‘The White Lotus’ star Tayme Thapthimthong reveals rare career journey

The White Lotus star Tayme Thapthimthong shared his unconventional career journey before landing a role in the hit show.

The 35-year-old actor, who plays Gaitok on season 3 of the show, revealed that he has done all sorts of jobs before kickstarting his dream career.

“I’ve always wanted to be an actor. I think, I was 18, 19, and I was doing a performing dance course at Kingston University near London. They had a drama module in there, and that was the first time I got to try out drama, even though it was Shakespeare. But it was just the first time really getting to act, and it just felt right. It just felt good,” he told People Magazine.

Thapthimthong said he also had “a phase” where he studied different styles of dance including contemporary, ballet, African, Indian and hip hop.

He also revealed that he got into military before acting in The White Lotus. The actor trained with the Royal Marines as a cadet, while he was in England and then became a Lieutenant in the Thai Army.

“I was there for three years, and I came out and worked in the private sector for two years — ended up as a bodyguard, and then White Lotus happened,” he said.

The Thai actor who recently rose to fame said that he would love to continue his acting career, especially getting to work on action movies.

“I’d love to be a Thai James Bond!” he added. “But it doesn't matter if it's guns or swords or anything, I'm really just up for it. I feel like I have a lot more to give.”