Tayme Thapthimthong Checks Out of The White Lotus

A night to remember

Tayme Thapthimthong is having the time of his life. 

The night before, he was partying with Hollywood celebrities and rock stars at the annual Gold Gala, which celebrated Asians and Pacific Islanders in business and entertainment. During the karaoke session, he sang a few songs on stage with singer Cilla Chan and ended his set with a duet with Anderson .Paak, singing Blackstreet and Dr. Dre’s ‘No Diggity.’ 

Tayme first sang the song with his The White Lotus co-star, Lisa, during their press tour, which went viral. Everyone at the gala wanted him to sing that song again, but he didn’t know the rap portion. That’s when Anderson .Paak volunteered to do the rap, while Tayme did the vocals. 

“I thought it’s not gonna happen,” Tayme says over Zoom from Los Angeles. “But he got on stage, and we did that. It was amazing. It was just the best vibe. It was a very surreal moment. I sent the videos to my close friends in Thailand because we always talk about things like that. I just couldn’t believe it happened.”

The 35-year-old actor couldn’t believe how much his life had changed since appearing on the third season of Mike White’s award-winning series. Just two years ago, Tayme was working as a bodyguard for a rapper in Thailand. He had acted in several domestic films, but nothing of this caliber. 

“It’s incredible right now,” he exclaims. “I’m having so much fun. I’m just so grateful this whole thing happened. It’s a dream come true. It’s almost like every event, there’s something new that happens. I’m really enjoying this. I’m going to stay on this path for sure.” 

It almost didn’t happen for the British-born actor. He didn’t know what The White Lotus was when he received a notice from the casting team, who expressed interest in the actor to audition for the role of Gaitok, the sweet hotel security guard who was in love with Mook (Lisa). It wasn’t until the Thai rapper told Tayme the show was a big deal, and that he should go for it. 

It was only at the first cast dinner in Koh Samui that he realized this was greater than he imagined. The all-star cast included Jason Isaacs, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Leslie Bibb, Sam Rockwell, Walton Goggins, Michelle Monaghan, Natasha Rothwell, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Lisa. The fact that these famous actors were excited about being on the show blew Tayme’s mind. 

“I’ve watched these people in different movies before, so they’re already superstars in my eyes,” he says. “They’ve been in so many things. [They told me], ‘Yes, but you don’t understand. This is like another level.’ I don’t think I understood yet. As we filmed, the more hype it began to get. We had the premiere, and I was slowly getting more recognized in Thailand. Then, coming here, I’ve seen the reception I’ve received. It was crazy.”

Another indicator for Tayme that the series would change his life was when a U.S.-based manager offered to sign him. “Nothing else I’ve ever done before ever got a U.S. manager to call and be excited to meet me. He came all the way near my house [in Thailand] and took the time to sit with me for two and a half hours to get my story. So, I have a U.S. manager.”

Character study

Despite being a former bodyguard, Tayme says his portrayal of Gaitok was nothing like his experience. The actor was a former cadet with the British Royal Marines, and he even received one-on-one training with a Special Air Service operator on the weekends. After moving to Thailand, he became a Lieutenant in the Thai army. Gaitok was quite the opposite of him. 

“Gaitok is not a trained person,” Tayme reveals. “There are so many people I can relate to him. When you visit hotels in Thailand, you see these security guards walking around the hotel. They’re not like nightclub bouncers who are ready to fight. They are friendly faces that make sure you feel welcomed. It’s safe. It’s not a dig at them. It’s just the nature of the job when you’re at a five-star hotel, you’re not really expecting a physical confrontation to happen. I wanted to portray that through Gaitok with extra sweetness, because Mook is his priority.”

Toward the end of the season, Gaitok does take a darker turn as all the stress from his experiences tips him over the edge into killing a man. Tayme enjoyed portraying this change in the character, from this happy-go-lucky security guard to point-blank shooting a man.

“There’s this breaking point that a man can go through as he feels he’s losing his job, his girl, and everything,” he explains. “It’s like everything is going downhill and people will do anything to make it work. I read the script and was like, ‘Oh my God, I love layers.’ It just gives me so much to play with.”

Tayme learned about getting into a different headspace from Walton, who practices method acting. He recalls the American actor staying in the character’s mindset for days, always looking stressed and sweaty. 

“I did a bit of that myself,” Tayme says. “I stepped outside, and the [Thai] heat helped because we were filming this time last year in the hottest time of Thailand. I told the production assistant, ‘Hey, if I’m in the next scene, let me know. Just give me twenty minutes. I just want to prepare myself.’ They’re like, ‘Copy.’ So they did that. I used a bit of Walton’s method to get into my head and a lot of breathing to help with the feeling. It was a fun process.”

Unapologetically Thai

The actor, who has lived in Thailand for the past thirteen years, says he’s grasped the Thai language, but still retains his British accent. He loves surprising people when they discover he’s British of Thai descent. 

“It’s quite funny when they hear my accent,” he laughs. “It happened a few times at Coachella as well.”

He was only 23 when he moved from the UK to Thailand. He tried to be around many Thai people, but ended up hanging out with English-speaking expats because it was easier. His first exposure to being completely around Thai people was when he joined the singing competition, Academy Fantasia. He was the oldest contestant among the young adults and was exposed to how the youth talked, their thoughts, and their slang. 

When he later joined the Thai military, no one spoke English, making him stand out. Others often treated him like a foreigner. He was given the nickname “London,” which constantly reminded him that they didn’t see him as a real Thai person, even though he spoke and looked the part. 

“It was nice to get in touch with all the things I’ve seen then because I had to put that into Gaitok,” he says. “It reminded me that Gaitok wasn’t educated in England. He was born in Koh Samui. He never left the island. I got to bring that sort of local feel to his character. It wasn’t too hard for me because I had been around many different Thai people. From that experience, I put it all together for each scene. There’s always something I can bring out from the Thai people I’ve seen. It’s mostly the kindness, politeness, and respect that I felt as a British person moving to Thailand.”

Tayme has always felt pride in being Thai—so much so that he never changed his name to fit Western standards, despite living in the UK for most of his life. He reveals his first name is Maethi, but he’s gone by his middle name Tayme his whole life. 

“I’m very proud of being Thai,” he says. “My dad would tell me, ‘Yeah. We live in England and we love this country, but you are Thai, Tayme.’ And, coming back and living here for 12 years, I love Thailand so much. It’s my home. It’s where I’ve established my base now. I don’t think I can ever willingly leave it. I would definitely come to Los Angeles and base myself here for a good few months for work, but I’ll always return to Thailand.”

As for now, Tayme is enjoying every moment he’s been given. He knows so many Asian actors have tried to make it in Hollywood, and he is hopeful for his own career. Times have changed for Asians in Hollywood with the increase of representation and projects. 

“It’s quite hard for Asians to break into this, but I feel very hopeful, and it’s very promising right now,” says Tayme. “I’ve been to so many meetings and interviews. There’s an Asian community here. There’s a community of us here. That brought a lot of warmth to me. I was very happy to see that. This is a dream come true, and I just want to take this as far as I can.”

Photography Henry Wu

Chief of Editorial Content Patrick Ty

Fashion Hannah Kerri

Words Laura Sirikul

Grooming Ayae Yamamoto

Art direction Mike Miguel

Retouching Summer Untalan

Fashion assistant Ariana Thode

On location Conrad Hotel Los Angeles

Special thanks Platform PR