Baifern Pimchanok Strikes The Perfect Balance

“There were only two things I wanted to be in life. I would ask my mum, ‘Should I be a cashier or an actress?’” Baifern Pimchanok Luevisadpaibul smiles as she shares with us her childhood aspirations. Thankfully, she made the right choice, but we tell her that she would have made a charming store clerk who was just as popular and admired. She is thrilled.

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It’s hard to imagine the 33-year-old grinding away in a low-key job, because when you meet her on set, she’s striking in an eye-popping Loewe rainbow maxi dress. The show-stopping creation from the debut collection by designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez for the Spanish House befits a box-office superstar, but once you talk to Baifern, an easy-going, girl-next-door shine emerges. 

The role that made her a national sensation in 2010 too successfully captures this relatable charm. In the sleeper hit A Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Baifern’s portrayal of an unattractive high schooler transforming herself to win over a popular senior resonated with anyone who’s ever harbored a secret crush. It also set off a bizarre phenomenon where Chinese tourists visiting Bangkok would dress up in Thai high-school uniforms like in the movie. “It’s not like I looked pretty, I don’t know why they’d want to dress like that too,” she jokes. “It’s amazing that I’ve gotten continuous support from that film, but it makes me shy to think about it!”

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As one of Thailand’s most critically acclaimed actresses and sought-after faces—she was appointed ambassador of Loewe and Tiffany & Co. in 2024—it is startling to find that Baifern is awfully shy. “I would run away from people and hide in the school’s toilet because I didn’t like people staring at me,” she says of her experience returning to high school after A Crazy Little Thing Called Love came out. “I had just starred in a movie and didn’t think I was famous at all, and it was uncomfortable how teachers and others were staring so much. I didn’t know how to handle that. To this day, I still can’t. I know I can seem like a fun person who talks a lot, but I am actually very shy.” 

Being bashful has nothing on her acting output though. Knowing that she wanted to become an actress since she was seven, Baifern went on to major in acting and directing at Srinakharinwirot University. She belongs to a limited camp of Thai starlets who value the craft of acting over becoming a well-known celebrity, and her filmography encompasses a wide range of stellar performances. In her 16 years in front of the cameras, she has mastered comedic roles as much as the volatile ones that spark national conversations. She pinpoints playing a transgender woman in The Leaves (2019) as one of her most demanding roles to date, but dreams of even more difficult performances. “I would love to play a handicapped person or a drug addict,” the actress enthuses, despite knowing how unglamorous it would be. “I feel that it challenges you to completely change your nature and to put yourself into new shoes. Like with a blind person, you wouldn’t be moving certain muscles and I’m keen to practise new skills I’ve never tried before.”

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Later this year, she will star in the fifth remake of Thailand’s popular melodrama, Rang Ngao. An iconic and career-defining role for the truly brilliant, Baifern will play twins Munin and Mutta—the former being the fiercer twin who returns to avenge her sister, who was wronged by a womaniser. 

“It’s big pressure because this soap [opera] is really famous,” Baifern, which means ‘fern leaf’ in Thai, says. “But in the end, that pressure and how seriously I take it turns into dedication for the project, so it’s a good energy to have.” 

Although she seems to breeze through the most demanding roles and has over two dozen Best Actress awards from various entities around the country, acting never gets old for her. “No matter how much time has passed, I never get bored of acting,” the actress raves. “I get so excited being able to say a line or act out a scene I’ve only seen in the script. I don’t know if I will ever tire of doing this—maybe when my face is sagging on the floor!”

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With her tireless enthusiasm for her roles and acting, it comes as no surprise that she had approached fashion solely with a thespian outlook. “I wasn’t particularly interested in fashion and before, I would just think that certain looks only pertain to certain characters,” Baifern confesses. “From my work in showbiz, I perceived that character [archetypes] will only act in a specific way or wear particular things. Ever since I’ve worked with Loewe, it’s made me enjoy the small things more. The brand’s designs don’t come from things that are too far off from life and are approachable. When I wear Loewe, I don’t feel like I need to strive to be a certain character. I can just be myself and don’t need to change anything. It made me realise that beauty can be fun and simple too.” 

Completely unplanned for, her latest obsessions off-duty also make her the fitting choice as Loewe’s first ambassador from Southeast Asia. “She wakes up and farms,” her manager, also called Fern, teasingly pipes in. Baifern has been growing vegetables in her garden. “I thought if I were to die now, growing vegetables is something I’ve never done yet and want to,” she shares, before adding, “Mushrooms are really easy to grow. Pumpkins are harder—they require many steps and are ready to bail on you at any moment.”

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For all the high-wattage star power that Baifern commands, it is endearing that behind the screens, she is like any of us, thriving on the simple joys of life. “Friends say I live a retiree’s life,” she laughs. “I want time to lie around with my dog! I don’t have any lofty goals; I just want to live in the present.” 

And if she were to sum up the most important lesson after all these years in the limelight? “Believe in the pace of your life. There’s no need to rush anything if you’ve already given your best. Your work will speak for itself, it just needs time.”

Editor-in-Chief: Kenneth Goh
Photography: John Tods
Styling: Gracia Phang
Cover look: Loewe
Hair: Sirikan Chantanayingyong
Makeup: Sapsiri Siriwong
Producer: Nina Simpson
Production Manager: Tharida Diloksongtham
Photographer’s assistants: Audomsak Aemausin, Wanlop Banchuen, Danuwat Benjakhan
Stylist’s assistants: Phi Ritwiwat, Patipan Limsuwash