A Study of Role Changes of Thai Male Actors in the Context of Male Homosexuality in Thai TV Series and Dramas

Abstract

The objectives of this research were 1) to study the changes of Thai male actors’ roles in the context of homosexuality series and television dramas; and 2) to investigate Thai male actors maintaining their images in the context of homosexuality series and television dramas. The in-depth interview was from 7 Thai male actors divided into 2 groups. The first group was 4 male actors who shifted from playing traditional characters in series and television dramas to the characters in Boy’s Love series and television dramas. The second group was 3 male actors who shifted from characters in Boy’s Love series to traditional male characters in general dramas or series. The research found that the actors from the first group have maintained their images after portraying the characters in Boy’s love series to match the Fanclub’s preference. These male actors could be able to perform the entertainment industry. However, they did not change themselves in every aspect. They only modified their appearance. The research has mainly revealed that the second group has not considered the image factor as their first priority. Instead, they focused on roles and performances in Thai traditional series and television dramas. Both of actor groups have not considered changing their roles based on money or value factors. Instead, their decisions of roles changing were based on how challenging the roles were and how different their new characters were from their works in the past.