Esquire Thailand invited Naravit Lertratkosum (Pond) and Phuwin Tangsakyuen to reflect on their journey—of travel, relationships, bonds, and careers—in the entertainment industry. And as we learn, getting to where they are today has been anything but easy.
I’ve been working with the brand Tommy Hilfiger for three years now, and this is my third campaign. I think the thing that connects me most with the brand is its playfulness. I’ve had the chance to attend New York Fashion Week with the brand twice. Being there allowed me to see the different lifestyles and clothes from each season up close.
Because I went at different times—once at the beginning of the year and once again in September—I was able to experience the entire gamut of moods and tones. I also saw the team’s effort to present what Tommy Hilfiger represented. I felt that the sense of fun and playfulness they conveyed connected strongly with who I am as a person.
What impressed me most were the overall vibes. I realised how much I loved New York during my first Fashion Week. Wearing Tommy Hilfiger in that city just felt right, and it clicked perfectly.
We've worked together for six years now. I can say that we've been through a lot, which is interesting because we started from opposite ends of the spectrum. On the first day, I learned we had nothing in common, both in lifestyle or personality.
At the time, we had never really had the chance to talk to each other as friends. In the beginning, whenever we met, it was always just for work. We worked together so much that, honestly, it didn’t feel very comfortable, because I genuinely want to be close with my co-workers.
But back then we were still young, so we weren’t really focused on that. It also happened during the pandemic. We would work, finish the job, and then go our separate ways without taking anything too seriously.
But as we got to know each other better, we started thinking more about the long-term. We realised that if we didn’t have each other back then—like if we hadn’t supported each other along the way—there’s no way either of us would have made it to where we are today.
Over the past five years, we’ve adjusted to each other. There’s been a lot of trial and error. We’ve seen each other’s flaws and strengths. In the end, arriving at this point together feels like everything has settled into place.
We really are opposites, but when those opposites meet in the middle, they support each other very well. Phuwin is a completely different kind of person compared to me. Even today we’re still not the same, but once we found the middle ground between us, it truly helped us complement and strengthen each other.
I live my life the same way I did before the series Me and Thee aired. I try to remind myself that I’m just an ordinary person. Of course I know that more people recognise me today as well as support me, and I have to accept everything that comes with that.
Because people love us, and they’re happy when they meet us. For example, if I’m walking down the street and someone calls out “Khun Thee”, it means they remember the character and it made them happy.
That’s something I have to remind myself of, because normally I’m quite an introverted person. But in the end, when I meet people, I want them to walk away with positive vibes. If they expect me to be like Khun Thee—because that’s the happiness they got from me—then I feel like I want to give my best to fulfil that, whether it’s a workday or a day off.
Also, I argue with myself quite often. Working every day is naturally tiring, but it is a kind of exhaustion that is understandable. Because from the first day I stepped into the entertainment industry, I had already thought it through. I had to accept that once more people begin to recognise me, things would never be the same again.
Even though I still clash with myself all the time, I know that this is the path I chose. And once I truly accepted that, I was able to manage myself better.
But getting here has not been easy. If I had played Khun Thee long ago, I might have crumbled because I wasn’t experienced enough yet to adapt.
That’s why reaching this point in my life feels like something truly earned. And now that I’m here, if I treat it casually—like if I threw away all the effort I put in while living carelessly—it could all disappear just like that.
That’s why I feel this is something I want to protect for as long as possible. I constantly remind myself that getting here wasn’t easy. I have to accept it and be as happy with it as possible, because it’s exactly what the ‘day one’ version of myself always hoped to achieve.
I can’t stop here. There will naturally be ups and downs. The best thing for me is simply to be myself, do my best today, and make the people around me care about me. If I just do that, then the opportunities will keep coming.”
My thinking changes at different points in my life. In earlier years, I might have wanted fame. But eventually I realised that if I focused on that, my life would become stressful and my work would turn into a routine I couldn’t care for. And that would make me unhappy.
So I’ve since changed my mindset. Now I just focus on doing the best I can today. If I do that and take good care of myself, I can definitely affect what comes next. It might not happen immediately, and may take a while, but it’s a long-term commitment, and is worth the wait.
Five years ago, I never imagined I would have the life I have today. Back then, I simply guided myself along step by step, thinking carefully and inching forward.
And in the future, no matter which path I take, I’ll keep telling myself that I will continue trying, making mistakes, and learning. Then, in the future, I will meet the best version of myself.
The courage to express myself is something the entertainment industry has given me.
In the past, I didn’t talk much because I was afraid of being judged, even by close friends. Whenever I had to present something, whether it was a group assignment or an individual one, I would feel nervous and insecure every time.
I never really knew why. Maybe I was shy, or maybe I thought I wouldn’t do a good job. But I was always afraid that people would judge me, or that I would look bad or ridiculous.
But the entertainment industry taught me that it’s normal for people to judge. I don’t have to take it personally. I just need to do my best.
One example is speaking in front of large crowds. Before, even presenting in front of thirty classmates made me extremely nervous. But recently, during my fan meeting, I was able to do it easier.
I think I’m actually quite kind to myself when it comes to taking care of both my body and my mind. Because if my mental state collapses or my body isn’t ready, the consequences would be far worse.
These days I work mainly for myself. Even though the results might come in the form of income or opportunities that allow me to help my family, in the end those things also benefit me as well.
I’m tired today for the sake of my future self. If I had never made mistakes before, I probably wouldn’t have discovered a better version of myself.
Trying and failing on my own is better than having someone tell me what to do. Of course people can give me advice, but I trust my instincts more. I want to make my own mistakes, feel the pain myself, learn from it, and improve on my own.
Some people have told me that I seem arrogant, maybe because of my looks, but I’m actually just shy. I’ve never really felt arrogant at all. When you see me with a serious face, I’m not trying to be aloof. I’m always open to everyone.
I’ve officially been working with Tommy Hilfiger for two years now. But before that, I had already attended New York Fashion Week with the brand. Altogether, it’s probably been about three years that we’ve been working together. It’s been a lot of fun, and I’m really happy to collaborate with the brand.
During my first Fashion Week trip with the brand, I remember thinking that New York was incredibly cold. It was a very new experience for me because I was still quite new to working with fashion brands. Before that, I had attended Paris Fashion Week, but the New York side felt very different.
It was a whole new experience. I got to explore the city and meet people from the brand who shared insights about their design approach and philosophy. Once I learned those stories, the brand became even more interesting to me.
After getting to know the brand more deeply, I realised fashion has many layers. Before this, as someone who simply wore clothes, I saw them mostly as lifestyle products. I didn’t really think about the design philosophy behind each piece or each collection.
But when I had the chance to work closely with the brand, through talking with them and learning the intentions behind each design and the message they want to communicate through their work, it changed how I saw things.
That also influenced me personally as someone wearing the clothes. For example, during photo shoots, once I understand the designer’s intentions, it affects how I present the clothing in front of the camera, such as the mood, the tone, and overall feel. Having those ideas in mind makes a big difference to the final result.
If I reflect on my relationship with Pond, I feel like it’s something that has grown step by step. It’s a relationship where we gradually learned and slowly adjusted to each other.
Recently, I heard an interesting thought from Matthew McConaughey. He said that whenever we approach something, we should do it with an owner’s mentality rather than a renter’s mentality.
That means when we do something, we should think about it as if we own it, not just as a temporary owner. When you own something, you think about the long term, and you think about how to make it last as long as possible. But if you approach it like a renter, you might think you’ll only do it for a few years and that’s enough. And that means that the results, regardless of whether it’s in the professional or personal arena, will be very different.
That’s why I feel lucky that both Pond and I share a long-term mindset. Because of that, whether we face good moments, bad moments, or obstacles, we’re always ready to work through them.
Even if conflicts happen, we’re willing to give each other space and then come back to solve things together. I feel like that’s a good thing, and it’s a relationship where we’ve gradually walked toward each other.
This time around, I’ve encountered many things I never expected to face. I’ve had to adapt a lot, and honestly I wasn’t fully prepared for it.
I’ve been in the industry for quite a while now, so part of it was my own mistake. I thought that since I’d been here for a long time, things probably wouldn’t change that much. I thought I already knew how to deal with everything. But this time it changed a lot, and I didn’t quite know how to handle it.
There was a chef—I can’t remember his name, and I apologise for that—but I clearly remember something he said. He said that earning a Michelin star is about expanding your territory. But maintaining the Michelin star you’ve already earned is an entirely different game. It’s about strategising how to protect and sustain that territory.
Before this, I was always in expansion mode, trying to grow my base as both an actor and an artist. But now my mindset has changed. There are many things I have to decide now—things I’ve never had to decide before. I used to be able to do or say things freely, but today, standing where I am now, the things I say or do often get pushed back at me.
It’s like finding a new balance in life, figuring out how I should manage myself, what I should say, and how I should carry myself. These are all new challenges that I’ve never encountered before. This industry always presents new things for me to learn all the time.
Lately, something I experience quite often is that the things I say tend to get distorted, and there’s really nothing I can do about it. Some people interpret my words in ways that were never my original intention.
I feel like the only thing I can do is accept. Trying to explain myself might cause even more harm. Sometimes, staying silent is the best solution. I do feel a little frustrated in some situations, because I know that wasn’t what I meant to convey at all. But it’s okay, because realistically, there’s nothing more I can do about it.
When I think about my future, I tend to think long-term. Like the mindset I mentioned earlier, I feel that acting, whatever kind of acting it may be, is essentially the same thing. Whether it’s a series, a drama, a film, or even work as an artist, what I want is to create work I enjoy doing, the audience enjoys watching, and most importantly, something I can stay in for as long as possible. So in every project and everything I do, I try to make it something that is sustainable for me.
One thing I’m very clear about is avoiding being typecast. When an actor plays a certain role and it sticks in people’s minds, they tend to be invited or asked to play only roles of that style. This has both long-term pros and cons. I want to emphasise here that being typecast isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s a choice, a decision each person makes about the direction they want to take in the entertainment industry.
For example, if you play a comedic role and get typecast in that genre, it means you did it well. Ultimately, it depends on the artist or actor whether they want to present themselves that way. I want to be a versatile actor and to show people the different sides I have. I don’t want to stay stagnant. I want to keep developing, so people can see that I can constantly offer new performances to the audience.
So what I need to do is make sure I don’t get stuck in typecasting and show others that I can perform in many different ways.
If anyone reads this article, I want you to get to know me as someone who creates work. There are two things I’ve remembered since entering the industry: One, that choosing to be here means exchanging your privacy for recognition. That’s something you have to accept from the very first day you step in. I’ve understood this deeply, and it’s been in my mind from the start.
And two, fame or being a celebrity is a consequence of creating work. My main job isn’t being a celebrity or a star, it is producing the work. So I want both myself and the people following me to focus on the work, which I’m trying to create to the best of my capacity.
Originally published by ESQUIRE THAILAND
Photography PONPISUT PEJAROEN
Fashion Editor DOME SONGPRAKON
Interview PACHAREE KLINCHOO
Makeup SARAN ANAPHON
Hair MANASWEE KITPISUT
Stylist Assistants PANYADA THONGLONG, KORAWIT SATTAYAPAN
Photos Assistants CHAYATHAT NUCHPUM, NATTAPON SANGSAWANG
Setting NARUCHA TANTIWUTH
Setting Assistants PONGSAKORN TREETEPA, PANCAKE PUNYATIDA
Esquire Malaysia
©2026, Heart Media Pte Ltd
