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We’ve heard about 17-year-old Becky-Rebecca Patricia Armstrong since she was a part of TharnType The Series Season 2. Later, she was in GAP The series Girl Love, the first series from ‘IDOLFACTORY’, as ‘Mon’ together with Freen-Sarocha Chankimha, or ‘Khun Sam’ in the series.

This Thai-British girl, who was not confident and not able to speak Thai fluently, began to chase her dream and challenge herself to be a Lawyer by studying Law with Criminology and Psychology at University of Essex, England.

For us, this is one of the most enjoyable conversations we have had. It is like getting to know a new friend who is an actress with full of passion for both work and study (even her routine were to attend online class at 1 am, go to bed at 5 in the morning, and wake up early to work for more than 2 years!)

All mentioned above is just only a teaser of her life at the age of 20 where determination takes a key role. Now, let’s get to know more about her perspective of life from various experiences she has been through.

Becky Rebecca : A law-student actress who attends at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.

I Have a Dream, a song to sing

Heard that your schedule is super tight, and you just had Fans meeting earlier, any days to take a rest this month?

Of course! (laugh) Earlier, I went to Philippines for Magazine photo shooting and working continuously both before and after the trip, that caused me to be admitted to the hospital from sleep deprivation. I think I am getting used to not getting much sleep and being awake for 24 hours. One day if I’m away from the work, I probably get back to sleep late and get up late again.

Are you missing or thinking of activities you used to do in the old days?

Plenty! Soccer time with Richy (brother) and dad, playing Tennis, Archery, Shooting, Rock Climbing. What I want to try now is Shark Diving.

I like sharks a lot! and don’t know why as well. I can watch documentaries about sharks for 4 hours a day. I also read about whale sharks, tiger sharks, and white sharks, and almost chose to study about Marine Biologists just because I want to know in details about sharks.

Becky Rebecca : A law-student actress who attends at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.
Becky Rebecca : A law-student actress who attends at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.

Teachers liked to ask about their kids’ dream in the future, do you still remember your answers?

My answer has always been to be a singer even now, because I love to sing since I was so young. My favorite singers are Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo as I like singers who wrote songs based on their life stories and experience making me cry. For example, songs called traitor, drivers license or déjà vu which meaning tell us that you might get betrayed sometimes as the world is not always nice to you.

What did you do to get closer to that dream?

By that time, I totally had no idea how. So I kept practicing and went to compete in several competitions and auditions such as Thailand’s Got Talent, New Zealand’s Got Talent, The Voice and The Trainer. From those 6-7 stages, I didn’t get auditioned at all, but I made me keep going on this career.

How does the singing mean to you?

For me, I consider it as a happiness cause singing makes me happy and pushes me away to another world. I remembered my teacher once asked me if I wanted to be a doctor or another job, and my answer was ‘No’ because I just wanted to do what made me happy. If I have kids, I will support them to do what they like too.

Becky Rebecca : A law-student actress who attends at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.

Begin Again

We’ve heard that you were studying abroad and transited school for so many times, how about your studying timeline?

That’s a long story! I started kindergarten level in Australia, and then came back to Thailand for kindergarten 2 at Shrewsbury International School. After that, I went to Bangkok Patana School before relocating to New Zealand transiting for 2 schools there. When coming back to Thailand, it turned out that I totally forgot about Thai language. So my mom sent me to a boarding school called ‘Wattana Wittaya Academy’, which was one of the most difficult moment for me as everything tool place in Thai (moaning).

I needed to take Thai language extra course for 3 hours to survive because the examination was all in Thai. Anyway, I always thank those moments to make my Thai communication better.

Also after Wattana Wittaya Academy, I went to study at Victoria College Belfast in England for 3-4 years before returning to Shrewsbury International School. At my Year 12, I chose my major studies as Business Studies, History, English, and Drama. 

I chose the last major but I didn’t think about becoming an actress at all. My advisor did ask me if I was interested more in Business Studies and English language as Drama might not suit me. Currently, I’m studying at University of Essex.

Oh my gosh, that’s a lot of transition!

It is! Transitions made it hard for me to keep connected with my friends, I need to start over and over again. When getting used to the environment and friends in England, I need to relocate again back to Thailand and start things over at Shrewsbury.

Becky Rebecca : A law-student actress who attends at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.

Why did you transit so often?

My dad relocated often for business purposes, but for England, it was all about me. I saw my brother going there, and that made me want to go there too. However, homesick and Thai foods made me get back here.

Have you ever questioned where in the world is actually you home?

To be honest, I’m not quite sure either! I missed Thailand when being in England so much, but when I am here in Thailand, I sometimes miss England too. Probably because I’m half Thai and half British.

The meaning of home for me is where my family, friends, good vibes, and my fans are. So I’m considering Thailand as my home now.

Have you ever been trying to reject starting your life in a new place over again?

I have when I was a 4th year student at Bangkok Patana school. I didn’t want to go to New Zealand because all of my friends were here, but my family went there already and they didn’t tell me when I would be back to Thailand. I told my mom that I didn’t want to go, but she asked me back how could I live alone here in Thailand, so I needed to go there with my family.

I was afraid of losing contact with my friends as social media was not available by that time.

Becky Rebecca : A law-student actress who attends at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.

Social media is trending now! Have you got to see your friends you mentioned?

I have! I contact and connect with my friends through the school’s alumni association. However, the longer, the fewer friends I keep contacting. For those who remain, we still support each other even though we don’t get to meet often in person like the old times.

Some might say ‘Introvert’ doesn’t need friends? What is your opinion towards this statement?

Friend is one of most important things in life keeping you alive, even for Introverts. Being with friends who I’m comfortable to be with makes me feel relieved, no single word needed. 

Becky Rebecca : A law-student actress who attends at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.

Double Dreams Come True

How do you separate your time from studying and working together?

I separated them half-half. After getting back home around 10 – 11 pm, I took a shower, got something to eat, and attended class at 1 am. My teacher knew is was a  late night in Thailand, she asked me ‘Not sleepy?’ and then I answered I am, but I need to pass. (smile)

What happens if you have so many things to do and skip class?

It’s ok, but I still need to submit the assignments. If I don’t, I will have my points deducted. I am a Perfectionist type when it comes to the study, every assignments submitted need  to be review not less than 20 times by me, my dad, and my brother sometimes just to make sure that it’s perfect before submitting.

I just submitted 30,000-word assignments last night which took me to do it until 5 in the morning. Even I slept at 6 am, luckily I got to get up at 10 am today.

But your sleeping hours sound not enough!

(laughter) Doctor told me to sleep for 8 hours a day since I was admitted to the hospital from sleep deprivation. He told me it’s ok to do everything you want to, but you are the only one to take care of your health.

Even the workload is tough, especially the fans meeting period, but I’m trying to change this habit. So far, my short-run goal is to sleep for 8 hours (laughter), and my assignments and my work performance need to be done perfectly too. As a punctual person, I will try not to be late because I don’t like late people.

Get to know 'Becky Rebecca', a lay-student actress who dedicates her life to be the best of both world, attends law at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.

Do you think it’s a shame that you don’t get to see your friends during the online-class period?

I did not get to see my friends in person at all, this 4th year student got to meet them only in Zoom Meeting for 2 whole years. I used to be more excited with my university life from seeing friends and hanging out with them. Unfortunately, we only discuss assignments online as they are all older than me.

I understand that working and studying at the same time might make the time to relax less, and I accept the condition.

What makes your dream to be a Lawyer so clear on your mind?

(Laughter) This dream came so sudden when I was at Shrewsbury. I want to study and prefer more in International Relations. I wish to work in the embassy, learn a lot about language to be able to communicate more effectively.

However, my dad and brother watched the series called Suits together, and I found that the main character was attractive from being able to remember all the laws, to read people’s minds, and to care for people around. Then I started to research and apply for Law School, ending up with success.

Get to know 'Becky Rebecca', a lay-student actress who dedicates her life to be the best of both world, attends law at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.

What made you decide to study in a tough majors like Criminology and Psychology?

To be honest, I don’t know why I did that either (laughter). I need to pay double attention to the study, presentation, assignments, but work hard paid off when the score of each task is satisfied.

Which law is the most difficult one in your opinion? Please share the technique to memorize the details for us!

Hmm, I think Criminology is the most difficult subject because it needs to understand all parties. I need to read the case study I get for more than 20 times until I understand the core point, then create Mind Mapping and bullet point to memorize every piece of details. Each of my assignments contains more than 30,000 words! 

But it is always nice to know the law as it makes me understand what’s right or wrong right away without bias.

Get to know 'Becky Rebecca', a lay-student actress who dedicates her life to be the best of both world, attends law at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.

A whole new world, A hundred thousand things to see

Back to when your advisor suggested that drama might not suit you, how did you cope yourself?

At A-level that I chose Drama, the reason was to increase charm and charisma. Even I did not feel good about what my advisor just suggested, I still respect his opinion. That he saying it might not suit me doesn’t not mean I can’t do it!

My Thai was not this good at the first place, but I took it as an opportunity to improve. So I was chosen to be a part of TharnType The Series, and I got to learn a lot from seniors. In Pink Theory, I need to manage with the long script as I am a main character. When seeing difficulty as a challenge, I think I will be so proud of myself and am ready to take it to the next level.

What is the thing that you do for the first time and don’t want to do it anymore in Pink Theory set?

Performing in a pool scene as everything needs to be done in 1 take. If that take fails, the whole set needs to wait until the next day, or until my costume ready in order to reshoot such scene. There was a scene I needed to push Freen to the pool, my lip turned to purple from the cold weather and I needed to act like I’m not cold when the director commanded ‘Action’. (laughter)

Becky Rebecca : A law-student actress who attends at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.

In you opinion, what/who do you think is most worth to love?

Yourself. When you are left behind, yourself is the only one staying besides you. You need to take good care of yourself, understand all of the conditions you have, and love yourself the most before loving someone else.

Love is important, but you can also find the happiness from the other things such as acting and singing. If I need to be in a relationship, that person needs to make my life better and support each other.

I don’t see myself as a first priority of them, but their dream and goal. What I will do for them is to support them.

From all of the gifts you received from your fans, which one impresses you the most?

Gifts from my fans such as flowers, BonBon blanket (Becky’s dog), or handmade stuff are impressive for me as it is made only for us. I keep all of the cards from my fans, both Thais and international fans, and read them sometimes to boost my morale. I just can’t thank you enough.

I don’t think you have a problem with the culture shock, but what do you think that is different from English culture?

Some Thai words, for example the words ‘Kra Sue’ and ‘Pret Wat Suthat’ in my script. I needed to ask help from the team to explain its meaning and stories. I didn’t get the sense of meaning as I might not understand the culture.

Unlike Bloody Mary, the story made me afraid of going to toilet at midnight for 2-3 years until my grand father came and told me that it wasn’t real, it’s just a myth. (laughter)

Is performing as an officer difficult for you who is currently a student?

It is, I needed to study and research more about the officer. I’m just a university student in real life who needs to act as a grown women in a scene, so I research the character from the other series such as Boy Love, Girl Love, Start-Up, or The Handmaid’s Tale and Emily Dickinson Poems.

Becky Rebecca : A law-student actress who attends at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.
Becky Rebecca : A law-student actress who attends at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.

Do you think the acting skill and studying skill is your natural gift and designed talent?

What does it mean in Thai? (asking quietly)

Designed talent is what you try all by your own to reach the goal

I see! I don’t think I have a natural gift, even some says that I have one for singing. In fact, I studied about singing a lot until I could really sing. So does the acting that I learned from the opportunity and experience.

You once mentioned that life changes after the series was on-air, but what’s you remain the same. What is your personality and how you do need people to remember you?

I’m a determined person, and I want people to remember me that way. I was not born genius, so that’s why I always listen to the feedback and I always put 100% effort into everything I do.

Sounds like you’re full of passion! If today you get to be a lawyer, are you still continuing to be an actress?

Of course! In the morning, I can be an actress, and a lawyer in the evening. Vice versa is even better! Right now, I just cannot choose which on because I want to do both and put my time and effort on these 2 parts.

If you have a scene for me to perform as both actress and lawyer, please let me know! (big smile)

Get to know 'Becky Rebecca', a lay-student actress who dedicates her life to be the best of both world, attends law at 1 am, and wishes to rest for 8 hours.

Writer

วโรดม เตชศรีสุธี

วโรดม เตชศรีสุธี

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Photographer

มณีนุช บุญเรือง

มณีนุช บุญเรือง

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