Thai BL stars Tay & New excited to explore more of Philippines
MANILA, Philippines — The moment Thailand Boys Love (BL) actors Tawan “Tay” Vihokratana and Thitipoom “New” Techaapaikhun stepped on stage during a private fan meet and press conference last Friday at the Forum of Solaire Resort & Casino, the audience couldn’t help but scream in excitement and raised their mobile photos to take good photos of the stars.
The short yet fun program was a surely memorable one as the two gamely answered questions from the press, cracked jokes, entertained fans and granted photo opportunities.
The first few Tagalog words they uttered as the show started were “Mabuhay!” and “Mahal kita,” and they also greeted their fan group called Filo Polcas.
Tay and New first visited the country in 2018 and only had two days to stay here. This time around, they are “very excited” to explore the Philippines.
“(We are) very excited ‘coz this is our first time after pandemic that we (went) out from our country,” said Tay.
Their last visit was during the Christmas season. “Everything just happened so fast. We remembered the show and the jacket. Fans gave a jacket. I also remembered the words Maligayang Pasko,” he said.
They were also asked what has changed after that, Tay joked, “New (now) has more wrinkles.” New answered back, “Tay (has become) more talkative.” On a serious note, the actors shared that since their last visit, they gained “more experience(s), (became) more happy and more mature.”
The two likewise noted the similarities between the Philippines and Thailand and considered their recent trip to the country as sort of a vacation from their hectic schedule.
“When we arrived in Manila, we received a warm welcome from fans. Thank you so much. So we felt comfortable living (staying) here,” said Tay.
“We have four days to explore Manila (including) food, shopping, and of course, the fans.”
New added, “I’m happy to be here because my schedule is very full. Then, I (am) here (on) my vacation. It’s my first day (today) to wake up late.”
As the show continued, New said he would love to try Filipino cuisine such as kare-kare and halo-halo, while Tay quipped, “Jollibee foods,” then added adobo and sinigang on the list.
The tourist spot that Tay would like to visit is Boracay, while it’s Chocolate Hills in Bohol for New.
Tay and New got curious about “shot puno” when it was mentioned during the event and they were up for the challenge. New quipped that Tay “drinks a lot of alcohol,” while he easily gets tipsy after just “one shot.” Tay shared, “That’s how we go out, we drink alcohol.”
The Thai actors are known for their role as Pete (Tay) and Kao (New) in the BL romantic-comedy drama Dark Blue Kiss (2019), based from Kiss Me Again series.
Tay disclosed that he initially got the Kao role, but during the first day of filming, the director switched his role to Pete as he was more fitting for the character.
Tay and New also shared that their friendship in real life has grown stronger after working together for nine years.
Speaking of friendship, Tay reunited with his good friend, Kapuso actor Khalil Ramos whom he met years ago through the Japanese series, Find The Wasabi. Khalil posted on social media a photo with him and Khalil’s girlfriend Gabbi Garcia hanging out together while he was here. “Khalil said I look like Robi Domingo. I met (up with) Khalil, while New was in his bedroom asleep,” he said.
In a separate fan meet event last Saturday, also held at Solaire, Filo Polcas trooped to the venue to see their idols despite the gloomy weather in the metro.
Tay and New opened the show by performing a song to the delight of the fans. They were also interviewed during the program, participated in games with their fans, learned some Filipino words and pickup lines and got a glimpse of the Filipino culture.
The actors’ fans also sent in their love messages and appreciation to the stars and sang Happy Birthday to Tay, who celebrated his birthday last July 20.
“You’re now 31 years old and you look more handsome… hope you are happy every day,” New said to him and wished that the people who will come into his life are “very good people.” “Wish you luck and happy (happiness). Mahal kita.” Tay tapped his shoulder in response and thanked him. They capped off the night by singing soundtracks from their Dark Blue Kiss series.
Tay and New fan meet was presented by GMMTV, Rise Media Philippines and Globe Telecom.
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