KinnPorsche stars tease ‘action, comedy, romance’ in Manila show
MANILA, Philippines — When stars of the Thai BL series KinnPorsche make their Manila stop this Saturday night as part of their ongoing international tour, expect it to be similar to their action-drama.
Said Wichaspas “Bible” Sumettikul, “I think for the show in the Philippines, you can expect a little bit of everything. If you’ve seen our series, it’s gonna be just like that — the action, the comedy, you know, some romance here and there, and of course, some spice to heat up the stage a little bit for everyone and everybody.”
“The series is already jam-packed and very fun, but our goal for the show in the Philippines is just to do our best and give you the best possible show. And you can enjoy the show with us,” added Jakapan “Build” Puttha.
Based on a webtoon, the series tells the story of Kinn (played by Phakphum “Mile” Romsaithong), the second son and one of the heirs of the Theerapanyakun crime family, who meets underground fighter Porsche (Nattawin “Apo” Wattanagitiphat) while on the run from people trying to kill him.
In KinnPorsche, Bible plays the role of Vegas, the eldest son and heir-apparent of the Theerapanyakun crime family, while Build is Pete, Porsche’s roommate who works as a head bodyguard.
The STAR joined a Zoom interview with Bible and Build ahead of tonight’s Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena show (co-presented by Live Nation Philippines and Pulp), which brings them to the Philippines for the very first time.
“Both of us, it’s our first time in the Philippines. I’m really looking forward to seeing beaches in the Philippines. I don’t know if we have time but one day, I’m going to come back and visit Cebu and Palawan,” Bible said.
The Manila stop forms part of KinnPorsche’s series of shows across Asia, including Singapore, Korea, Vietnam and Taiwan, for this month of October alone. It’s borne out of the popularity of the series even beyond Thailand. KinnPorsche premiered in April and became accessible to Filipino fans through the streaming platform iQiyi.
For acting newcomers like Bible, the drama’s overseas appeal was unexpected. “It’s my first-ever acting role, period. Whether extra, lead or supporting role, any type of thing. It’s definitely a big surprise for me. I definitely didn’t expect any of this. I just wanted to do a good job and grab the opportunity that I had. It can get quite overwhelming at times, but I’m still trying to live in the moment and take it step-by-step,” he said.
Just like Bible, Build adopts a seize-the-day mentality when it comes to his career and “I just observe all the love and support that fans give us and try to hold on to that.”
Build, nevertheless, maintained that while he may be increasingly recognizable, he’s still the same person he’s always been “but just kind of like an evolved person. (I) always try to remember where I came from and to stay humble.”
“For both of us, we get recognized more than we used to,” agreed Bible, reiterating that the attention tends to be overwhelming. “But I’m an introvert. I don’t normally go out and do things anyway so it hasn’t really affected my daily life much. But when we go out to places where we encourage fans to come meet us, it kind of boosts my energy so much to see people come out and support us. It’s very important to stay humble,” he added.
Commenting specifically on the fandom that they managed to build in the Philippines, Bible said, “It’s almost unbelievable that we have fans in our home country. And even more unbelievable that we have fans around the world and the fans in the Philippines have been very vocal especially online, and it’s very nice to go read the comments and all that.”
“I’m very, very excited to see all of you in person. It’s an honor for me to come visit your country and perform the show for you. I just really hope and I know we will have a great night together,” he said.
Further weighing in on the show’s major draw in response to a question from The STAR, Bible said, “I think our show, at its core, is a very human story. It’s a very simple story, actually. It’s about the wants and needs of the characters so I feel that it’s very relatable even though it’s set in this somewhat grandiose world of the mafia that doesn’t really exist that way…
“In the end, it’s about what Porsche wants, what Kinn wants and the rest of the characters. They all just have wants and needs like everybody else. And they only want to be accepted in this world. And we hope we are able to share that story to people in a package or in a way they can relate to and also be entertained by it. That’s why a lot of people resonate with our series.”
The Thai BL widely found its way to Filipino audiences over the pandemic, and KinnPorsche has been viewed as somewhat of a departure from the usual BL fare for being “action-oriented.”
Asked if they see their show as a potential trend-setter due to its “different” treatment of the BL genre, Bible said, “For me, I know that BL is a category but I don’t view it as a separate category. They are love stories at their core. No matter what genre, it’s about humans loving other humans.
“Good stories aren’t about the plot necessarily, good stories are created because of good characters. If they have good, complex characters no matter who they are, whether male or female, love is love. If other series or movies take inspiration from our series to create, then that’s great! That’s wonderful. More stories that have representation and are about complex characters are always going to be interesting.”
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