The Thai stars share their lives behind the camera, their dreams, and much more!
It’s official! Boys’ love (BL) or yaio, a genre of homoerotic media between two male leads, has reached the Philippine pop culture shores. The hit Thai show 2Gether: The Series is now showing on a local streaming platform.
Vachirawit Chiva-aree, more popularly known as Bright, stars as Sarawat Metawin, playing opposite Opas-iamkajorn, or Win as Tine. The show follows the story of two male college students and their, initially, fake relationship with each other. Like many other classic love stories, Sarawat and Tine eventually begin to fall in love with one another. But what sets 2Gether: The Series apart from other BL stories is the undeniable chemistry between the lead actors. They are so good together on screen that even before Dreamscape Entertainment acquired the show to air in the Philippines, 2Gether: The Series was already making waves in the local market, capturing the hearts of millions of netizens.
With their growing popularity across the globe, people are eager to know more about the two young stars. In a media conference with select Filipino journalists, Bright and Win generously shared details about themselves—from how they cope with their newfound celebrity status, their dreams, to important lessons their parents taught them that serve as their guides in this life.
Bright and Win behind the camera
At their young age, both Bright and Win, also collectively called BrightWin, a couple name their fans have come up with, are juggling their responsibilities well. Despite their exciting acting careers and busy schedules, they both still plan to finish their education.
The 21-year-old Win shares with Manila Bulletin Lifestyle that he has already finished his bachelor’s degree in economics, while 22-year-old Bright is currently taking up marketing at Thammasat University.
“It’s my senior year this year, so I will finish my degree by next year,” says Bright.
After graduating, both are looking forward to continuing their acting career, while also pursuing other goals outside of the entertainment industry. Behind the camera, Win has dreams of one day becoming an architect, while Bright looks forward to having his own company one day.
On fame and popularity
With the growing popularity of the show, BrightWin has found international fame. The duo is aware of its influence both offline and online, especially among the youth. With that, they admit that now more than ever they are becoming more mindful of what they post on social media.
“We’re now more careful about what we are posting on social media because there are so many people watching us, including children,” Bright says. “That’s why we have to think carefully before posting.”
BrightWin openly share that up to this moment they still cannot believe they are considered global stars with fans all over the world. No matter how famous they may now be, they are still down to earth, expressing their gratitude to the viewers for the warm support they have been giving the show.
“We were so surprised that we have so many fans from overseas,” Win says. “We didn’t expect this at all, and we are very thankful to the fans who are supporting us.”
At the end of the day, when asked what they think made the show such a big hit, Win says it is all about the series’ universal message of love and acceptance—something they have embraced in their own lives.
It is unfortunately inevitable that there are still those out there who do not appreciate 2Gether: The Series. When it comes to handling negative feedback, the actors say that as much as possible they just focus on doing their jobs and do not delve in criticism.
Bright and Win dedicate their success to their family. Bright has even asked his mother to stop working and promised her that he’d take care of everything. “I just told my mom that she doesn’t need to work anymore,” he adds. “I will take care of her and I will continue to support my family.”
Meanwhile, Win is happy that he is now providing for his family and that he can make it on his own. “One day, my dad touched my head and said, ‘I’m proud of you,’” Win recalled.
They also share important lessons their parents have imparted with them. Bright says that his mother also reminds him that “we cannot get everything that we want all the time” while Win says that his mom also tells him to be considerate of others.
Taking those lessons to heart, outside their respective family duties, the duo is now using their clout to help those in need, particularly those badly hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I already had a project related to Covid-19 where I donated to those in need,” Win says. “In the future, I want to help the orphans.”
Watch 2Gether: The Series on iWant.