Get ready for the ‘T-Wave’: Meet Thailand’s top actors as they take the global stage

Though he graduated with a degree in entrepreneurial economics from Kasetsart University, the largest university in Thailand, PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn walked a different path, first working as a model and now as an actor and singer. He received praise for playing Oh-aew in the series I Told Sunset About You and its second season I Promised You to the Moon. The coming-of-age show, which paired him once more with Putthipong “Billkin” Assaratanakul (the two previously starred in My Ambulance), was a massive hit in Asia, with the actors holding fan meetings in Hong Kong, Manila, Taipei, Seoul, Osaka and Tokyo in 2023. In the same year, PP made headlines when he was named an ambassador of Balenciaga, making him one of the first official ambassadors of the Paris fashion house.

Up next: PP teams up with Billkin again in the BL movie The Red Envelope, an adaptation of Taiwan’s Marry My Dead Body, that is set to debut in 2025. More recently, the pair concluded their two-night, sold-out Double Trouble Concert, with over 40,000 fans gathering at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.

Read PP Krit Amnuaydechkorn’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Known as Bright, actor Vachirawit Chivaaree gained even more popularity after playing Thyme in the 16-episode series F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers, an adaptation of the hit Japanese manga series Hana Yori Dango. In 2023, he starred in Congrats My Ex!, the Thai-Indian romcom that weaves Bollywood elements in its story of entangled exes. Bright, who admitted to being a “terrible dancer”, remarked in an interview how he was “proud of myself that I made it”, successfully delivering the film’s song-and-dance sequence alongside co-star Bella Ranee Campen. In the same year, the actor was honoured with the Golden Cane Award at the first regional Tatler Ball.

In 2024, the actor, a global ambassador for Burberry, made his debut at the Met Gala, wearing a pleated georgette jacket and tuxedo trousers from the British fashion house. His film, Love You to Debt, which was known as The Interest when it was announced in 2022, was finally released, as well. The romance-action movie, a remake of Korea’s Man in Love, saw Bright paired with Yaya Urassaya Sperbund.

Read Vachirawit Chivaaree’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Dubbed “Thailand’s most beautiful transgender woman”, Poyd Treechada Petcharat has starred in movies in Thailand and Hong Kong, including the action-comedy film From Vegas to Macau II with Chow Yun-fat, Andy Lau and Carina Lau. Outside of her movie work, Poyd is a leading voice for the LGBTQ+ community and has advocated for same-sex marriage in her country. In 2023, the former beauty queen married Oak Bhavagha Hongyok at Baan Ar-Jor, the Chinese colonial mansion owned by the Hongyok family. The event made the news for the couple's lavish wedding costumes—Poyd wore a traditional Peranakan bridal gown adorned with gold, jewels and a handmade flower crown.

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Of Thai and English descent, Bella Ranee Campen is a multi-awarded actress who has starred in a string of hit TV series, including Porn Prom Onlaweng, Khun Chai Puttipat, Plerng Chimplee and the time travel romantic comedy Love Destiny, whose success prompted a sequel series and a spinoff movie. In 2023, Campen starred in Prime Video’s Congrats My Ex!, where she played a wedding planner dealing with two ex-boyfriends, one of whom was played by Bright Chivaaree. The popular artist is also one of the most wanted faces in Thailand, with several endorsements under her belt, including an ambassadorship with Italian fashion brand Fendi.

Early in 2024, the stars of the Thai Wave and Hallyu collided, when Campen met South Korean actor Lee Minho at the opening of Fendi’s men’s boutique in Thailand. The actress, together with her manager Ploy, further chronicles her adventures in fashion on the Ploy and Bell YouTube channel, most recently releasing her Milan Fashion Week vlog, featuring Fendi’s spring-summer 2025 show.

Read Bella Ranee Campen’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Actress Praya Lundberg, who is of Swedish and Thai descent, appeared in her first TV series Rak Dai Mai Thar Hua Jai Mai Pean in 2004 and has since built a two-decade career in the entertainment industry. She has starred in numerous hit TV series like Nang Sao Som Lon, Chan Ruk Tur Na and Khon La Lok before expanding to Hollywood in movies such as Paradise City with John Travolta and Supercell with Alec Baldwin. Outside of acting, Lundberg supports various causes, including helping displaced peoples as UNHCR’s first goodwill ambassador in Thailand, for which she has travelled to camps in Thailand, Jordan, Bangladesh and Colombia, and organised activities to support refugees.

In November 2023, Lundberg married Vietnamese businessman Quoc Cao in Los Angeles. The bride wore Valentino for the wedding ceremony, before switching to Vivienne Westwood at the reception. It was recently announced that the actress has joined the cast of the sci-fi thriller Eyes in the Trees, alongside Anthony Hopkins and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

Read Praya Lundberg’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Actress, model and singer Davika Hoorne entered the entertainment industry at 13 modelling for advertisements before becoming a lead actress on Thailand’s Channel 7. The Thai Belgian entertainer, who has won several accolades for acting, holds the distinction of starring in the highest-grossing Thai film of all time, Pee Mak, where she played Nak opposite Mario Maurer’s Mak. In 2023, Hoorne also became the first ambassador of Gucci and Gucci Beauty in Thailand.

Apart from being a Gucci ambassador, a friend of Bulgari, and the model of Calvin Klein’s spring 2024 underwear campaign, Hoorne has walked the runways of Paris, Milan, New York and Tokyo fashion weeks. As an actress, she returns to the small screen in October 2024, taking on the lead role in the Thai historical drama The Empress of Ayodhaya.

Read Davika Hoorne’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Kanawut Traipipattanapong, also known as Gulf, shot to fame playing Type in TharnType: The Series and its sequel TharnType 2: 7 Years of Love. The young actor built on his rising popularity with more projects, including the series You Are My Makeup Artist and his debut film Bua Pun Fun. In December 2023, he held his Gulf Phenomenal Supermatch 2023 concert at the MCC Hall The Mall Bangkapi in Bangkok, with guest star Bright Vachirawit.

Gulf has been building his music career over the years, releasing singles like Why You So Serious and Congratulations, as well as collaborations such as All I Ever Wanted with Ballistik Boyz from Exile Tribe. He said to Tatler: “T-pop is on its way to becoming another K-pop. The international industry is recognising Thai talents more and more, seeing how various aspects of Thai [music] can be further developed.”

Read Kanawut Traipipattanapong’s full profile on Asia’s Most Influential

Tatler Asia's Most Influential is the definitive list of people shaping our world today. Asia's Most Influential brings together the region's most innovative changemakers, industry titans and thought leaders who are driving positive impact in Asia and beyond. View the full list here.

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