My Perfect Weekend with The Red Envelope's Thai director Chayanop Boonprakob

Straits Times

24-04-2025

Who: Chayanop Boonprakob, 40, is a Thai director and screenwriter. He made his feature film debut with the musical comedy SuckSeed (2011), followed by the teen romantic comedy May Who? (2015). He co-directed the Love At Sundown segment as part of the acclaimed anthology A Gift (2017), and later helmed the romcom Friend Zone (2019).
His latest film, The Red Envelope, is showing in Singapore cinemas. A Thai remake of the 2022 Taiwanese blockbuster Marry My Dead Body, the supernatural romantic comedy tells the story of a straight cop (Billkin) who is forced to marry a gay ghost (Krit Amnuaydechkorn) afte r picking up a red envelope.
The Red Envelope is produced by Chayanop's Thai wife Pijarin Lertsaroj, 36, whom he has known for 14 years. The couple, who have no children, were in town on April 17 to promote their movie.
'Running has always been a main hobby my wife and I share. Even before we were a couple and when we were just friends , we bonded over running.
We usually run in town, at a park or sometime s in another province. We're based in the outskirts of Bangkok, so we enjoy exploring new routes.
A perfect Sunday for us is one when we can hit the road early after waking up at 5am, especially when the streets are quiet. We love running on the road. It is usually packed with traffic on regular days, but on weekends, it is clear and peaceful.
My wife and I have been married for four years, and she was the one who inspired me to start running. We run marathons together as well. My first full marathon was the one we ran together in Moscow, Russia, in 2019.
Now that we are in Singapore for The Red Envelope's premiere, we are thinking of going for a run near Marina Bay. We walked by the area recently, and it looked like a great route.
I also saw many running groups pass by – some were fast-paced and some were slower. I thought we could definitely do something like that – a slow morning jog in the city.
(From left) Thai director Chayanop Boonprakob, local actress Hong Huifang and local director Ong Kuo Sin at the screening of The Red Envelope.
PHOTO: COURTESY OF CHAYANOP BOONPRAKOB
My wife remembers jogging there years ago and spotting a group of otters crossing the street. Everyone stopped to watch, and some even played with them.
After a run, we always get hungry. Eating after a workout is the best kind of meal. My wife's favourite breakfast is usually pork skewers with sticky rice.
We would head to a nearby restaurant to grab a good coffee. The great thing is that by then, it is only 8 or 9am. There is still a whole day ahead.
That said, we also love staying in during the weekends and we are homebodies. We moved to a new home two years ago, and I have since got into gardening. I even recently grew some banana plants.'
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