Perth Nakun is an actor who appeared in a popular Thai BL (Boys' Love) drama and is currently active in Japan. While he was gaining popularity as an actor in Thailand, he made the big decision to move to Japan a year and a half ago, with dreams of success in the Japanese entertainment industry. He has expanded his horizons to include dramas, variety shows, and stage performances, and has steadily been stepping up his game, even releasing his first photobook, "Perth Nakun 1st Photobook Sunny" (KADOKAWA). We spoke to Perth about the differences between the entertainment industry in Japan and Thailand, and his future goals. (Part 2 of 2)
◇Looking back on the year and a half in Japan
Parth was born on July 6, 1994 and is 30 years old from Australia. In 2020, he attracted attention by appearing in the Thai BL drama "My Engineer ~ The Brilliant Engineering Department ~", and in 2022, he solidified his popularity by playing the role of a mafia bodyguard in the popular drama "KinnPorsche The Series". Since August 2023, he has been affiliated with the Japanese talent agency "Horipro" and is currently active in a wide range of fields, including Japanese dramas, musicals, and event MCs.
Parth has lived in three countries, Australia, Thailand, and Japan. He started studying Japanese when he was a child because he was interested in Japanese anime, and now he speaks Japanese fluently. He moved from Australia to Thailand at the age of 20, and while working as an actor, he received a direct mail from his current agency scouting him, which led him to decide to work in Japan.
Looking back on his year and a half in Japan, he says with shining eyes, "It went by so quickly. I never thought I'd be able to do so many different activities in just a year and a half."
"I never thought I'd be able to release a photo book, and I never thought I'd be able to appear in two 2.5-D musicals. Since coming to Japan, the scope of my activities has expanded, and I've had many new experiences, such as MCing events, creating Thai phrasebooks and doing dubbing, and I think I've really grown as both a person and an actor. This is a special place in the Japanese entertainment world, and there is so much more to do than just dramas. I'm looking forward to continuing to take on new challenges."
In the Thai entertainment industry, actors' main activities involve appearing in dramas, events, and commercials, but he says happily, "In Japan, I can sometimes combine the things I love with my work."
"There aren't that many variety shows in Thailand, so I mostly appear in dramas. I'm an otaku who loves anime and manga, and in Japan I often get asked, 'Are you interested in this kind of work?' I'm really grateful to have the chance to use my hobby in my work. I'm such a big fan of Pokemon that I even got to advertise the Pikachu Jet."
◇I was surprised at the differences between the entertainment industries in Thailand and Japan
When asked if she had noticed any differences between the Thai and Japanese entertainment industries, she replied, "In the Japanese entertainment industry, character is important. I think it's interesting that it's important to express what kind of talent you are."
"On a variety show, I heard a veteran comedian say, 'I used to play a stupid character,' and I was surprised to learn that, in reality, he's smart and good at talking, but in the past he had completely created a character. Also, I find Japanese manzai culture and the roles of the funny man and the straight man interesting. I do a radio show on NHK with Kokado Kentaro (of the comedy duo 'Rocchi'), and I was surprised when I found out that he is a duo with Nakaoka Soichi, who appears on my favorite show, 'Sekai no Hate Made Itte Q!' It's also fun to learn about things like comedians who work alone but were actually part of a comedy duo."
He explained that Thai comedians often don't work in pairs, but rather work alone, and said, "There aren't many comedy duos, but actors who play couples in boys' love dramas often work together as a pair." Parth also worked as a pair with Talay Sugundikun, who co-starred with him in "My Engineer," for about two years.
"The popularity of BL dramas has opened up a lot of opportunities for new actors. I also worked with a partner, and we got along really well so I had a lot of fun every day. We still keep in contact with each other and were a really good pair. It's a shame because I think we could have continued for longer if it weren't for the COVID-19 pandemic."
◇What are your goals in your 30s?
Parth, who has built his acting career in both Thailand and Japan, turned 30 last year. His goal for his 30s is to "play the lead role in a romantic drama."
"Up until now, when I looked at actors who played leading roles, I thought, 'That must be tough.' But I'll be appearing in almost every scene, and I'll have a lot of lines, so the pressure is different. I still feel a bit scared, but with more experience I feel like I might be able to do it soon (laughs), so I'd definitely like to take on the challenge."
She says that there are many things she wants to try in her private life as well, and she smiles: "I want to get a driver's license, and I want to get better at taking and editing videos so that I can upload great videos to YouTube. I also want to be more fashionable."
"Until now, I wasn't very particular about fashion and would get stressed out over choosing and combining clothes. But little by little, I've started to enjoy being fashionable, and I've started to want to take my skills to the next level."
Perth said that he had visited Shimokitazawa the day before the interview with a friend who had come from Australia.
"While I was touring various second-hand clothing stores, a male shop assistant told me, 'You look really cool,' which made me happy. I don't think it was just sales talk (laughs). So, while I was there, I wanted to look a little more fashionable. I have confidence in myself when I'm at work, but that's because I have my styling and hair and makeup done by professionals. Recently, I feel like I've started to look a little more like a celebrity in my private life, so I want to work hard to look more sophisticated!"
