So I promised the wonderful @woogers24 an analysis of the acting in ThamePo and how William and Est held up that show quite beautifully, despite the very simple premise. And to their credit, they DID do a wonderful performance-- moreso together than as individuals. If they hadn't, the show wouldn't have the fanbase it has right now.
After doing a bit more research on both Est and William however, I realized that I wanted to focus this post on Est for now, because he's been in A LOT of shows, and his extensive portfolio is ideal for critique, as compared to William who just finished his first ever acting project and is yet to establish a style I can speak about.
In particular, I want to talk about a specific problem Est has encountered in the industry, and how ideally, his branded pair with William could save his career.
The Curse of Typecasting, and how Est Supha can break free from it:
The Cinecyclopedia (2024) defines Typecasting as "the practice of an actor becoming closely associated with a certain character, one or more specific roles, or characters sharing the same attributes or belonging to the same social or ethnic groups in cinema, television, and theater."
This is actually a negative phenomenon especially for TV actors, who bank on versatility to get more roles. It originated from theater, where actors are expected to sustain character performances for long periods of time and often in the most difficult conditions, because theater productions often take weeks and months of runtime. Typecasting an actor-- hiring them to play the same/similar roles for each theater production-- could help reduce actor anxiety AND save the prod team time and resources for acting workshops that train character maintenance. But this is in theater of course, and as far as my research goes, Est is not a classically-trained theater actor.
What Est has, is the unfortunate circumstance of fitting into a particular industry type: the Stoic Male Lead
Here is Est with friends and fellow BL actors Daou Pittaya and Joong Archen:
These three are the physical embodiment of the stoic male lead in film and literature: very tall, lean but muscular, usually Asian or Caucasian, sharp eyes and sharper jawlines. They are defined by their intimidating auras and aloof, almost unapproachable personalities.
Joong and Daou however, have moved away from these personas by presenting themselves to the public as extroverts--whether demanded by their jobs or from actual preference. Joong entered GMM as a lead, and he's in a branded pair that requires the trappings and appearances of an affable star. Though we could say he's sometimes typecasted, his offscreen persona opens new character opportunities, and even cameos in other projects and shows. Daou, meanwhile, is the most outgoing of the three-- loud and unabashedly himself. He's the ideal combination of talent, charm, and audacity that would make anyone a bonafide name in music.
Est is a Chula U alum, and a nationally-ranked swimmer. This means he's a serious student (you'd have to be, to graduate in Thailand's number one ranked university), and a more serious athlete. The discipline needed to make him these two things doesn't necessarily translate to the charm and natural creativity needed on camera. This is why Est often comes off as either a bit broody or soft spoken in past interviews, or literally fades into the background with other stars. It's why he keeps getting roles like these:
The broody and perpetually lonely secretary in LBC- A Chance to Love
The quiet and perpetually broody secretary in Naughty Babe:
And the perpetually broody and aggressive anti-hero in High School Frenemy:
Even in ThamePo, where he's the literal lead, he still plays the broody, awkward archetype to William's more emotionally-unstable character. Look at them on this MV poster-- William (left) is slightly grinning while Est is forced to look pensively into the camera:
Here's Est's MDL. He's been in a lot of shows, and that would usually spell versatility and experience for an actor's profile. They're all not from the same company either, apart from his recent contract obligations with GMM, which means he's worked with multiple directors and prod teams before that would help hone his craft:
But because Est is stuck in typecasting hell, he's been struggling to get the industry recognition he deserves. Sadly, even in ThamePo, Est's breakout and first lead role, his partner William and LYKN are getting more fan attention, and Est seems to incur more hate than love for his stoicism outside of the fandom.
Of course, no hate to William and LYKN. They are extremely talented and absolutely deserve the attention. I just wish Est gets more credit for successfully establishing chemistry with William and getting fans invested in the project.
So... how does Est get out of this?
Oh, I absolutely blame Est's management team for all this trouble:
We have a saying in the industry that actors, as public figures, are one part talent, one part discipline, and 98 parts branding and marketing. A good team has the ability to make a talentless nobody a household name, and a bad team can bury talented actors into obscurity. Est isn't devoid of personality-- all humans have personality. The fact that he comes off as a bit reserved in his fan interactions, or is boxed into roles that turn him into cardboard, is due to his team choosing this persona as a preference, or not coaching him to act otherwise.
In order to fix this, I say change marketing teams Est. Vet scripts you prefer and step out of your comfort zone. Choose a script that's outrageous for the sake of it, or play an OUTRIGHT, VERY EVIL villain to shake things up.
In this scenario, having a branded pair is a balm for Est's career.
Actors like Nanon Korapat and Bright Vachirawit have rejected GMM's branded pair concept, as they believe it will typecast them into romcom/hero roles, and they would rather focus on versatile projects. Recently, even Mike Chinarrat cited typecasting as one of his reasons (among many) for leaving the industry.
But BL is a completely different landscape in 2025 as compared to five years ago. Even fans reject typecasting for their stars and want to see them in more diverse and challenging roles. The best proof of concept of this is GMM's most bankable pair: OffGun
These two have played every and all roles in, all kinds of concepts under the sun, individually and together, and fans prefer it this way. GMM, unlike MeMindY, has the resources to fund out-of-the-box show ideas, thereby not dooming their favorite actors to Typecasting. Add to the fact that Off and Gun have proven that they have the talent, the discipline, and the patience to field any role, and GMM is invested.
Though GMM continues to typecast Est, the WilliamEst branding can be Est's ticket out of this predicament.
If fans want it enough, Est and William can star in more challenging roles in the future. Plus, partnering Est with William-- someone he has genuine chemistry with and who seems compatible with him in terms of likes and personality-- made Est seem more approachable and charming to his fans. This might be the first step to breaking out of the stoic persona.
But I'll be really honest-- GMM has a history of throwing the same concept to their pairs over and over during the first few projects, just to earn enough money to establish the branding. Hence why all their BL pillars (KristSingto, TayNew, and OffGun) had to play uni roles and romcoms first before transitioning into other roles. Even Joong went through this with Dunk, too.
But I'm optimistic for Est (and William). This branding could spell the end of Est's typecasting.
And I'm positive I'll see him in a role that would endear his personality to the people who believe (and didn't believe) in him.
prguitarman
titsay
jbbartram-illu
gummygunk
andulkaphoto
vaporwave
