When Tep Rindaro was a child he used to sneak into the cinema with his elderly next-door-neighbor. He never paid; he just slunk in with his hand in his neighbor’s fooling the attendants into thinking the pair were father and son.
Tep, 43, is now considered one of Cambodia’s most formidable actors and ironically, if his own father had survived the genocidal regime of the 1970s, Tep says he wouldn’t be where he is today.
"Ever since I was a child I loved the movies, but my father didn’t approve of me pursuing a career in the film industry. Secretly, I’d made up my mind; I ajust had to bide my time. My father wanted me to study medicine, and because good children must obey their parents, I decided to at least study something practical. In 1981 I actually got a scholarship to study in Russia as an airplane mechanic, but I continued to dream of stardom," Tep says.
"I worked as a mechanic purely for the benefit of my parents," he says.
| Roaring with laughter Tep explains the "sneaky" tactics he employed to pursue that dream. "At night I watched movies, which my father was often angry about. You see, if I watched movies all the time I forgot about my school work, and by midday, I was always very sleepy and couldn’t study. Once, my father gave me a stern warning to stop watching movies—he was very strict— |
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he said if he ever caught me watching movies again, I would be punished."
"I obeyed my parents to a certain extent ... but I did tell some lies, often going to watch movies at night without tell[ing] them."
And while he was admonished, Tep says he remains grateful for most of the advice his parents gave him.
In 1984, he returned from Russia with qualifications, but with no employment opportunities available in Phnom Penh, Tep once again left Cambodia.
"I couldn’t find work at Phnom Penh’s Pochentong airport because back then the runways were too short for large aircraft to land, so I left for Vietnam where I worked at Ho Chi Minh’s airport for three years before finally securing a job back in Phnom Penh."
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| But finally, at the age of 24, Tep’s dream of stardom came true, when he secured a part in Tuk Pneak Sroh Nov Pel Reatrey (A Quiet Tear at Night). With no formal acting training, he says his ability merely came from "watching a lot of television—without telling my parents" and from the depths of his own "imagination". When he talks about this first role, Tep again bursts out laughing and says, "I don’t really want to talk about my beginnings." But he does. |
"In that first movie, I didn’t even get paid. The film’s producer told me he’d pay me later, but I still haven’t been given any money! Anyway, that wasn’t a popular film, because the story didn’t interest the audiences."
Even his own mother wasn’t enamored with his beginnings, or the movie, for that matter. "My father had recently died, and my mother knew nothing about my new career. I could tell she was surprised to see my face on the screen at the theater, but she said nothing."
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| Things improved for Tep in 1990 when he made his second appearance in the film Ark Kambang Kech Sanyar (The Secret Promise), produced by Ses Vong Setha and co-starring actress Apor Tevy. A romantic drama, Tep played the role of a Cambodian doctor, who returns to his homeland after living abroad to search for the family he lost during the Pol Pot regime, meanwhile falling in love with a young woman (Apor). Tep jokes that his fame was actually all down to a good hairdresser: "I became a famous film star at that time because of my hair. All the film stars of those days had long hair, but mine was cut short." |
However, there is much more to Tep’s talents than his hair. In 2005, Princess Norodom Buppha Devi awarded him a certificate on behalf of the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts for his work in the film industry. That same year, King Norodom Sihamoni made Tep a Royal Officer (a Thnak Sina) of the Kingdom and the following year, a further honor was bestowed upon Tep by the King when he became ranked higher still as a Mony Sophon Thnak Sina.
For an airplane mechanic from modest beginnings in Battambang, this is some career leap. Still single, Tep says he doesn’t worry about marriage.
"I only care about my job ... and earn[ing] the money to maintain my standard of living. I don’t ever think about stopping my acting career, and I only will when my health prevents me. I love this part of my life."