TOP Piyawat describes preparing for a role in practical terms: learning, rehearsing and beginning again. “Every character is different, so I have to start from zero,” he tells View of the Arts. It is a brief answer, but a useful introduction to an actor whose work already includes romantic series, a crime drama and music releases, and who approaches each new character as someone he still needs to understand.
Born in 1996, Piyawat Phongkanitanon studied at the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce and worked in banking before pursuing acting. His professional background is an intriguing detail, although our conversation does not establish what prompted that change. What he does discuss is the preparation required once a role is his: the repeated work of becoming familiar with a character and finding out how that person behaves alongside somebody else.
Audiences may recognise him from My Universe (2023), in which he appeared opposite Mick Monthon in the story You Are My Soulmate. Its premise puts a playful complication into the idea of romantic destiny: a young man raised to believe that three chance encounters identify his soulmate tries to arrange those encounters with the person he already likes. Fate becomes something a character attempts to organise, with all the comic possibilities that entails.
TOP and Mick subsequently reunited in Every You, Every Me (2024), directed by Suthida Singharaj. The series opens with Sun selling umbrellas on a rainy night and meeting Dol, an office worker whose apparent indifference does little to discourage him. Again, the question of who belongs with whom becomes the basis for a romance, with the characters’ differences complicating the promise of a perfect match.
These credits give context to TOP’s emphasis on rehearsal; romantic scenes depend on how two actors respond to each other: a pause, a change in expression, or the timing of a reply can alter an exchange’s meaning. Learning a role individually is only part of that process.
“I practise more and rehearse time after time,” he explains. “If it’s possible, I will practise with a co-actor.”
His answer also brings his new acting partner, model and entrepreneur Chan Jitt-Isara, into that preparation. As TOP’s brand-new on-screen pairing, the two are still getting to know each other, something that naturally becomes part of learning how to work together in front of the camera. Rehearsal gives them the time to understand not only their characters, but also each other’s timing, reactions and ways of approaching a scene, particularly when the audience needs to believe in the relationship developing between them.
TOP is quite open about the fact that Chan is still somewhat difficult for him to read. “He is very tall and quiet, and because of that [him being quiet], I don’t understand how he thinks,” he says. However, while they may not know each other well yet, TOP is already noticing how seriously Chan approaches the work. He describes his new co-star as diligent when it comes to rehearsing and learning the script, suggesting that whatever they are still discovering about each other personally, they are already putting in the work needed to build their partnership on screen.
Apart from acting, TOP has released music, including “Heart Turns” in 2022 and “SWEAT” in 2023, while his recorded work also includes a contribution to the My Universe soundtrack. Singing therefore has its own place in his career.
This October, TOP is scheduled to appear alongside Chan at The A Festival, with their fan activities listed for 24-25 October at the Paris Event Center.
“I feel very excited,” he says, then continues, “I think everyone will have fun and enjoy themselves with us. This is my first time in Paris and it is the biggest stage of my life”.
Our exchange is short, and there is much left to ask about the choices that brought him into acting and the roles he hopes to pursue, yet his most substantial answer gives this introduction a clear focus. He will carry on pursuing acting without any regrets.
Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler
Featured image courtesy of TOP
View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to film, music, and the arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. As we continue to grow, we aim to deepen our coverage of Asian music while remaining committed to exploring and celebrating creativity across the global arts landscape.
