Nani Hirunkit Changkham On Unexpected Stardom And Bringing F4 Thailand's MJ To Life

With his shy demeanour, Nani Hirunkit Changkham, 24, may not immediately come across as a heartthrob. But if his words are to be believed, beneath the reserved façade is a passionate romantic who expresses his feelings through heartfelt gestures. “Out of the four of us, I consider myself the most romantic. I express my love by performing acts of service,” he declares with endearing sincerity. Whether it is helping out with a difficult task or lending a listening ear, Nani finds joy in being a supportive friend. “Whenever I see my friends working hard or stressed, I just want to offer them help in any way possible.”

In F4 Thailand, Nani brings to life the enigmatic character MJ, who is known for his bad boy image. Despite it being his first acting role, Nani found a way to connect with the character, even though their personalities diverged sharply. “When I first read the script, I thought MJ was a really cool character,” he admits with a chuckle. “But maybe it is because I want to be more like MJ.” Though the character MJ exudes flirtatious self-assurance on-screen, off-screen, Nani is more of a wallflower. “In reality, I am extremely awkward. At times, I don’t know how to react when I see crowds of people at the airport waiting for us,” he confesses, his voice tinged with bashfulness. Amidst the frenzied fans jostling for his attention, Nani tries to stay grounded. “I don’t even think I’m as popular as the other boys,” he remarks. Currently, the young actor is in the midst of shooting two new drama series—Home School, which also stars fellow F4 Thailand castmate Dew Jirawat Sutivanichsak, and Wednesday Club—both of which are slated to be aired later this year. 

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With his busy filming schedule, Nani relishes the little pockets of downtime, which he uses to play video games, particularly RPG or role-playing video games. “I like that it lets me play with other people. Sometimes, I think I am playing with my fans but they don't know who I am, of course,” he shares. He also loves listening to music and counts R&B artists such as Post Malone as some of his current favourites on his Spotify playlist. “I love listening to R&B because it is a genre where you can really feel the emotions and the story,” he says. Does he want to record an album someday? “It is a secret,” he says coyly. “But there’s definitely something in the works.” 

Photographed by Zhang Minhua and Jeremy Kieran / Telescope Studios
Creative direction by Windy Aulia
Styled by Gracia Phang
Producer: Navin Pillay
Makeup: Pornpichit Khum-Nguen and Yothin Chuaysri
Hair: Thanupol Phoothepamornkul and Akkarapong Punkaew
Photographer’s assistant: Leonard Wong
Stylist’s assistant: Brandon Chia
Floral Design: Lilac Summers
Fashion: Dior
Jewellery: FRED