Bright Vachirawit Chivaaree: The Thai actor taking the world by storm

While we commonly refer to him as Bright, that is actually his nickname. Nicknames are common in Thai culture as their original names are often too long and cumbersome to remember, which for him is Vachirawit Chivaaree.

Yet, that actually wasn't his original name. In a video where he introduced 50 facts about himself, Bright Vachirawit shared that his original name was Kunlatorn Chivaaree. His name was changed when he was around Grade Four and his names were given by his mother.

In the same video, Bright Vachirawit explained his lineage. His paternal grandfather and grandmother are American and Chinese while his maternal grandfather and grandmother are both Thai. Essentially, he is half-Thai, quarter-Chinese and quarter-American, which explains his mixed ancestry features.

Bright Vachirawit debuted in 2013 as the television host on the variety show Strawberry Krubcake. He went on to play a couple of supporting roles and hosted a travel program Toe Laew (2020).

That same year, Bright Vachirawit achieved insane levels of success through his breakthrough role as Sarawat in the boys' love show 2gether: The Series opposite co-star Win Metawin Opas-Iamkajorn.

In an exclusive interview with Harper's BAZAAR Singapore, Bright Vachirawit shared that the two didn't expect the show to receive so much love. " You know, before 2gether went to air, Win and I got talking about how it would be received. At that time I had about half a million followers on Instagram, and Win had about 8,000. We predicted I’d end up with a million followers and Win would have about 500,000 followers. Well by the time the show finished, I had about five million followers and Win had WAY more than half a million!"

Following the success of 2gether, which spawned a subsequent season Still 2gether and the film 2gether: The Movie, Bright Vachirawit's career reached greater heights a year later. This was thanks to the popularity of the romantic drama F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers, which was the Thai remake of the Japanese manga Hana Yori Dango (that also gave us Meteor Garden).

In an interview, Bright Vachirawit talked about what the show meant for him. "As an actor, the most memorable moment was probably when I was given the opportunity to take on the leading role in F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flowers. It was the most important moment and opportunity because it was my dream role. I knew and have seen F4 since I was a child. Through various versions until mine, everyone would be very excited to find out who’s going to star in each version of the series."

Other notable productions under his belt include I Sea U (2018) and Astrophile (2022).

He has done music too

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Fans of Bright Vachirawit might already know that he does music too, after having released singles and drama OSTs. But did you know that his musical talent stem from exposure since young? He revealed that he grew up in his uncle's music school - and is consequently able to play the guitar, bass, drums and keyboard - and has been part of a band with his friends. "Before I became a musician, I grew up in my uncle’s music school, so I never saw myself as a solo artiste, but always with a band. And honestly, I feel more comfortable performing in a band than when I go solo."

In June 2023, Bright Vachirawit released his first mini album, Adolescent. The song contains three songs - My Ecstasy, Saturday Night and I Think Of You. He revealed that the rest of the album would be released by August.

A man of many talents, Bright Vachirawit is also an avid fan of photography. In fact, he even created a dedicated Instagram account to post his works, which has over 669k followers.

It was also reported that his fan clubs organised a photo exhibition and auctioned off his photos. They managed to raise over THB$859k that went to support charitable organisations.

In August 2022, Bright Vachirawit was named the global ambassador for Burberry. He is the first from the South Asia-Pacific region to take on the role of the British luxury label.

Prior to that ambassadorship, Bright Vachirawit has been tapped upon by the likes of Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Prada.

Furthering Bright Vachirawit's love for fashion is his own clothing label ASTRO Stuffs. While managing his own business is time-intensive, he shared that finds fun in that.

Here's how the brand, which consists of easy-to-wear apparel and accessories, describes itself: "We pay attention to every detail of the creative process. We think of a modern wardrobe that can be arranged and adapted as needed, practical, and effectively utilized. With the mission of 'MADE TO LAST FOR EVERYONE’, our primary focus is improving design and quality to make our products more durable, long-lasting, and diverse. The second is to develop a design that is not too simple but still modern, friendly, and flexible. Therefore, everyone can wear it, comfortable to wear, and easy to wear every day. Our products can be creative or combined with other clothes uniquely and suitable for everyone for every occasion and every moment. They are suitable for all people on all occasions. It is as if our brand becomes a part of you as you head into the future."

As an actor who achieved his A-list status through an LGBT drama, it shouldn't be a surprise that Bright Vachirawit has thrown his weight behind the LGBT community. He is also said to be in support of the legalisation of same-sex unions in Thailand. Fans have compiled the various ways he has shown support for the social cause here.

With great fame come naysayers and haters. While Bright Vachirawit admittedly struggled with negativity at the start, he is now able to handle it better.

"It can be a good thing when people dislike me because they point out parts they don’t like about me, or my mistakes. Sometimes, they can be quite right, some offer really good advice. But for comments that are not constructive, I just mute them.

There’s nothing I can do about it, so instead of trying to control things that cannot be controlled, I choose to look at it from a different perspective: Bad comments are better than no comments. At least I know they see me. Maybe someday, they will like me."