My Stand-In stars Up & Poom get candid about the hit Thai drama
What better way to start Pride Month than to go behind the scenes of our current favourite show, My Stand-In? The Thai BL (boy love) drama has taken over our screens ever since its premiere and has garnered tons of fans. Starring Up Poompat Iam-samang (of Lovely Writer fame) and Poom Phuripan Sapsangsawat (known for Bake Me Please) as Ming and Joe respectively, the drama unfurls a tale of love, betrayal, secrets and second chances.
Joe is a stunt double for a popular actor and seems to have a good thing going. That is till he is suddenly blacklisted and a desperate attempt leads to an accident that puts him in a coma for 2 years. He wakes up in someone else’s body and seems to be given a second chance at life. Unfortunately, he keeps crossing paths with the one who led to his downfall, his ex, Ming who is still hung up on Joe.
Well, TheReviewGeek had a chance to talk to the main cast of My Stand-In, Up and Poom about their show and everything that goes into making a successful project. In an exclusive interview with TheReviewGeek, Up and Poom spill on their creative process, what they truly think about their characters, next projects and more.
First of all, we would like to congratulate you guys on the success of My Stand-In. And we are only 6 episodes in! How does it feel?
Up: Thank you very much! I promise it will get better and even more intense in the following episodes!
Poom: We’re very happy with the results thus far. Everyone worked very hard on this project, including the cast and crew, who all wanted to produce a great work that fans would enjoy.
Ming seems to have changed a lot when the new Joe sees him. But do you feel that he has sincerely changed and realised his mistakes?
Up: As the one who plays Ming, I really think he has sincerely changed, but does he actually realise his mistakes- I would say you guys gotta stay tuned for the subsequent episodes to find out!
Poom: From the viewer’s perspective, it is clear that Ming has changed when it comes to treating Joe. However, his personal traits remain the same – still being somewhat selfish. What stands out is his love and patience for Joe.
Despite everything Ming has done, we see Joe starting to melt a little especially when he sees that Ming has been waiting for him all these years. Do you think Joe should give him a second chance?
Up: I would say he should! He wouldn’t know what happened to Ming during those two years, what he has been through and how much he suffered.
Poom: Joe might still be confused because, for him, that process might be two years to Ming but it felt like it was just a day ago for Joe since he was in a coma. He might need time to think and observe Ming further. Deep down, I believe Joe will eventually forgive Ming.
If you guys could meet Joe and Ming in real life, what would you like to tell them?
Up: I would tell Joe to keep on fighting and grinding, you got a lot on your shoulder right now, but I know it will pass!
For Ming, please stay calm and control your emotions. Everything will get better if you balance your heart and mind.
Poom: I wouldn’t say anything to Ming because I wouldn’t dare to approach him. For Joe, I would like to encourage him, to believe that the bad times will soon pass, and to wish for his happiness.
No spoilers but how do you guys think fans will react after watching the finale?
Up: No spoilers but it’s just gonna get more intense right till the finale so buckle up and be prepared for any possible plot twist!
Poom: I’m pretty sure fans will cry due to the mix of emotions—happiness, sadness, joy, and relief.
My Stand-In has quite a lot of emotional scenes. How do you recharge after filming such scenes?
Up: To be honest, emotional scenes are energy-draining, and as an actor, we will need to recharge. However, I think it’s important and healthy to handle emotional scenes correctly, as it can sometimes permanently damage the actors’ and actresses’ emotional health.
One thing I love the most about working on emotional scenes with Poom is that we pass positive energy to each other even before the scene starts. We would find each other and hold hands or hug each other before filming these scenes, and that helped us pass through almost any difficult scenes.
After we ended work each day, we would take a quick trip before going home to a nearby restaurant just to get a light meal and talk about the scenes (we filmed). That definitely helped us recharge and get rid of any negative energy we might encounter each day we were filming My Stand-In.
Poom: Definitely felt a sense of relief completing them, as there was a sense of anxiety about the heavy emotional scenes beforehand, and also letting the characters’ stories unfold.
Your reactions to watching My Stand-In were hilarious. When you watch your own shows do you watch it as a fan or are you critical about your acting?
Up: Actually I do in both perspectives. We watch it as a person who would like to enjoy a good show which is usually while filming the reaction videos. However, when we are alone we would watch it and criticise our own acting and what we can do to improve in the future. We share this common goal and passion for our acting career, and we truly believe that self-development is critical in this career path.
Poom: I normally do like to watch my own performance to analyze whether it was a good job or not. If there are areas for improvement, I will note them down and make adjustments in the future. For the good parts, I work on enhancing them further.
Is there anything new that you’ve learned about yourself while filming My Stand-In?
Up: I really enhanced and further developed my skills in acting. I felt that I got more mature in my acting career. But the best thing I felt that I got from filming My Stand-In is that I got to play it with the best partner I could ask for, Poom who shared the same goal, passion and vision for this career path. I would like to thank him very much for being such a great partner.
Poom: I learned that when you commit to something sincerely, no matter the outcome, you’ve done your best. Effort never betrays anyone.
When you are not working, what is it that you like to do in your free time?
Up: If I get a day off (which rarely happens), I would just wake up and enjoy myself with a good book and cup of coffee. Or even go out for a round of golf with my friends.
Poom: I like to sleep, watch a comedy, listen to music, and play some games.
Your roles in My Stand-In are quite different from what you guys have done before. As actors, what is it that attracts you when you are deciding on a new project like My Stand-In?
Up: Being someone I couldn’t be in real life challenges me to grow as an actor, and every role I take on gives me the chance to try new things. I’m therefore quite open to new and difficult opportunities and that’s how I decided to work on this project.
Poom: As an actor, this project is very interesting because the character has a lot of emotional depth and many interconnected stories. The characters are quite complex, and the fun script and good production made it very appealing.
Up, you have a knack for picking up projects that tend to go viral such as Girl From Nowhere and Lovely Writer. And now My Stand-In! Did you know they would become hits back then or was it a surprise?
Up: It was all a surprise, the only thing I aimed to do was to continue developing my acting skills ever since my early years in this career. One thing I truly believe is that no matter how long it takes, your skill and talent will eventually be noticed.
Poom, it must have been quite a struggle since the pandemic happened right during the start of your career. So, what motivated you to keep going and find your success?
Poom: Love for acting, respect for the profession, and the joy of doing it.
After such challenging roles, what would you guys like your next projects to be? Something funny, lighthearted? Or similarly dark and full of angst?
Up: Actually we talked about this too. We would take up any opportunity presented to us. Because with a great partner, no matter the role we’re taking on, we know we will give it our all and do our very best to become a better version of ourselves.
Poom: Every project is challenging because each character is different. If possible, other than having a great partner back with me, I would like to try a project with even more action scenes.
Well, we have been loving every minute of My Stand-In and will definitely be tuning in for the upcoming episodes. Any last words for your fans?
Up: Thank you very much for all your love and support, without you guys, we wouldn’t be here today. Please stay tuned for My Stand-In! And we hope that you will love all the characters as much as we love them! Thank you!
Poom: I have nothing to say but thank you. I feel deeply grateful and appreciate the fans very much. Everything we do is to make the viewers happy and entertained. If everyone enjoys it, we are happy too. Finally, I want to thank the fans because, without them, I wouldn’t be here today. Thank you.
Watch Up and Poom in the ongoing Thai BL drama My Stand-In on iQIYI.