Cover Story: Through Fire and Water with Thai Star, Tor Thanapob

A celebrated actor in Thailand and the region, Tor Thanapob comes with 12 years of acting experience and he’s dead serious about his craft, declaring “I want to focus on acting more than anything else because in my heart now is acting”. Yet he’s certainly at complete ease posing up a storm on our busy set — flames, water ripples and all. He quickly reminds us that he “was in Nine by Nine, the first T-pop boyband in this era”, and loves to try new things despite his first love, acting. Below he tells L’OFFICIEL HOMMES SINGAPORE about his two upcoming shows, which in true artist fashion, are as different as fire and water.

Hi Tor! We saw you briefly in Bangkok, at the beginning of February, for a boutique event held at Siam Paragon. Could you tell us what you’ve been up to in these past four months since then?

Oh! In this period, I have been working on my projects. I have one drama with Channel 3 in Thailand, called My Cherie Amour. I play a judge and this project is in a period style. It’s the first period-style piece of work that I’ve done in my life. It’s also my first full romantic comedy. My co-star is Yaya Urassaya. I really respect her — even before this project, I saw her movies, her dramas. I’ve also met her at a lot of events in Bangkok. I was so happy when I found out she was going to work on this project, and that we would work together on this project.

The last television show we saw you in is Midnight Museum, which was released in March of 2023. What else can viewers expect from you this year?

This year, I can reveal, I have two big projects. After My Cherie Amour, I have a series called Spare Me Your Mercy. It’s my first boys’ love drama. And the story touches on euthanasia. I think it’s a fascinating story that talks about death, and it’s definitely worth watching.

The last television show we saw you in is Midnight Museum, which was released in March of 2023. What else can viewers expect from you this year?

This year, I can reveal, I have two big projects. After My Cherie Amour, I have a series called Spare Me Your Mercy. It’s my first boys’ love drama. And the story touches on euthanasia. I think it’s a fascinating story that talks about death, and it’s definitely worth watching.

During this busy period, how do you make time for yourself and relax?

I believe in work-life balance, but I also think that different people see work-life balance differently. I think that I can manage my time very well because, well, I’m still 30, and my first priority is work. I want to work a lot because this is my dream, and I know that I can do more. But I don’t work too much as well, because I know myself. And after each project, I do have time for myself to release my emotions and stress. I try to find the time to go to the beach, sea, mountains (laughs), and things like that.

Besides acting, you’ve dabbled in music and hosting. What do you like most about each? Will there be any music-related work from you in the near future?

Actually, what’s in my character is I like to try something new. I think that’s why I can model, act, sing and dance — a little bit, you know, because I was in Nine by Nine, the first T-pop boyband in this era. During that period, I had so much fun but every time I tried, I couldn’t answer myself about what I love the most. Now, I love acting the most. I love to be an actor, yet I can do more than just acting. And everything that I did, I loved because of the interaction with my fans. That’s why I’m happy in every job. As for plans, it could be — I think I could do music if it’s related to my [acting] projects. Because now, I don’t think of being a singer, and I can’t possibly be the best in both areas at one time. I want to focus on acting more than anything else because in my heart now is acting.