- Bad Genius actor Chanon Santinatornkul returned to Manila on November 30.
- Fans had a day with the Asian heartthrob and even heard him sang a Tagalog song.
He is one of the most-sought after young actors in Asia today. After his breakthrough role in the Thai blockbuster movie Bad Genius which propelled him to international stardom, Chanon Santinatornkul – popularly known as Non Chanon or simply Nonkul – returned to Manila for his very first solo fan meeting,titled Breaktime.
The event was held November 30 at the SM Skydome, was attended by local and even foreign fans and supporters of the Thai heartthrob.
Nonkul’s first acting role was in the short film Patcha is Sexy (as part of a reproductive health campaign sponsored by the Ministry of Public Health in Thailand) where he played Sarawut, the handsome goalkeeper of the campus which the protagonist is head over heels with. Then, he was included in the cast (as one of the supporting characters) in the 2014 indie gay romance Love’s Coming and its 2015 sequel Love Love You.
He became part of different television series but he became widely known in Thailand after playing a minor role in the hit teen drama Hormones. He became even more popular among fans of boy’s love (a gay romance genre) in Thailand after playing Earth in the sitcom Bang Rak Soi 9/1. In the said sitcom, he was one of the love interest of the lead character, his neighbor and friend – a boy named Jutjang (played by Kanoktorn Kitsakorn).
But it was his portrayal of Bank in the 2017 Thai heist thriller film “Bad Genius” that brought him international fame. “Bad Genius”, known in Thai as “Chalard Games Goeng,” is a movie inspired by real-life news of high-school students who devised a sophisticated exam cheating scheme for profit. It uproots the heist film structure to a school-exams setting, and features themes of class inequality as well as teen social issues. The film has garnered much success across Asian countries including Thailand, Cambodia, and Malaysia. It has also topped the box office in the Philippines upon its release.
He became one of the most popular young stars in Thailand, gracing multiple magazine covers and starring in different television series. His popularity outside his home country also paved the way for him being cast to star in two Chinese dramas. The first was a youth drama about mountain climbing- Blowing in the Wind and the second, an upcoming sports drama about swimming titled Dive. He also has his own vlog in Youtube with over 74,172 subscribers as of this writing.
On November 30 at the SM Skydome, he had his first ever solo fan meeting in the Philippines where he spent an afternoon of singing, dancing, and getting to know more about him. Hosted by Myx VJ Ai dela Cruz, Breaktime.
Chanon Santinatornkul” Fan Meeting in Manila was produced by CDM Entertainment in partnership with Maxperience Entertainment, Do Concert, and Nadao Bangkok. Ticket prices and fan perks were as follows: MVP 6, 000.00php (with fan sign, group photo by 20’s, hi-touch, school kit, official poster, and ID card) at VIP 4, 500 php (with group photo by 20’s, hi-touch, school kit, official poster, and ID card), and General Admission 2, 500 php (with hi-touch, school kit, official poster, and ID card).
During the event, fans got the chance to play with the Thai heartthrob with games like Patintero, Paper Dance and the Jump Rope challenge (where a Pinoy fan got to beat him after doing a hundred jumps). He also tried eating several Pinoy delicacies like chicken inasal, pork sisig (which he found a bit too hot for him to handle), turon and taho. He even offered some taho to a few lucky fans in the audience. But he revealed that his most favorite Filipino food so far was puto bumbong.
Host Ai dela Cruz also got to sit with him to talk about his life- from his childhood to his jump to stardom. During their talk, fans got to know some interesting facts about him such as how he was discovered in Thailand, his ideal girl and ultimate crush Yoona of the K-Pop group Girls’ Generation, his dream of becoming an athlete, and the roles that he would love to play in the future. Some fans were quick to suggest that he should star in another boy’s love show (like “Bang Rak Soi 9/1”).
Fans were so thrilled because Nonkul was very fluent in speaking in English all throughout the show (he also speaks in straight English in his vlog). The Thai heartthrob even serenaded the audiences with his rendition of Ed Sheeran’s hit “Perfect”. But the highlight of the show was Nonkul’s performance of Inigo Pascual’s song “Dahil Sa ‘Yo”. Fans were shocked and overwhelmed when he sang the song in perfect Filipino. Although he forgot some of the lyrics of the song during the last part, he managed to finish the song with the help of the audiences.
Because of the immense support of his Filipino fans, the Thai actor was overwhelmed during his short yet memorable visit to Manila. He expressed his love and appreciation to them during the event, “I feel so happy and grateful. Please stay with me forever.”
Breaktime! Chanon Santinatornkul Fan Meeting in Manila was made possible by CDM Entertainment in partnership with Maxperience Entertainment, Do Concert, and Nadao Bangkok. For more updates on their next events, visit CDM’s Facebook page www.facebook.com/cdmentph.
