Me ... Myself and Ananda

Busy actor Ananda Everingham will be on hand at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand on Thursday night for an 8 o'clock screening of his romantic comedy-drama Me ... Myself as part of the FCCT's Contemporary World Cinema series.

Me ... Myself was also among the seven Thai films featured at this year's Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy.

I can just about use just my fingers to count the films that Ananda has appeared in over the past couple of years. Since his 2004 starring role in the original Shutter and in addition to Me ... Myself, in which he played an amnesiac gay transvestite cabaret dancer, he appeared in Pen-ek Ratanaruang's Ploy and Pen-ek's short film Twelve Twenty, Ekachai Uekrongtham's Pleasure Factory, and Santi Taepanich's Bangkok Time.

This year, the Bangkok-born Lao-Australian model and actor is appearing in at least four five six seven films:

• The Memory -- Opening May 15, this Thai thriller has Ananda cast opposite Mai Charoenpura.
• The Leap Years -- A Singaporean-produced romance co-starring Joan Chen. It is due for release in Bangkok on May 22.
• Sabaidee Luang Prabang (Good Morning, Luang Prabang) -- A Lao-Thai co-production, this road-trip romance opens in Thailand on June 5.
• Happy Birthday -- Pongpat Wachirabunjong's followup to Me ... Myself. It is due out on July 3.
• Queen of Langkasuka -- Nonzee Nimibutr's historical fantasy is due sometime in the coming months.
  
• The Coffin -- A Thai-Hong Kong thriller, directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, co-starring Karen Mok.
  
• Red Eagle -- Ananda steps into the role made famous by legendary action hero Mitr Chaibancha for a reboot of the 1960s movie series by director Wisit Sasanatieng. The first of possibly two parts is due out later this year.

In addition to all his work in film, Ananda is among five young Thai celebrities shilling for Pepsi Max in a series of commercials, signs and billboards plastered all over the country that also feature 13 Beloved star Noi Sukosol.

Just today, Ananda was featured on the front page of the Daily Xpress in the celebrity-penned "Good Morning, Bangkok" column, in which he expressed his desire to move from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Here's what he wrote:

I'm moving to Chiang Mai. It's an entirely new life. Living in Bangkok has for too long falsely convinced me that I'm at the centre of the universe. I'm overloaded with work and overwhelmed with frustration. Working in Chiang Mai for two months rejuvenated me. It will be a leap of faith. It is my master plan now.

Something has to change, and it concerns my state of mind. I should be moving there before the end of this year.

Well, with all that going on, I'd be ready for a change of pace, too. Selfishly though, I hope he finishes part one of Red Eagle -- safely -- and then takes a rest before getting to work on Red Eagle 2.

Fans who want to hear Ananda's talk at the FCCT are advised to show up early in order to get a seat, or make reservations, if possible. Admission is 150 baht for non-members. Judging by the reception for Akara Amartayakul at the screening of My Talking Dic and Muay Thai Chaiya a couple of weeks ago, there will be a big crowd on hand, and the tables tend to fill up pretty fast.

(Cross-published at The Nation Weblog)