"You are a very handsome man" — For Bond Fans Only in Conversation with Sayan Jantanarat

Henley-on-Thames to meet John Glen.

Barnes to meet Julian Glover CBE.

Stockwell to meet Dame Joanna Lumley OBE.

Liverpool to meet Robert Davi.

And now, Bangkok to meet Sayan Jantanarat, a.k.a. Elephant Boy. 

At just 10 years old, Sayan appeared in The Man with the Golden Gun (TMWTGG).

For Bond Fans Only Founder & Editor Joe Emery (that's me), it was a 5,988-mile journey to see him. Although not in business class. One day, one day (when FBFO gains world domination).

The venue: my brother's friends' home in suburban Bangkok. The translator: my sister-in-law, Kik — born in northeast Thailand and pronounced "Gig". With FBFO's usual cameraman still in England, I drafted in a local replacement.

Of course, Sayan arrived in true Thai style — on a motorbike, helmetless, in flip-flops. Verbal communication was limited; Sayan had little English in his armoury.

But I didn't need it. I saw the warmth and gentleness in his eyes, his smile, and his traditional Thai "wai" greeting — hands pressed together in a prayer-like gesture. I even got an autograph.

Although uncredited in the official credits of TMWTGG, he is now — to paraphrase Francisco Scaramanga's line in the same film — "undeniably the Elephant Boy".

Enjoy.

And if you do enjoy, please could you spare a little loose change for the children at Richard House Children's Hospice? Make it 20,000 Baht. You can donate here.

© 2025 J W Emery Ltd. All rights reserved.