Toey Jarinporn Joonkiat Is The Real Deal
The Thai actress, model and host advocates for self-care and sustainability, with a disarming openness.
If you’re not yet familiar with Jarinporn Joonkiat, nicknamed Toey, let us give you an introduction. The 34-year-old started her career as a teenage model appearing in magazines. Acting came next and, along with it, hosting. Her first role in the movie Dear Galileo (2009), about two friends backpacking to Europe, saw her earn multiple nominations for Best Supporting Actress in Thailand. Since then, she has continued to star in films and dramas; most recently in the popular rom-com drama Matalada (2023), where she plays the titular character, a bubbly girl-next-door with a penchant for boho-chic outfits. (According to Toey, Mata and her have almost the same personality, but different styles).
Yet, unlike many of her peers, it was not her childhood dream to be an actress. “My first dream when I was a little girl was to be a teacher. Acting was not so much a dream; I just liked playing, and having fun pretending to be like someone in a TV show. Like, I would watch Fashion TV, and pretend to be a model.”
Shirt; shorts; belt, PRADA.
Now that she is an actress, model and host, which of the three does she enjoy the most? “It’s hard to choose because everything has made me who I am today. It’s brought me here, talking to you now,” she says thoughtfully.
“But if I had to choose one, I would choose acting because it’s given me so many life experiences, like meeting new people and exploring many things; I can be another person, I can understand another person.”
Dress, PRADA.
Outside of acting, Toey has her own YouTube channel, where she shares lifestyle content like travel vlogs and home tours. Beyond inside looks at holidays with her friends—including recent trips to Niseko and Iceland—as well as at her new house, the actress is not afraid to get even more personal. In one vlog, she takes viewers along on her egg-freezing journey, confessing that egg freezing is something she knows nothing about, and inviting anyone who is interested in the topic to explore it with her. In a video series called “Spajai” (‘heart spa’ in Thai), she discusses mental health with a psychologist. Inspired by her own experiences—where consulting a psychologist during a time when she was undergoing challenges in her life helped her get to know, understand and love herself more—Spajai is meant to be a spa for the heart, “a first-step spa where you can begin to love yourself more,” as she puts it in the first episode.
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The topics of “mental health” and “sustainability” might be bandied about these days, but for Toey, these are more than just buzzwords. In 2015, she co-founded the Environmental Education Centre Thailand, a social enterprise that aims to educate children on sustainability by allowing them to experience nature through marine life, wildlife and indigenous camps.
Last November, she gave a TEDx Talk that bridged the two topics; the replay is set to launch online this March. “It was my first time as a speaker, and it’s harder than acting. My talk is about how small happiness matters. It’s about how I found out that I wasn’t happy, and how nature helped me to reconnect with myself.”
Jacket; top; skirt; shorts (worn underneath); belt, PRADA.
It’s refreshing for an actress, especially one with 7.9 million followers and counting on Instagram, to be this honest. Toey is disarmingly open, and it’s clear that she is someone who walks the walk, and talks the talk. Her aforementioned new house is in Khao Yai, a city that is a three-hour drive from Bangkok and home to Khao Yai National Park. On why she chose to build her house there, she shares, “Khao Yai is a place where I can find nature and it is close to the city. I can recharge and connect with myself, and have a slow life. In the city, in everyday life, everything moves so fast.” Besides going back to her house alone, Toey also went on a solo holiday last year. “I went to the beach for six days, to an island called Koh Yao Noi. It was a very good experience; just chilling, reading, recharging.”
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It’s a sentiment that is echoed when she reflects on the lessons she has learned in her career so far: “Everyone has their own timing, there’s no rush. Don’t compare [yourself] to others. Everyone is different, everyone is unique. I’ve learned to be happy with who I am; that I should be myself.”
Cardigan; knit top; shorts; belt; socks, PRADA.
This extends to her personal style as well. “I think my style evolves with the trends. I keep up with trends, and I enjoy it when I see a brand’s new collection. But sometimes, I just want to be myself and not follow any trends. On a normal day, I’m in a t-shirt and jeans.” For Toey, a good pair of jeans is a wardrobe essential. “I have a lot of jeans. When I moved house, I found that I had so many clothes. Now, I only want to buy clothes that I know I will wear for a long time.”
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To wrap up the interview, we ask Toey what her goals are for 2024. Her answer, even if you were just introduced to her through this interview, will come as no surprise. “To enjoy life and to have work-life balance. I know it’s hard, but I will do my best.”
Photographer: John Tods
Stylist and interview: Windy Aulia
Fashion: Prada
Makeup: Jane Jira Phanvichian
Hair: Thanupol Phoothepamornkul
Manicurist: Siranee Sakdirat/Elle Nails by Elle
Producer: Nina Simpson
Set Designer: Anakpong Suwannaput
Photographer’s Assistants: Audomsak Aemausin, Narong Tharveeyart, Wanlop Banchuen
Stylist’s Assistants: Phi Ritwiwat, Patipan Limsuwash