“Although I said that I don’t fit in because I’m a third-culture kid, I’m a Buddhist and I love Thai culture and history,” she says. “We Thais have a very strong sensibility and resilience, and we’re very passionate about what we believe in.
“As you can see from our love for our monarchy, language, art and history, we’re very patriotic, but no matter how much and fast we develop and how the infrastructure grows, we have kept our culture.
“We have temples next door to malls, which is very rare. We will never lose that because it’s deeply rooted in the soul and culture of Thai people. However, we have a large wealth gap and our literacy rate is very low.
“Our education needs to grow with our country. Most Thais are farmers and the faster education and the middle class develop, the faster the country will grow.”
Lundberg at the Umpiem refugee camp in Thailand, this year.
Lundberg believes that the millions of visitors who flock to Thailand every year need to look beyond the glitzy malls of Bangkok and the all-inclusive resorts on the island of Phuket.
“Please come to Thailand, but don’t forget that the country is still developing and that there are many provinces that need help, and that it’s not just about foreign investment but also creating awareness about these issues,” she says.
As for her role in helping her motherland, she doesn’t mince words and says that privileged people like herself should go above and beyond the call of duty.
“People in entertainment and important, wealthy people need to commit more than just taxes to their society. We can do more,” says the outspoken Lundberg, adding that eventually acting and modelling will take a back seat to her social work.
No comments:
Post a Comment