Bright Vachirawit’s Next Steps
Actor, singer, and now mogul-in-the-making, Bright opens up about the growth he has experienced in his work and life, and where he wants to go next.
Where does one go when one’s career has reached stratospheric heights? For Vachirawit Chivaree, popularly known as Bright, the answer may be behind the scenes. But first, a quick refresher on how we got here: After being propelled to global superstardom with his roles in the 2020 Boys’ Love (BL) drama series, 2Gether and Still 2Gether, Bright followed up with more star turns—the F4 Thailand remake of Boys Over Flowers, and last year’s Bollywood-inspired rom-com Congrats My Ex! for Amazon Prime.
Trench coat; shirt; shorts; loafers, Burberry. Socks, stylist’s own.
On the music front, he’s been steadily releasing singles that have racked up hundreds of thousands of Spotify streams and YouTube views. And then there is his global ambassadorship with Burberry. “Working with the brand has pushed me to be better in terms of personality, languages, and confidence—especially when I first started working with a team that did not speak Thai at all. It has been a catalyst for self-development,” says Bright of his fashion experience.
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Shirt; trousers; boots, Burberry.
Despite all that prolificacy, the most significant thing that Bright has done to take his career to the next level is to, well, take control of it. Instead of placing his professional life in the hands of others, in September of last year, the star founded Cloud9 Entertainment.
Though the company was started with the intention of managing Bright, he has grander ambitions—and they are much bigger than him. “I wasn’t thinking about setting up a company at all. When the contract with my previous company ended, I just wanted to have my own team of people who share the same nature, culture, way of work and direction. But then I realised that these people are capable of handling more than just me—we can take care of other artists too. Thai artists are growing more prominent in the international scene and with the global attention we are receiving, I thought it’d be nice if we can support not just myself, but other artists in their work,” says Bright of the impetus behind the founding of the management and entertainment company.
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Coat; shirt, Burberry.
Striking out on his own has given Bright more autonomy over his choices, which in turn has made his work much more fulfilling. “In the past, there were times when I felt burned out because I had to take roles or sing songs I didn’t want to. But now, I get to choose what I want to do and I’m happy with my choices,” explains Bright on his current state of mind. This freedom has afforded him the opportunity to dive into the unknown, which is something that drives his work. “At the moment, I’d like to do thrillers because it’s something I’ve never done. I’ve done romance, comedy, drama—now I want to do roles that involve me being hunted, or maybe even hunting others,” he elaborates with a laugh.
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Coat; shirt; trousers, Burberry.
That leads us to The Interest, coming out in April this year, in which Bright plays a bad-boy debt collector who unexpectedly finds love; the action-packed flick also sees the actor doing all his own stunts, which as gruelling as it sounds, he actually relishes. As he points out, “Acting is a profession where you get paid to to live someone else’s life. [The beauty is that] you get to do what you don’t normally do.” While that might sound intimidating to anyone else, to Bright, it is a window. “I’m not afraid of failure or being criticised. If I think it’s a good opportunity, I’ll take it,” he exclaims.
What ties all his projects together is a sense of joy. On how he chooses what to work on, Bright says, “First and foremost, it must be fun. I work very hard and that can be exhausting, so I need to be motivated to get up and go to work. It’s okay for me to be exhausted [physically], but not emotionally.” Currently, Bright is also prioritising projects that will allow him to grow. He adds, “I try to look for opportunities that can help me expand outside of Thailand. It can be working with international teams, or on projects that would air on different platforms. For my music, I am focusing fully on English songs this coming year because more people can enjoy it. I just want to immerse myself in different work cultures so I can gain new experiences.” The biggest joy for Bright though, is when he gets to pay it all forward. “I’m happy that my work makes people happy. I love that the passion I channel into my work gives my followers the passion to do their best in their lives too,” he says. And that is why Bright’s light is only going to shine brighter.
Photographer: John Tods
Stylist and writer: Jeffrey Yan
Fashion: Burberry
Grooming: Pornpichit Khumngen
Hair: Thanupol Phoothepamornkul
Producer: Nina Simpson
Set Designer: Anakpong Suwannaput
Photographer’s Assistants: Audomsak Aemausin, Narong Tharveeyart, Wanlop Banchuen
Stylist’s Assistants: Phi Ritwiwat, Patipan Limsuwash
Interview and Translation: Samila Wenin