April 30, 2025 • 11 mins
Actor Tayme Thapthimthong joins us to talk season 3 of 'The White Lotus', his upcoming show 'Alien: Earth' and more!
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
On with maeztst joining me right now from the third
season of White Lotus actor Tam Tacked Tim Tong, how
are you, man.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'm good. Thank you, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Thank you for taking the time.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
First of all, you crushed.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
It as a guide talk in White Lotus, and I thought,
thank you very much. That storyline, in particular, you and
the young lady you had a crush on that was
that was so seed and romantic and and fun. I
gotta imagine you had a blast working on that set.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Oh yeah, it's it's just been huh man, I don't
even know what to start. It's just been amazing. Ever
since I got casted for Guy Talking, everything just changed,
you know, like this my whole life, my whole world
just changed for the better, I guess. And it's just,
you know, the whole experience, you know, being in four
seasons with all these other amazing actors I've watched, you know,
(00:58):
from a from from a young age, and to get
to be in a hotel with them for like seven
months and work with them, it was it was amazing.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I actually had no I had no bad moments.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
I really enjoyed every moment of it and I'm still
enjoying it right now.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
I have that and I love your character arc. He
really had a great way to wrap up the series
in the last episode, and he came through in this
sort of heroic fashion and ended up being the driver.
And it looks like you got the girl and you
were going soft.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
On me, but you manned up when you needed to. Yeah,
did you know.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
The way the show is going to end from the
beginning or did they the writers? Did Mike reveal it
like as it went on?
Speaker 4 (01:45):
No, So when I first received the script, I read
through it the whole thing, and you know, it was
just amazing to see that ending for my character, because
you know, in the beginning, you know, as I was
reading the script, I was always trying to sort of
picture sort of just like the scene, you know, and sort.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Of how how I am throughout the whole thing.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
And you know, it wasn't until the very end that
it got me so excited because it meant that my
character has like a kind of a full arc, you know,
like starting from being that this kind of smiley guy
all the time who's just got a massive crush on
on on Mook and you know, slowly, as you know,
has he when he loses the gun, when he when
(02:30):
he's trying to find it, when he gets it back.
I just really enjoyed sort of going through all those
layers with that character, and then to finish it off
at the end with that bang. It was just it
was so satisfying for me, you know, because I've always
wanted to play like a layered character. So when I
when I when I start finished reading the script, it
(02:51):
was just like, wow, Okay, now I know how to
sort of design him, you know, from episode one to
three and then like four to six, having an eight
you know, it was just really fun to play around
with that.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
And it was really about the only one you could
get behind and root for is everybody else that's going on,
you know, there really was. It was an alter your motives.
You had a crush and you wanted to do the
right thing, and so it was great. I'm so glad
they ended it like that, not in a negative negative.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Yeah me too, Me too, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
You're also starring in this upcoming Hulu series Alien Earth,
and it's actually a prequel to Yes.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
That's right, it is, so I think it takes place.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Before even the original Alien happens, but it's you know,
it's the first one out of the whole franchise that
takes place on Earth, so you know, it's there's a
lot of excitement there, but you know what happens when
an alien gets released on Earth, you know.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yeah, and you're also working on a movie with Jason
Statham called Mutiny.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Yeah, so that one was actually a very small role,
but they decided to write me a small more role
into that movie because they saw that I was British
and they said, you know, this would be a great
chance to just get him to have a foot in
the door in the British industry because you know, I
was born and raised in England and you know, my
(04:15):
parents still live there and my little brother. So my
manager said, you know, this would be great if even
if it's a small role, because you know, at least
you go get to go and film in England. And
then after that we actually did just rounds of going
to meet different agencies, so I ended up getting getting
signed to the Independent Talent over over in London.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
It was a very productive trip.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
So so you were born and raised in England, are
you by ethnicity tie?
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Though yes, both my parents are tied. They just went
to work in England or you know, back when they
were younger, and then just stayed there.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Got it.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yeah, because I was going to say, you spoken fluently
very well.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
You know it's funny because uh, I think discussion. Yeah,
I have a discussion with my with my manager, and
he was saying that, you know, I'm really trying to
you know, the reason I'm getting you to do so
many general meetings with all these people in LA right
now is because I have a feeling that people must
(05:20):
believe that you talk like how guy talk talks.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
English, right, you know that's a testament. You're right, Yeah,
thank you.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Yeah, I mean I really worked on that because at
first I was kind of cringing at myself, sort of
sort of speaking like a more broken English or tie.
People call it tinglish. So so it took it took
a few practices in front of the mirror to get
to to not my you know, not be cringing at myself.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
So I'm glad. I'm glad it was that convincing to people.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
But yeah, it's nice to let people know that this
is how I speak.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
No exactly exactly, good pipes. Is it true you were
actually a bodyguard before.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
Yes, so I was actually in the I've had a
whole thing in the military. So I back in England,
I wanted to be a raw Marine and I actually
trained for it, and you know, got trained by an
ex SAS soldier who whose assistant is my mum's best friend.
(06:24):
And when he heard that I wanted to join the Marines,
He's like, send him up to Hereford, I'll train him.
You know, that's where he lives. And he took me
out and trained me in the mountains in the hills
and it was it was great. But you know, I
couldn't join in England because I found out at the
medicals that my ear wasn't working so well. So that's
why it was that shift, that that event that happened
(06:47):
in England where it made me shift to Thailand because
I was so depressed in England because I wanted to
join so bad and.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
I couldn't because with medical problems.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
So so I came to Thailand and started off a
whole new leaf, and you know, that's how I got
into the entertainment industry. But ultimately I still ended up
in the Thai Army, which was pretty cool. They didn't
care about my ear. So I actually served three years
as a as an officer in the Thai Army, and
then a further two years I went private. That's how
(07:20):
I ended up as a Bodygut's.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Ironically character being what it was too.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
It was, yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
I thought you were a Coachella got to see Oh yeah,
what's the young lady's name?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
He played Mouke Lisa Lisa Yo. Lisa is like a
big star. Huh oh yeah, she's she's huge. You know.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
When I found out that she was going to play
my love interest in in White Lotus, I was just
you know, I thought things couldn't get any better for
me already after being casted and then getting an American
manager approaching me and helping me out and everything, and
then to Lisa sort of you know, being my my
co star was just like, it is just real.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I was like, wow, she's is she also from Thailand
or is she ty?
Speaker 4 (08:06):
Yes, she's originally from Thailand, you know, because she was
in Black.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Pink, that's what a girl group.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
She actually went to train to be become a Black
Black Pink member since she was like fourteen, so she's
been in that world for a long time.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Yeah, no, I know that's that's crazy man.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
And yo, you got pipes yourself. Man, I heard you
singing a little no diggity yeah?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Is that is that? I mean? Were you just messing
around her?
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Singing something you pursued, something you always wanted to do.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
Singing music to me is something that's very dear to me.
It started off with just me singing to myself in
the shower and it's at home. I never actually thought
I turned into a career. And so I came to
Thailand and entered this competition and that was that was
in twenty thirteen where I entered this. It was like
(09:01):
a half Big Brother half X Factor competition in Thailand.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
That's a wild bromise.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
It was crazy to like go back to Thailand within
the year I was in this in this competition, right
and it you know, I came second in the end,
and I got like a five to five year like
contract with this record label. But I'm really into R
and B and blues, you know, in hip hop, and
(09:28):
to sing R and B in Thailand at the time
at least, it just wasn't a thing like it.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Just there just wasn't a market for it.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
So they try to make me do rock and like
like T pop, you know, a type hop, but I
just wasn't feeling it. So you know, that's where I
shifted heavily to acting, and I'm glad I did because
you know, it led to this. But music has always
been a big part of me. So even when I
was in the military here and during basic training, there
(09:58):
was no music. The only MU that you ever hear
was the national anthem in the morning. And that's why
I made me realize I can't, I can't. I can't
live without music. So I would be singing to myself,
humming to myself as I'm doing all this training running,
and yeah, that's why we really realized I need to
I need to also do music as well.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
So I'm really glad that that No Diggity.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Clip went viral because it just really gave me another
shot to do music here in the US, where R
and B and blues is actually you know, really lightd
So I can't wait to do some music here. And yeah,
I've already met with a few music producers and we're
trying to work on something.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Good for you. Man.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
I like your style, brother, I like your style. Congratulations
I'm so happy.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Thank you very much for your tame and listen.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Appreciate you stopping buying everyone. If you haven't checked it out,
please do you got to see the third season A
White Lotus, which is of course streaming right now on
Max TAM. Hope to meet you in person, brother.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yes, I like your T shirt. By the way, thank
you you jumper at Bruce Lee. That's awesome. Swarts all right, brother,
thank you, Take brother, thank you so much. You gotch
see you soon. Take care of you, got it. Goodbye
with Mario Lopez
On with maeztst joining me right now from the third
season of White Lotus actor Tam Tacked Tim Tong, how
are you, man.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'm good. Thank you, Thank you for having me.
Speaker 3 (00:13):
Thank you for taking the time.
Speaker 2 (00:15):
First of all, you crushed.
Speaker 3 (00:16):
It as a guide talk in White Lotus, and I thought,
thank you very much. That storyline, in particular, you and
the young lady you had a crush on that was
that was so seed and romantic and and fun. I
gotta imagine you had a blast working on that set.
Speaker 4 (00:34):
Oh yeah, it's it's just been huh man, I don't
even know what to start. It's just been amazing. Ever
since I got casted for Guy Talking, everything just changed,
you know, like this my whole life, my whole world
just changed for the better, I guess. And it's just,
you know, the whole experience, you know, being in four
seasons with all these other amazing actors I've watched, you know,
(00:58):
from a from from a young age, and to get
to be in a hotel with them for like seven
months and work with them, it was it was amazing.
Speaker 2 (01:06):
I actually had no I had no bad moments.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
I really enjoyed every moment of it and I'm still
enjoying it right now.
Speaker 3 (01:12):
I have that and I love your character arc. He
really had a great way to wrap up the series
in the last episode, and he came through in this
sort of heroic fashion and ended up being the driver.
And it looks like you got the girl and you
were going soft.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
On me, but you manned up when you needed to. Yeah,
did you know.
Speaker 3 (01:38):
The way the show is going to end from the
beginning or did they the writers? Did Mike reveal it
like as it went on?
Speaker 4 (01:45):
No, So when I first received the script, I read
through it the whole thing, and you know, it was
just amazing to see that ending for my character, because
you know, in the beginning, you know, as I was
reading the script, I was always trying to sort of
picture sort of just like the scene, you know, and sort.
Speaker 2 (02:07):
Of how how I am throughout the whole thing.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
And you know, it wasn't until the very end that
it got me so excited because it meant that my
character has like a kind of a full arc, you know,
like starting from being that this kind of smiley guy
all the time who's just got a massive crush on
on on Mook and you know, slowly, as you know,
has he when he loses the gun, when he when
(02:30):
he's trying to find it, when he gets it back.
I just really enjoyed sort of going through all those
layers with that character, and then to finish it off
at the end with that bang. It was just it
was so satisfying for me, you know, because I've always
wanted to play like a layered character. So when I
when I when I start finished reading the script, it
(02:51):
was just like, wow, Okay, now I know how to
sort of design him, you know, from episode one to
three and then like four to six, having an eight
you know, it was just really fun to play around
with that.
Speaker 3 (03:03):
And it was really about the only one you could
get behind and root for is everybody else that's going on,
you know, there really was. It was an alter your motives.
You had a crush and you wanted to do the
right thing, and so it was great. I'm so glad
they ended it like that, not in a negative negative.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
Yeah me too, Me too, you know what I mean.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
You're also starring in this upcoming Hulu series Alien Earth,
and it's actually a prequel to Yes.
Speaker 2 (03:26):
That's right, it is, so I think it takes place.
Speaker 4 (03:31):
Before even the original Alien happens, but it's you know,
it's the first one out of the whole franchise that
takes place on Earth, so you know, it's there's a
lot of excitement there, but you know what happens when
an alien gets released on Earth, you know.
Speaker 3 (03:48):
Yeah, and you're also working on a movie with Jason
Statham called Mutiny.
Speaker 4 (03:53):
Yeah, so that one was actually a very small role,
but they decided to write me a small more role
into that movie because they saw that I was British
and they said, you know, this would be a great
chance to just get him to have a foot in
the door in the British industry because you know, I
was born and raised in England and you know, my
(04:15):
parents still live there and my little brother. So my
manager said, you know, this would be great if even
if it's a small role, because you know, at least
you go get to go and film in England. And
then after that we actually did just rounds of going
to meet different agencies, so I ended up getting getting
signed to the Independent Talent over over in London.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
It was a very productive trip.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
So so you were born and raised in England, are
you by ethnicity tie?
Speaker 4 (04:43):
Though yes, both my parents are tied. They just went
to work in England or you know, back when they
were younger, and then just stayed there.
Speaker 2 (04:53):
Got it.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
Yeah, because I was going to say, you spoken fluently
very well.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (04:58):
You know it's funny because uh, I think discussion. Yeah,
I have a discussion with my with my manager, and
he was saying that, you know, I'm really trying to
you know, the reason I'm getting you to do so
many general meetings with all these people in LA right
now is because I have a feeling that people must
(05:20):
believe that you talk like how guy talk talks.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
English, right, you know that's a testament. You're right, Yeah,
thank you.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Yeah, I mean I really worked on that because at
first I was kind of cringing at myself, sort of
sort of speaking like a more broken English or tie.
People call it tinglish. So so it took it took
a few practices in front of the mirror to get
to to not my you know, not be cringing at myself.
Speaker 2 (05:49):
So I'm glad. I'm glad it was that convincing to people.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
But yeah, it's nice to let people know that this
is how I speak.
Speaker 2 (05:57):
No exactly exactly, good pipes. Is it true you were
actually a bodyguard before.
Speaker 4 (06:03):
Yes, so I was actually in the I've had a
whole thing in the military. So I back in England,
I wanted to be a raw Marine and I actually
trained for it, and you know, got trained by an
ex SAS soldier who whose assistant is my mum's best friend.
(06:24):
And when he heard that I wanted to join the Marines,
He's like, send him up to Hereford, I'll train him.
You know, that's where he lives. And he took me
out and trained me in the mountains in the hills
and it was it was great. But you know, I
couldn't join in England because I found out at the
medicals that my ear wasn't working so well. So that's
why it was that shift, that that event that happened
(06:47):
in England where it made me shift to Thailand because
I was so depressed in England because I wanted to
join so bad and.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
I couldn't because with medical problems.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
So so I came to Thailand and started off a
whole new leaf, and you know, that's how I got
into the entertainment industry. But ultimately I still ended up
in the Thai Army, which was pretty cool. They didn't
care about my ear. So I actually served three years
as a as an officer in the Thai Army, and
then a further two years I went private. That's how
(07:20):
I ended up as a Bodygut's.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
Ironically character being what it was too.
Speaker 2 (07:24):
It was, yeah, that's cool.
Speaker 3 (07:26):
I thought you were a Coachella got to see Oh yeah,
what's the young lady's name?
Speaker 2 (07:30):
He played Mouke Lisa Lisa Yo. Lisa is like a
big star. Huh oh yeah, she's she's huge. You know.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
When I found out that she was going to play
my love interest in in White Lotus, I was just
you know, I thought things couldn't get any better for
me already after being casted and then getting an American
manager approaching me and helping me out and everything, and
then to Lisa sort of you know, being my my
co star was just like, it is just real.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
I was like, wow, she's is she also from Thailand
or is she ty?
Speaker 4 (08:06):
Yes, she's originally from Thailand, you know, because she was
in Black.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Pink, that's what a girl group.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
She actually went to train to be become a Black
Black Pink member since she was like fourteen, so she's
been in that world for a long time.
Speaker 3 (08:23):
Yeah, no, I know that's that's crazy man.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (08:25):
And yo, you got pipes yourself. Man, I heard you
singing a little no diggity yeah?
Speaker 2 (08:31):
Is that is that? I mean? Were you just messing
around her?
Speaker 3 (08:33):
Singing something you pursued, something you always wanted to do.
Speaker 4 (08:37):
Singing music to me is something that's very dear to me.
It started off with just me singing to myself in
the shower and it's at home. I never actually thought
I turned into a career. And so I came to
Thailand and entered this competition and that was that was
in twenty thirteen where I entered this. It was like
(09:01):
a half Big Brother half X Factor competition in Thailand.
Speaker 2 (09:04):
That's a wild bromise.
Speaker 4 (09:08):
It was crazy to like go back to Thailand within
the year I was in this in this competition, right
and it you know, I came second in the end,
and I got like a five to five year like
contract with this record label. But I'm really into R
and B and blues, you know, in hip hop, and
(09:28):
to sing R and B in Thailand at the time
at least, it just wasn't a thing like it.
Speaker 2 (09:33):
Just there just wasn't a market for it.
Speaker 4 (09:35):
So they try to make me do rock and like
like T pop, you know, a type hop, but I
just wasn't feeling it. So you know, that's where I
shifted heavily to acting, and I'm glad I did because
you know, it led to this. But music has always
been a big part of me. So even when I
was in the military here and during basic training, there
(09:58):
was no music. The only MU that you ever hear
was the national anthem in the morning. And that's why
I made me realize I can't, I can't. I can't
live without music. So I would be singing to myself,
humming to myself as I'm doing all this training running,
and yeah, that's why we really realized I need to
I need to also do music as well.
Speaker 2 (10:16):
So I'm really glad that that No Diggity.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Clip went viral because it just really gave me another
shot to do music here in the US, where R
and B and blues is actually you know, really lightd
So I can't wait to do some music here. And yeah,
I've already met with a few music producers and we're
trying to work on something.
Speaker 2 (10:40):
Good for you. Man.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
I like your style, brother, I like your style. Congratulations
I'm so happy.
Speaker 2 (10:46):
Thank you very much for your tame and listen.
Speaker 3 (10:49):
Appreciate you stopping buying everyone. If you haven't checked it out,
please do you got to see the third season A
White Lotus, which is of course streaming right now on
Max TAM. Hope to meet you in person, brother.
Speaker 2 (10:59):
Yes, I like your T shirt. By the way, thank
you you jumper at Bruce Lee. That's awesome. Swarts all right, brother,
thank you, Take brother, thank you so much. You gotch
see you soon. Take care of you, got it. Goodbye
with Mario Lopez
Host
Mario Lopez
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