Kao Supassrathip Takes The Spotlight

Despite just getting off a full-day shoot and a long phone call, the ever-vivacious Kao Supassrathip Akkrathaweepatch is still brimming with energy, all ready to chat with us. The Thai actress and model is an interviewer’s dream—with nary a groan or complaint, and it’s apparent that this is a professionalism that has been a decade in the making.

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It’s easy to still imagine her as Sprite, the free-spirited and straightforward highschooler in the teen series Hormones in 2013. As a sexually liberated character not usually portrayed in Thai television, the iconic role was considered groundbreaking for its time and immediately launched her face and name into national stardom.

Having grown up in the spotlight and under constant media scrutiny, she confesses, “I didn’t have Facebook at all then, so I was completely oblivious to things that were said about me. It may have been a good thing!”

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Since starring in mega-hit Hormones at age 17, Kao has acted in a steady stream of series, soaps and movies that span genres, from dark drama, horror blockbusters to frothy rom-coms. Her dream girl looks have also made her a favourite of countless music videos and commercial campaigns, as well as 10 million followers on her Instagram.

For someone who has long been at the peak of fame, Kao is pleasantly delighted with the new spotlight she’s been thrust into since the airing of her first girls’ love (GL) series Love Design last year. Kao and her co-star, Janeyeh Methika Jiranorraphat, portray two clashing architects who fall in love after working on a renovation project. “I was really lucky that Janeyeh has a lot of working experience, so our performance was really smooth,” the 31-year-old actress says of her transition to working on the sapphic series. “The plot is light and it’s a comedy too—we wanted it to be something easy to watch and for the audience to have fun with it. I didn’t want to stress the audience out because I was afraid they wouldn’t watch it!”

She laughs, “It’s like getting a debut all over again! What’s completely new for me is having to go to fan meets and having to work on my dancing and singing. It’s all bright, cheerful and refreshing because there are all these new fans cheering me on to become a better version of myself, something that I never imagined I could overcome before. I don’t have the skill to sing and dance, but having these new fans, and getting to do new things makes me strive to improve myself for the better because I want to do it well for them.”

Kao is busy with two back-to-back productions—a drama about a memory-mending atelier she inherits where fixed broken objects heal old wounds; and a time-bending rom-com, where she transmigrates into the reign of King Rama II in the 1800s and discovers the culinary traditions of that era. The two projects are slated for release later this year on the TrueVisions NOW platform. “Both of them are so fun and the plots are so good, I just had to take them on,” the actress enthuses. “I’m ready to give my best, but if there aren’t any more interesting roles [in the future], I suppose I’d fade out. If I wasn’t doing this now, I think I’d probably go learn how to trade stocks and gold, and stay at home! It would be good to generate passive income.”

While Kao graduated with a degree in economics from Kasetsart University, she remains a lifelong learner. As something of a hobby, the studious actress spends her free time taking courses on branding, marketing and languages such as English and Mandarin. She loves reading psycho-thrillers (plot twists required) and hopes to star in a movie of that genre one day. “I’m not like what you see on Instagram at all, and I feel like I’m a nerd,” she quips when asked what people don’t know about her. “I like to read and study. I look like a glamour girl on Instagram, but I’m easy-going and down to earth.”

She’s not shy about shedding her glamorous persona, confessing with a chuckle that caps are her must-haves. “I have naturally curly, frizzy hair, so if I don’t get it blow-dried, I look like a bum. I love wearing hats because I’m lazy about getting my hair done.” Nevertheless, she loves to keep updated on the latest fashion trends and does so by trawling platforms such as China’s Xiaohongshu (RedNote) where she “checks out what the girlies in China are on to and how they are mixing and matching fashion!”

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When it comes to the joys of life though, Kao goes all out when it comes to travelling, opting to do so in style. “When I am on holiday, I am not going the adventurous route or roughing it out,” the actress insists. “I am going to rest; so definitely, it has to be a nice hotel, nice flights and delicious food. I am happy to splurge and I refuse to be stingy with these things. I love travelling to see other cultures, to try local food and to observe why certain cultures are the way they are. I love just sitting around analysing why people are that way on trips with friends.”

Having celebrated her birthday last month, Kao is gearing up for birthday-themed fan-meets in Bangkok and Taipei. As someone who has always avoided singing and dancing, fans are in for a surprise, she says, as she will present never-before-seen creative acts. Proof that it’s never too late to begin, Kao encourages others to do the same. “I think it’s an Asian thing where being 30 is considered old and auntie, but I feel like we shouldn’t judge by numbers.”

Quick to dispel thoughts about any midlife crisis, she adds, “In the Thai system, you start getting mum roles when you’re 40, which is like, what!? It’s so weird and I think you can still be a lead heroine at 40. In the West, at 30, actresses have only just peaked, and are getting lead roles and great opportunities where they can shine at that age. I’m in my thirties, and it’s not just my body and age getting older. I’m a put-together adult and that’s a great quality because I’ve lived well.”

Photography: Naruebes Vadvaree
Styling: Gracia Phang
Cover look: Chaumet and Ralph Lauren Collection
Makeup: Thanonsak Adam
Hair: Benjawarn Holthaisong
Photographer’s assistants: Kajonphong Nutsongtat, Songsak Wadwaree, Miraphon Phancharoen
Stylist’s Assistants: Phi Ritwiwat, Patipan Limsuwech
Producer: Tharida Diloksongtham
Prop master: Kwanjira Sirikatipote