Back in 2018, Netflix introduced us to the Thai thriller series Girl From Nowhere. Told like an anthology, the only constant in every episode of this series is the mysterious girl named Nanno.
This enigmatic icon transfers from school to school, exploiting the evil in its students and faculty members, and punishing them for their actions with her brand of vigilante justice.
Nanno can be charming, seductive, and show all sorts of emotions, but one thing’s for sure– her manipulations will always end in violence, humiliation, and more often than not, someone’s death.
With the success of the show’s first season, it is no surprise that viewers wanted more. And Netflix delivers, with the second season of the show arriving on the streaming platform on May 7.
Last April, members of the Philippine press were able to virtually meet Kitty Chicha Amatayakul who plays Nanno in a roundtable Zoom interview where she entertained some of our questions. Check out the highlights of the interview below:
1. How did you get the title role of Girl From Nowhere?
Kitty Chicha Amatayakul: It’s a standard story of any actors [and] actresses getting a role. So this role was put in casting and it went around Bangkok and Thailand. I got phone calls and they sent me the scripts. But when I first read it, I felt like this is the first time in my life that I really wanted a role. And I tried my best, and I was lucky enough that the team chose me.
2. What for you is the worst thing Nanno has ever done?
KCA: For me, I feel like I’m not even sure since she never hurt or kill anyone at all. She only gives them options or advice. Sometimes, I feel like not doing anything might be the worst thing of all.
3 . What do you think are Nanno’s strengths and weaknesses?
KCA: I think she has her own kind of rules or [system of judgment based] on what she believes in or what she [thinks is] how things should be. And actually, she has a very very kind heart, so it is like both her strength and weakness at the same time.
Like in the first season, you could see that even when she feels something more for TK, she couldn’t actually break her own rules and go back to him, or something like that. So it also hurts her.
4. How was it playing Nanno, and do you have any literary or cinematic references for your portrayal?
KCA: Hell was the journey, but the devil is on my side. Yes, I have many references from Japanese manga characters. For example, I do have Junji Ito’s Tomie, Enma Ai from another Japanese manga (Hell Girl), and I have Joker and Harley Quinn. And there’s also Johnny Depp. I actually enjoy his acting and how he would go from one character to another. I have many, many references, [and I’m] mixing them together, finding like, the right proportion for Nanno.
5. Where did the inspiration for Nanno’s laugh come from? And do people always ask you to do it for them now?
KCA: Yeah, people always ask me to do it, but I’m a bit shy and I tell them I would keep that for the character of Nanno. The first time that we thought about [Nanno’s laugh], I felt like, since she’s like a devil who’s trying to blend in with the human society, there must be something off about her.
And I feel like when she’s laughing it’s like “seriously?” or like “is this real?”, Things-like-that laugh. So she doesn’t even know how to laugh like a human being. It’s like a fake one. So every time she laughs, it’s like from her heart, her soul, her bones, everything.
Nanno’s laugh lives in my head rent-free pic.twitter.com/3hSJxWakF3
— Netflix Philippines (@Netflix_PH) April 29, 2021
6. How is the atmosphere on the set when you’re filming, is it also creepy like the show or are you having fun?
KCA: It is very, very different. I mean, together as a whole team, we are a bit like a family, and many times when we’re on set together, it’s funny, we were doing some [things that do not] even make sense, but what people are watching, it’s a lot creepier and scarier. The only thing that I hate about these things is cleaning myself up afterward.
7. Since the show is like an anthology, how was it working with a different set of actors for every episode?
KCA: It is very challenging but it’s fun. And I feel like it always makes me feel that I’m on the tips of my toes all the time, so every day is very exciting. Everything is something new.
8. What was the most shocking episode or scene for you?
KCA: I think for all the episodes from the two seasons, it’s all shocking. And since we actually knew that these were from real events, that these were inspired by creepy events, all of them were shocking. And the thing that haunts me most is [that] there is someone going through those kinds of situations in their life and it’s kind of sad to me.
9. What was the hardest scene to shoot throughout season 2?
KCA: There is this one scene, with many many Nannos in the same place at the same time but with different personalities. That was really hard to shoot.
10. What was your favorite episode in season 2 and why?
KCA: In this season my favorite episode is episode 6, because since we always want to surprise fans and the viewers, this time we had our own little experiment of putting the whole episode in black and white. And we feel like if the fans and viewers enjoy it, in the future, we can continue to explore more on how we execute each episode in many other ways, not just for the characters or the storyline.
11. If you were to write your own episode of Girl From Nowhere, what do you think your episode would be about?
KCA: There’s two things on my mind right now. The first thing is, maybe we should do an online Zoom class, or the other one is maybe Nanno might enroll as the new girl on the production team for Girl From Nowhere season 3, if Netflix approves that.
12. How would you compare the challenges from season 1 and season 2?
KCA: I think on the first season, we were just doing it for fun, like for ourselves. We didn’t even expect that it would come this far. We didn’t think that people would actually like the show, like the characters, and everything. So the first time, we didn’t even know what we’re doing, but this time, we realized there’s a lot of love we’ve been getting from the series, so we feel like we shouldn’t betray our viewers and our fans. So we’re trying our best to surprise them and make them feel that [our show is] still something that they might want to spend their time with again.
Girl From Nowhere season 2 also stars “Nink” Chanya McClory, Teeradon Supapunpinyo, Sadanon Durongkaveroj, and Penpak Sirikul to name a few. Its episodes are directed by Pairach Khumwan, Khomkrit Treewimol, Sittisiri Mongkolsiri, Paween Purijitpanya, Surawut Tungkaruk, and Jatuphong Rungrueangdechaphat.
Netflix produced this coming season in collaboration with GMM Grammy and SOUR Bangkok. You can watch the first season of the Girl From Nowhere here before the next season arrives on May 7.
