Interviews / Nov. 22, 2017
Thitipan Raksasat, the Thai director behind Love Next Door and its sequel Love Next Door 2, has answered some of our most indiscreet questions regarding his very, very, very hot films.
Thitipan, who was achieved international fame for his playful boys love films, has recently released his fourth film Driver (2017). We have not had the chance to watch it yet but we can only pray that they feature the two hunks that stole our hearts in his two previous features, Khao and Pete. And yes, before you ask we can already tell you that he discusses how fictional those sex scenes got during shooting and whether those bulks under their undies were real!
Khao and Peter in Love Next Door
1. How did the idea for the first film originated?
I wanted to make a low budget online film with a shooting schedule of only three days. I was planning to make something easy but sexy, and ended up successfully shooting three days in a row with full support from cast and crew. Ankul, the lead actor, got into a fight with someone and his face got injured, I almost cancelled the shooting but our high spirits helped us overcome this small obstacle and kept the shooting going. Yes, it ended up much better than I expected and it was a great experience.
2. How was the work dynamic with both main actors? Were there many awkward situations?
It was their first film. I had an acting workshop with both of them so they could read their lines and get used to each other but I don’t think it helped. An especially awkward situation happened during the shooting of the sex scene and one of them got a hard on. They asked me what to do and I could just laugh and tell them to keep going. The crew members were straight guys and they were all blushing!
3. How did you shoot the sex and nudity scenes? Were the actors comfortable with each other?
Actors were very shy to perform the sex scenes and so we had to plan what to do for each position. I had no much experience but I tried to choreograph every take. The most difficult part was to hide the socks actors wore around their penises during the scenes to look more aroused. Sometimes the socks would just fall off so they ended up throwing the socks away and playing with the real stuff.
4. Are Kao and Pete based on actual persons?
Inspired by actual stories from me and my friends, mostly jokes. None is based on an actual person. :)
5. Did you want to send a message with the portrayal of the transgender character as a lonely person?
It happened to me. No matter how much I wanted to pay for sex, I still didn't find a connection sometimes. Money can't always buy love! Transgenders sometimes are unlucky on sex. We have to do crazy things to get guys and get laid and what happens to us can be seen as big hilarious jokes.
Pete having some fun
6. What made you want to do a sequel with multiple storylines? Even relegating Kao to a minor role.
I was in the writing process and this was how it ended up. I couldn't help it. I think Kao has less minutes in the film but he is still the lead.
7. However, there is still a plot about prostitution like in the first movie. Where does your interest on this topic come from?
My own experience as a gay man. After I became 25 years old, I don't know why I started to be curious and meet many male prostitutes and most of my friends too. I couldn't x)f1x82Bhba%1Le%V&xe0f_tf1tHStA9wt6Db*Si2I^Ylz=j2$help put it in the story. I don't want to pay for sex or love but maybe this is the reality and I have to accept it.
8. There were two transgender women in the sequel, in addition to the one in the first film. However, their role seems to be more of a comic relief, not only in your films, but also in Thai cinema in general. With the new strong transgender movies from other countries this year, is it possible for transgender characters to take on a more serious role in Thai cinema?
Very hard. My dream is to make one good queer movie. I was working on different plots but sometimes I needed an extra push from my environment or from my real-life experiences. Not so many filmmakers want to tell serious transgender stories that can show other sides of the characters, touching hearts in different ways. I’ve always wanted to do one.
9. And last but not least, being both so so sexy why isn’t there any full-frontal nudity in either of the films? Is it a taboo in Thailand?
The reason was the budget. My ultimate goal is to shoot full-frontal nudity of a famous actor, perhaps an extreme close up, perhaps an erection shot. I think penises have so many stories we want to see and sometimes taste.
Watch on Love Next Door 2 and Love Next Door NOW on GagaOOLala!
