Nani wears a vest, corset, pants, earring from Dolce&Gabbana on the cover. 

Right now, “Nani” Hirunkit Changkham has gotten comfortable with the way things are, even as stardom was something he never envisaged in the beginning. “The way I see it, success is not as straightforward and can not be explained in the way most would think,” the 26-year-old earnestly mentions one afternoon as he settles into his hotel in Milan — this time in the Italian fashion capital to attend the Dolce&Gabbana women’s Fall Winter 2024 show. “At where I am now (with my career), I am just glad I worked on this path in my life and kept moving forward.”


Jacket, earring, all Dolce&Gabbana

Despite the 6-hour time difference from Bangkok, being (approximately) 5,600 miles away from home should mean nothing to the actor by now. He sits at the edge of his room, by a square window drawing the last ounce of Milan’s rainy February sky, waiting as the crew prepares to bring him around the city for today’s shoot.

While It is not clear if the jet lag has caught up to him — by the gleeful conversations he is having, sometimes filling the room with laughter — it is easy to feel like one knows the real person behind the characters he has portrayed. And that carefree demeanour, one that is broodingly charming (according to his fans) is indicative that Nani — after all the brand appearances and filming appointments that have now become his day-to-day — still has it in him.

Born and raised in Chiang Mai, Nani developed his interest in acting the way kids do — by equal parts fate, luck, and an interest in something no one else cared about. Across his work beginning with his major acting debut as M.J. in the titular F4 Thailand: Boys Over Flower — which soared his career seemingly overnight — Tibet in Home School, and most recently Phali in Wednesday Club, Nani has only spent three years in the spotlight where the travels and press junkets only began right after the end of the pandemic.

Jacket, earring, all Dolce&Gabbana

Yet, by the time of this interview, the actor has clearly developed plenty of experience reimagining what defines an actor in Thailand — where each opportunity feels more like a perfectly timed encounter, rather than a deal with luck. “I couldn’t hold my excitement when F4 first aired,” he shares. “Since then, I have given more thought to my work and spent more time to work on myself. I’ve always wanted to dive more into singing and to eventually become an artiste. There is honestly so much for me to learn and try still, and I would love to have the opportunity given to me one day.”

However, his memory of his life before fame is not as distant as it might sound. Since fame caught up to him, he has utilised pressure-release valves to navigate a balance between how he portrays himself on-screen and behind-the-scenes, with friends and family. “I’m often misunderstood as an arrogant, distant person who’s hardly smiling — or worse still — not cheerful all the time,” says Nani.“The truth is, that is just how my face reacts to any situation, sort of like a resting face. When in actual fact I love to joke around with my friends a lot. I’m almost always cheerful. [Laughs] I hope no one sees me any other way.”