Namtao Sriboonmee, a gas station worker in Yasothon province, got a happy ending to the episode of public fame that began two weeks ago when her pictures were posted online with cruel comments about her looks. She scored a role in the Thai film ‘Fast and Furious 8’ (a slapstick comedy that is unrelated to the American franchise ‘The Fast and the Furious’) from the ordeal, which she filmed in Bangkok on Tuesday.
To see the video with English subtitles, click here.
Namtao first made news when she was unknowingly photographed at work by civil servant Pongsak Kensing, who posted the photos online with the cruelest of comments. He published pictures of the gas station worker saying that she was an “ugly human being” and “how dare it be born?”
He was quickly scolded by netizens, who reported his behavior to his bosses. He was made to publically apologize to Namtao, who said that she forgave him.
One of the people that came to Namtao’s defense online was famous movie director Poj Arnon, who mentioned giving her a role in a movie.
He came through on that promise, and Namtao came to Bangkok to film a funny and sweet scene for the upcoming movie in which she plays herself and pokes fun of what happened to her.
She said, “At first, I thought it was a prank but Poj’s crew contacted my mom and the gas station manager. I made the decision almost right away. I am a fan of Poj and this is a lifetime experience for me,” reported Bangkok Post.
The scene, in which she appears as a gas station attendant in the red uniform shirt she normally wears to work, shows her pumping gas for a young woman who berates her for not doing her job well and, in a send-up of Pongsak’s horrible comments online, says, “You look like a rare creature” and “You’re brave to be born.”
However, in this version, a handsome man on a motorcycle pulls up behind the customer and defends Namtao. He tells the mean girl that she has bucked teeth and should look at herself before criticizing others. He also says that she is like many people who judge others based on what’s on the outside, not the inside.
He goes on to ask Namtao if she has a boyfriend. When she coyly replys, “Not yet,” he asks her to be his girl before asking her to take a ride on his bike. Then, in her star moment, she gives a little wave to her snotty customer and jumps on the back of the young man’s bike before kissing him on the cheek and riding away with him.
Namtao came to Bangkok to film the scene with her husband, while her daughter was being taken care off by her grandfather at home.
Since the social media incident, Namtao has also been approached to become a presenter or spokesperson for plastic surgery clinics and weight-loss products.
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