Ohm Pawat: Sensitivity amidst Hostility and Madness [Profile 2023]

Popular and talented, there is no better way to describe young Thai actor, Ohm Pawat Chittsawangdee. With a supportive fanbase that provides validation, Ohm appears to remain sensitive to the changing whims of the Thai entertainment landscape.

Introduction

Debuts in acting around 2016, Ohm Pawat Chittsawangdee (โอม ภวัต จิตต์สว่างดี) slowly established himself as a formidable BL actor. With back-to-back Boys Love series that are critically acclaimed as they are popular. A casting in Make It Right (2016) paved the way to his breakthrough BL role in He’s Coming to Me (2019). He is paired with erstwhile BL leading man, Singto Prachaya. As a result, he was cast in the gay coming-of-age film Dew.

A year later, he got a major part in The Shipper (2020). This is before a project which cemented his position as GMMTV’s best BL actor – Bad Buddy (2021). There is but one factor that prevented Pawat to reach even greater heights – a co-star for his BL ship. Bad Buddy changed all that – and we have Nanon Korapat, giving Ohm that elusive on-screen partnership that could last.

In the span of two years, Ohm has further solidified his status as an actor, playing major roles in 10 Years Ticket (2022), as Phukhao (a highly-strung character with plenty of acting highlights) and Double Savage (2023) – a dream collaboration with an erstwhile friend, confidant, and fellow BL actor Perth Tanapon).

Ohm Pawat is currently the subject of online discrimination due to his reported bullying of a classmate during elementary school. We are doing investigative reports (and totally subjective) articles. You may view the articles: Part 1 and Part 2.

His outgoing and honest nature – which sometimes clashes with classic media duplicity – has made him a target among the scandal-hungry press. Yet, he endures!

Ohm Pawat’s My DramaList | Instagram

Career Milestones

  • Debuted in BL as Frame in Make it Right (2016);
  • Cast in supernatural-romance BL, He’s Coming to Me (with Singto Prachaya) in 2019;
  • Initially invited by GMMTV managing director, Sataporn Panichraksapong, to audition for He’s Coming to Me, before signing a contract with the said agency;
  • Won “Best Dramatic Scene” for the series “He’s Coming To Me” (2019) at the LINE TV Awards (2020);
  • Won Best Supporting Actor for the film “Dew The Movie” (2019) at the prestigious “28th Bangkok Critics Assembly Awards” (2020);
  • Nominated for 5 major awards at the 2021-2022 Kazz Awards, and won 3 – Attractive Young Man of the Year, Best Scene (with Nanon Korapat), and Best Couple (with Nanon Korapat);
  • Won the Best LGBTQ+ Programme in Asia – Bad Buddy, with Nanon Korapat | Content Asia Awards 2022.

Recent Drama Projects

While BL-themed projects have been a sort of an anchor for Ohm’s acting career, he has been known to deliver electrifying performances outside Thai BL. The recent show 10 Years Ticket offers another opportunity for Ohm to showcase his acting – and his style is constantly evolving.

Ohm Pawat plays Korn in this revenge-family drama Double Savage | Screenshot from the series (C) GMMTV

Double Savage, a bromantic-thriller, with Perth Tanapon pits one actor with the other in a tale of familial relationships and revenge. OurSkyy2 offers another glimpse into the Ohm-Nanon or Pat-Pran Bad Buddy narrative with some exciting twists and turns. More of these new shows are in GMMTV 2023 offerings.

Controversy

Celebrities everywhere have been subjected to intrigues, scandals, and controversies. There is nothing new about that. However, in the case of Ohm Pawat, people started digging dirt since he was a rising star. With accolades from everywhere, he has become more of a particular target than anything else. Some ‘persons of interest’ began to dig deeper and push the agenda that Ohm is not a nice person. A previous classmate was reported to have said he was bullied by the actor. Ohm responded with an apology:

I am truly sorry from the bottom of my heart. This incident will never be erased and I will forever feel guilty about it. I will never forgive myself for this action once in my life.

Thai actor Ohm Pawat issues apology amid past bullying scandal, pep ph

People deal with bullying and discrimination in many ways. If Ohm’s classmate’s way of getting over the incident is by recalling it and making it public, then that’s his prerogative.

We are doing a series of articles on the controversy. You may view the articles: Part 1 and Part 2.

Ohm Pawat Spotlight Projects

On Dew, the movie:

“I guess you could call it a gay film,” said director Chookiat. “At the same time, it’s also more into romantic drama than focusing only on gay love. The story starts with homosexuality, but it is also much more than just that. It grows into a story about a person’s life. It’s unlike a romance between a woman and a man. We’re going back to an age where being gay wasn’t so accepted. The film shows how that can affect a person.” – On Blossoming Boyhood | Bangkok Post

Ohm Pawat plays the titular Dew, Sadanon Durongkaveroj plays Phop.

A partial quote from a My DramaList review of He’s Coming to Me. It resonates with my own view as well:

Ohm, particularly, really made every scene and interaction with the other characters believable. This is especially in the scene on the balcony where he’s begging Mes to come back + the coming out scene. The chemistry was so apparent and consistent throughout. I can’t help but truly crave another drama with these two as the romantic leads . . . [by astronawttt @MyDreamaList]

Ohm and Singto in a fashion photoshoot for the He’s Coming to Me series promo | Hamburger Mag

He’s Coming to Me: Coming Out

Ohm Pawat‘s ‘coming out’ scene and the rooftop crying scene are two of the most emotionally-charged BL series highlights to ever grace Asian TV screens, mobile phones, and computer monitors.

We recommend reading our separate article on He’s Coming to Me.

Ohm: In His Own Words

In an interview with Lips Mag, Ohm reacts [author’s translation]:

I like to watch action movies. My favorite actor is Jason Statham. He doesn’t just do action scenes. He always has something more to offer his audience. I would love to do a movie similar to John Wick. I think it’s a difficult type of project. But I’m physically fit and I can do a similar project.

Spotlight Review on Bad Buddy

Writer, photographer, and blogger Rich Paschall has written articles about Bad Buddy, one of which I took the liberty to post an excerpt:

Ohm had turned down Bad Buddy but changed his mind when he learned Nanon would be the other lead. At the recent concert ON Friend City, Ohm made a surprising statement to Nanon toward the end of that show. He admitted that he did not think Bad Buddy would work because he and Nanon were too much like Pat and Pran. Perhaps that is exactly the reason it did work. | The Bad Buddy Phenomenon

Rich observes and notes why Bad Buddy resonates with audiences. In particular, there are ‘situations’ that tend to uplift the LGBTQ community – a sort of reminder of where are we now, compared to where we were before.

Bad Buddy Review Excerpts

Bad Buddy actively challenges the casual misogyny that seeps into many mainstream stories. At one point in the series, Pran calls Pat out when he makes a gendered joke about their roles as “husband” and “wife.” “Does calling me a wife make you feel superior?” asks Pran, pushing back against Pat’s casual misogyny. “You don’t need to call us husband and wife.” – Bad Buddy and the Subversive Sentimentality of BL Storytelling | Den of Geek

K-Ci Williams’ Teen Vogue article has both objectivity and sentimentality, excerpts below:

When fans of “OhmNanon” — Ohm Pawat Chittsawangdee and Nanon Korapat Kirdpan, the stars of Bad Buddy — tuned in to watch the live stream of O-N Friend City (their first fan meeting in Thailand) on August 6, nobody could have predicted the spell that Ohm and Nanon would cast on their audience. Watching them give life to moments that have only existed in the fictional world of Pat and Pran was an indescribable experience; I thought I had cried all my Bad Buddy-related tears. | Teen Vogue


Author’s personal statement

After leaving PsychoDrama because of my disillusionment with the Japanese Entertainment agencies, I focus on boys love. One of the first actors I began to follow is Ohm Pawat. He was starting to make a name for himself as an actor. What strikes me the most is his ability to stretch his own personal limits to reach out to fans. That sort of accommodating posture impressed me a lot. Having followed reserved Japanese actors for more than 4 years, it’s refreshing to discover someone who is open-minded and sincere about actually liking his fans. BL fans were crazy over Off-Gun and Krist-Singto, but I settled for Ohm. I knew then as I knew now that he will go places. It’s just a matter of time.

Fast forward to 2022, after battling COVID and struggling with personal issues, I continue to follow his career. I’m not much of a shipper nor do I attach myself to any fandom, but admiring Ohm Pawat from afar is good enough for me. This profile is a work of love for an actor I truly admire.

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17 Comments

  1. Bad Buddy is an exceptional series. The director, the writers, the crew, and especially the continuity people, have outdone themselves. It is clear, however, that the reason it is this great is OhmNanon.

    • Asian Popsicle

      Hi Rich, You are correct. A big production company like GMMTV can have the best scripts and professionals to handle a series, but without actors who have exhibited a certain amount of talent – perhaps ‘magic’ would still come to nothing. Ohm-Nanon is truly a great BL team and I hope they come up with another project for both of them.

      • It was good to see Ohm and Nanon in Vice Versa in different roles, even though they were small supporting parts. I hope they find another series for this pair, even if it is not BL. I would like to think that their deep friendship adds to their own screen chemistry.

        • Asian Popsicle

          Yes! Any kind of role I’d gladly watch them together.

  2. Thanks for the mention. I am watching BBS again. It get better every time.

    • Asian Popsicle

      You got some amazing articles. I know that they’ve been shared already. But I think more and more people should discover them now. I love your Bad Buddy series!

      • Thanks. I have another Bad Buddy article in mind, that is why I am watching it again. I hope the ON Friend city discs will have accurate translations for all the talking throughout the show. I was amazed how Ohm and Nanon could put on such a lengthy live show and do it so well. I appreciate the shares and I hope some Bad Buddy fans will be interested.

        • Asian Popsicle

          I would be waiting for that! On Twitter, you may have noticed that some Ohm-Nanon followers are celebrating the Bad Buddy Rerun episodes with Tweets and discussions. I have started my own re-review too. I think many fans will be interested in what you’re planning right now.

  3. I can not begin to tell you how annoyed I was about the ongoing crap tossed Ohm’s way throughout January by internet haters and trolls. Are they saying he was not punished sufficiently at 10 for doing something wrong at 10 years old? How can anyone who was picked on by boys at school be happy to relive it a dozen years later? The haters dishonor all who may have been involved.
    I saw Ohm in person in Manila. It would appear to me that he grew up to be an excellent person.

    • Asian Popsicle

      Exactly. These haters/trolls/whatever has a leader and this leader has mental issues. Not only that, he/she needs have a mental check up. There is something wrong in the past, perhaps he was bullied or he was the bully himself. He’s trying to toss the blame on a 10-year old Ohm who already apologized.
      There should be some form of legal remedy for these types of hate activities.

      • Twitter is no longer quick to respond to complaints about the haters and GMM does not seem to be a quick to defend. I am disappointed in both.

        • Asian Popsicle

          There’s gotta be a way. GMM has some favorites and bias too, I’m afraid.
          I never thought Ohm could be targeted again but given his rising popularity, I was wrong.

          • It is unfortunate that they did not support Ohm like they have with some others. They keep trying to rehabilitate the image of a few others and the fans aren’t having it. Ohm remains popular with his core fanbase.
            I would like to see his return to personal appearances for commercials, photo shoots and various shows both with Nanon and on his own. There still is no denying the OhmNanon chemistry. I really look forward to their Our Sky appearance.

          • Asian Popsicle

            I think it’s a better fandom now. The hangers on and fakers are gone. The OhnNanon community has weathered the storm. I hope both actors can become closer as a result and fans wiser.

          • I loved the moment at the last fan meeting when Nanon pulled Ohm back to sing Just Friend with him. They are so good together.

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