Key Information
- Name: Natara Nopparatayapon
- Nickname: Ice
- Born: Bangkok, Thailand
- Birth date: Jan 22, 1991
- Known for: Actor
- Instagram: @icenatara
"Good actors take 10 years, but great actors take 30 years." Ice Natara’s favourite quote
Ice, or Natara Nopparatayapon, is an actor who has been increasingly noticed for his role as “Santi Saelee” in Mad Unicorn, a series produced by GDH 599 with Netflix that quickly became a sensation. This is not only because of its intense content that inspires the audience, but also because of Ice’s performance that captivates viewers with his abundant energy and realistic acting.
Although Ice has acted in many projects before, this series seems to be a milestone that moves him from being a “known actor” to an “actor to watch” on a wider scale — from both his existing fans and new viewers.
“I wasn’t born to be an actor, but I see myself more as a wanna-be actor.” — Ice in an interview with The Cloud
Walking the runway, running the dream
He started in the modelling industry, walking for top brands and major stages like Elle Fashion Week, Vogue, GQ, and others in Thailand since he was 19. He spent 4–5 years becoming well-known, but when the runway began to feel repetitive and the work became monotonous, he chose to go further — to the international level.
The diversity trend in the international fashion industry was a turning point that made him want to prove that “Thai models can also go far.” He flew to South Korea, set his goals, and submitted his portfolio to various modelling agencies until he was selected as one of 15 models for Agency Garten, one of the top five modelling agencies in South Korea.
Working with Agency Garten gave him valuable experience and disciplined work training. When he finally achieved all his goals, he decided to return to Thailand — ready to start a new chapter of his life as an “actor” with GTH.
Born a model, driven to become an actor
Ice signed with GTH (now GDH) and began his acting career with the series Malee the Series in 2015, before landing his first leading role in Gasohug. He committed deeply, even living on a mountain and working as a real petrol station attendant to understand and portray his character as authentically as possible.
His later works demonstrate attention to the “small details” that professional actors never overlook — such as losing 14 kilos for the role in The Collector and shaving his head for One For The Road, which was produced by Wong Kar-wai.
In 2025, he returned with the most challenging role yet in Mad Unicorn — the story of a young man from the highlands dreaming of changing his family’s life. Inspired by the real life of Komsan Saelee, founder of Flash Express, Thailand’s first unicorn startup with fundraising exceeding 4.7 billion baht, this role allowed Ice to express drive, dreams, and pain through the character Santi Saelee.
The role of Santi Saelee highlights Ice’s acting ability by using over 50% Chinese language in the series. Ice spent only two months learning Chinese, practicing pronunciation, accents, gestures, and interpreting dialogue until fans unanimously praised him for sounding “almost like a native speaker”.
One role at a time
We don’t see Ice’s work very often because he chooses to take on projects one at a time. He picks roles he believes he can perform well and teams that can truly elevate his skills. Although he sometimes regrets missing opportunities, it’s because he wants to deliver the best performance possible.
“I only choose roles that I really want to play. If the role is good and popular, that’s even better.” — Ice told The Cloud
He also chooses projects based on the quality of the team, believing that working with talented teams will push him to improve himself better.
The Ice method: acting inside and outside
Ice says acting is not as easy as he once thought because it’s not just about delivering lines correctly or showing the right emotions, but about deeply understanding the attitude, motivation, objective, needs and obstacles of the character.
He explains that his acting technique uses both “Outside-In”, which starts from external actions to stimulate internal feelings, and “Inside-Out”, which begins from feelings that are then expressed through actions. Eventually, he developed the “In & Outside Together” approach, which helps make his performances realistic and has earned him praise.
Greatness is a marathon
“I’m probably about halfway to becoming a good actor.” — Ice on Pated Talk.
He admits there are many things he still wants to improve, including teamwork, filming techniques, voice usage, and accessing new emotions he has never encountered before.
His favourite quote — “Good actors take 10 years but great actors take 30 years” — reminds him not to rush but to steadily gather experience from each role and build himself up firmly.
Ice may not be a “great actor” today, but he is walking that path with clear goals, discipline, and a passionate heart to keep moving forward, without stopping.