THE BOY WONDER

HIT BY A QUARTER-LIFE CRISIS, APO NATTAWIN WATTANAGITIPHAT WENT ON A JOURNEY OF SELF-DISCOVERY THAT TOOK HIM FROM THAI SOAP ACTOR TO BARTENDER BACK TO ROMANTIC LEADING MAN IN ONE OF THE HOTTEST BL SHOWS IN ASIA.

- AZHAR RAHIM

Midway through his shoot, Nattawin Wattanagitiphat, or M Apo as he usually goes by, requests for a song change. He scrolls through the Spotify playlist and, ostensibly not finding music that he fancies, proceeds to search for a particular song. As the starting bars begin to play over the speakers in the studio, the 28-year-old Thai actor breaks into a smile, walks back on set, and, without missing a beat, works the camera effortlessly. His song of choice is American R&B singer Joe's 1999 slow jam hit song "I Wanna Know". It is an interesting, curious pick for someone who would have only been four years old at the time this song was released. "He is an old soul," offers his manager as somewhat explanation of the TV star's music tastes.

Not disagreeing, Apo chimes in to add that he likes R&B because "you can feel the emotions in the songs". In between takes, he gets lost in the moment. With his eyes closed, he grooves and dances across the floor, as if no one is watching. "I also like listening to Whitney Houston, Sam Cooke, and Elvis Presley. But my favourite kinds of music are those without lyrics, like Bach or John Coltrane."

"Sometimes, I don't want to hear a vocalist in a song because I like humming to the rhythm and melody. There is a resonance that reverberates in your head and that is very calming for me, almost like meditation," he says.

Watching the young celebrity work the set, dressed in key looks and pieces from Cartier, Bottega Veneta, Louis Vuitton and Prada, one cannot help but to be mesmerised by his presence. Tall, tanned, handsome, with a perfectly tousled mane, and a jawline so sharp it looks like it can cut through glass, his are the kind of boyish good looks most often found in romantic young adult movies.