Singer Yuri Choi wasn’t the only actress to make her acting debut in the comedy “Food Truck: Stolen Love…And Mu Deng.” The pygmy hippopotamus, which was born in 2024 and has fascinated the world, will also be featured in a full-length Thai family film for the first time.
Choi, a Korean singer-songwriter and founder of SRP Entertainment, told the audience at a recent Variety Screening Series event that she wanted to dive into the world of acting because she “loves to learn.” Knowing that she could speak Thai (she majored in Thai in college), the producers encouraged her to appear in the movie. Popular Thai actor Mario Maurer, comedian Jack Fanchan, and rapper and actor Padun Songsang will co-star.
Her song “After the Rain” is also played in the movie, and in a Q&A she explained how this song, which was released last year, is connected to “Food Truck.”
“The song ‘After the Rain’ is connected to this movie and this story, and it’s a very emotional song,” Choi said. “This song is about overcoming certain obstacles. For example, when it starts to rain, the sky becomes clear and beautiful. It’s the same in life.”
Choi revealed that unfortunately he was not able to share a scene with the young hippo. In this action-comedy, she plays an actress who takes her son with her to make a movie on location. Suspecting that his biological father is part of the production team, the boy stows away in a film catering truck, and ends up making a detour to Mu Daeng Zoo as the staff tries to return him to his mother, only to find that a small hippo also becomes a stowaway.
In “Food Truck: Stolen Love…and Moo Deng”, Moo Deng hides in a box.
“Unfortunately, I have never seen the real Mu Deng in person. But when you watch the movie, you will see how cute and charming Mu Deng is,” she said.
When she first met with the Korean producers, she found the story interesting and emotional, saying, “It also ties in well with my real-life experiences.” Like the movie actress, Choi is raising her children by herself.
“That experience helped me understand and feel the characters’ emotions more deeply,” she said.
Choi said it was a great experience working with the children in the cast. Because they were “very professional.” However, Thailand’s unpredictable weather was a different story, as the crew had to deal with both sudden downpours and heat.
“That’s why before filming, I prayed that it wouldn’t rain heavily today,” she laughed.
Will Choi return to the screen amidst his busy music career? “I hope so!” she said. “If I have a chance, I would definitely like to participate.”
