Exclusive: Apo Nattawin Wattanagitiphat And Mile Phakphum Romsaithong On 'KinnPorsche: The Series' And More

Forget Ennis and Jack of Brokeback Mountain. There’s a new handsome gay couple in town: Kinn (played by Mile Phakphum Romsaithong) and Porsche (played by Apo Nattawin Wattanagitiphat). They both star in KinnPorsche The Series, a Thai boys’ love action romance-drama television series based on a web novel of the same name by author-duo Daemi. 

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For the uninitiated: The series follows Porsche Pachara Kittisawat, a local bartender and underground fighter, who gets tangled up with Kinn Anakinn Theerapanyakun, the second son and heir-apparent of an influential crime family. Their story begins with an unfortunate encounter: While making his way home from a business meeting, Kinn runs into trouble with his rivals. In an attempt to save his life, Kinn makes a run for it and comes across Porsche, who he hires on the spot to protect him. Impressed with Porsche’s fighting abilities during their chance encounter, Kinn decides to track him down and offer him a full-time job as a bodyguard. Working as a personal bodyguard to an underworld leader was never an option for Porsche, but he needed the money to send his younger brother to university and keep their family home. Reluctantly, Porsche accepts the offer. 

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It bears some resemblance to Whitney Houston’s 1992 romance drama The Bodyguard, except that there’s no damsel in distress here. Kinn, an openly gay mafia boss, falls in love with his bodyguard. However, due to family rivalries and the complexities that come with underworld politics, their journey to happily ever after was filled with obstacles at every turn.

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The series aired earlier this year on streaming platform iQiyi and became an instant hit, propelling Mile, Apo and their 14 co-stars to overnight stardom. And fans wanted to see more from their new favourite Thai actors. Fortunately for them, Be On Cloud, the production company behind KinnPorsche The Series, decided to turn it into a travelling concert with all sixteen boys. 

During the Singapore leg of their tour, we caught up with Mile and Apo to learn more about their professional journey, experience working on the series and more.

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Your rise to fame after starring in the television series KinnPorsche: The Series can be described as meteoric. In your opinion, what do you think led to the success of the series?

Mile: I think that the entire cast’s off-screen chemistry came off really well on screen, which felt genuine and relatable. The series also didn’t focus too much on romance; rather, it included comedic elements as well to break up the dark and serious atmosphere. And each character represents a different side of people in the society—both dark and light. Some characters are serious, while others are playful. 

Apo: We live in such a fast-paced, Instagram-perfect world that I think people sometimes yearn for something spontaneous and natural. And I think the series offered that to the audience.

Are there any similarities between you and the character you play?

Mile: I do believe that I share some things in common with every character I play, be it mannerisms or way of thinking. Some elements of Kinn that have stayed with me are his way of thinking and implementing things. Another thing that Kinn gave me was confidence. 

Apo: In my opinion, Porsche and I are both sincere in nature. We’re frank with our feelings. Porsche has also shaped the way I see and understand things. Each time I read the script, I would ask myself: ‘What would Porsche do?’ And act accordingly. I’m thankful for the opportunity to have played such a character.

Did you always want to be an actor?

Apo: Acting has always been my dream career since I was 19 years old. I think that acting, as a profession, offers one many invaluable experiences. For example, if I were to play a bak kut teh vendor, I’d have the opportunity to learn about their life, routine and perhaps even the secret to making it. Which, I wouldn’t ordinarily have the opportunity to. 

Mile: I’ve actually never thought of being an actor prior to this. I’ve always loved the world of business and planning. But I’ve fallen after being part of this series, I’ve fallen in love with acting. 

What would your dream role be in a film or television series, and who would you cast to star alongside you?

Apo: I would love to play a role in biographical movies or television shows about Elvis Presley and Queen. I would like to perform a deep dive into their way of life, thought process and routines.

As for co-stars, I really like Margot Robbie, Leonardo DiCaprio and Hugh Jackman. I love their natural vibes and improvisation style. It would be great if I have an opportunity to work with them. And I strongly believe that some magic moment will happen for sure.

Mile: I would love to play Pablo Escobar. Some might think he is bad, but as a human I think he might have his own reasons for doing what he did. I think he has many layers and I want to look through his lens to understand him. The one actor I would love to star alongside is Tom Hanks. I love how real he is.

Marvel films are huge right now. If given the opportunity, who would you like to portray in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Apo: I would say The Hulk because I like the colour green, but I’m afraid I might sound like an idiot to say that. So I’ll say Captain America instead. He’s got an ‘80s mindset but has to live in the modern world, which is interesting to me.

Mile: I would choose Dr. Strange. I’m so mad at traffic jams, so I envy his time-travelling ability. Also, I would like to interpret this character through my lived experience.

Which style icon, dead or alive, do you look up to?

Apo: I like Alex Turner from Arctic Monkeys. I love his old-school British sensibilities. For example, the way he wears flared trousers and pointed shoes is attractive to me.

Mile: I don’t really have one. Normally I will wear what I want to wear, depending on the day and the occasion. For the most part, I love wearing suits.

Lastly, what else can we expect from you in the near future?

Apo: Keep an eye out for our upcoming movie based on Thai traditional music and dance. In the film, Mile plays the taphon (a traditional Thai drum) and I'm a dancer. Apart from this, we will have more international projects, so keep your eyes peeled!

Mile: Let’s just say that 99% of my upcoming projects are the same as Apo. I would like to share our platform with the world audience. I’m so excited to share these pieces of work with our fans around the world. We also have a Be On Cloud global audition to discover new talents for our upcoming project, so stay tuned! 

Translator: Pimpichaya Jeungseangchaisakul

*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.