My Golden Blood stars Joss Way-Ar and Gawin Caskey talked exclusively to No Manners about their on-screen chemistry, favorite behind-the-scenes moments and the rise of Thai entertainment.
Vampire stories hold a special place in pop culture. Since the 1920s cult classic Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror — credited as the first long-format vampire movie — these captivating creatures have populated the screens to great acclaim. Whether portrayed as terrifying mythical figures lurking in the dark or broodingly attractive heartthrobs, vampires have sparked fascination, inspiring hit productions such as Interview with the Vampire, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Twilight.
Though the genre has never really gone out of style, a wave of international projects is ushering in a vampire renaissance in 2025. Along with Ryan Coogler’s Sinners and the upcoming Dracula, starring Keanu Reeves and Jenna Ortega, Thailand’s My Golden Blood is one of the productions leading the return of vampires into the mainstream.
A Fantasy-Fueled Queer Romance
Broadcasting powerhouse GMMTV, home to some of Thailand’s most prolific and influential names in the biz, is responsible for the 12-episode show. Starring Joss Way-Ar and Gawin Caskey, the Boy Love series follows 20-year-old Tong (Gawin), holder of a powerful blood type that makes him irresistible to vampires. Opposite to Gawin, Joss plays 200-year-old vampire Mark, heir of the Amarittrakul family, who is set on protecting Tong from danger and thirsty vampires, himself included.
“It’s about the relationship between a vampire and a boy who has special blood called golden blood,” Joss tells No Manners over a Zoom call. “Basically, the love story between a human and a vampire […] The series itself is very lighthearted. At the end of the day, the main theme is romance. Fans will see the characters, their love and their relationships,” he anticipates.
While queer vampire stories are not entirely novel, the vampire genre is relatively unexplored in the Thai BL realm. Introducing this plotline into the country’s queer television catalog was a bold bet for GMMTV. As Joss explains, taking on the company’s first foray into the genre has come with its set of challenges and expectations. “We are excited but a little bit nervous, to be honest,” he says. “Obviously there’s a lot [of great vampire productions] out there. This is GMMTV’s first vampire series, so we weren’t sure we could, on call, do it right. We read the script and tried to gather as much information [as possible], take direction from the producer and director and hope for the best.”
Preparation and Expectations
Naturally, playing a vampire required soaking up character and story complexities. “There were movie references that we had in mind, but obviously, I had to keep my glass half full. We had to follow the script and the storyline,” says Joss of the preparation process. “It was a little bit different from the vampire series that I have watched but, in the sense of playing a vampire, I think it [helped] talking to the director about the direction my character was going.”
As he puts it, exploring Mark’s emotional journey was one of the most enjoyable parts of portraying a vampire. “Mark was once a human as well, so [throughout the story] he slowly becomes more humane. He’s not turning into a human or anything, but he has more feelings and senses that he lost for a long time,” he shares.
Joss’ co-star, Gawin — who rose to stardom through series such as Kiss Me Again, Dark Blue Kiss and Be My Favorite — stresses that their goal was expanding the vampire production repertoire, instead of emulating existing media. “I really love watching vampire movies or series. I think if we were trying to go towards the direction of what has already been done in the past, then we would’ve got the same repetition,” he says. “We tried to move away from that direction and create our own version of vampire series. I think [My Golden Blood] is a fresh [take].”
On-Screen Chemistry
First announced in 2023, My Golden Blood has been highly anticipated by Boy Love fans worldwide. Since its premiere in March, the series has kept viewers on the edge of their seats with a daring, fantasy-fueled love story. In addition to the compelling plot, Joss and Gawin’s palpable chemistry — the kind that makes a TV show binge-worthy — has driven the show’s popularity. Both actors credit the time spent together and their real-life friendship for the convincing performance.
“Before we started shooting, we had a lot of time to get to know each other,” Gawin tells No Manners. “That was very important for me. I guess that, as an actor, you should be able to play with anyone on set even if you meet them for the first time, but I feel more comfortable and I trust the person more if I have met them in close and we got to know each other, so I’d say that all the chemistry just came from [the work] before we shot,” he shares earnestly.
Similar to Gawin, Joss considers that the time it took writers to complete the script positively impacted their on and off-screen dynamics. “It’s a blessing in disguise that we had a lot of time to spend with each other. We went to play basketball, [played] on a tournament together, went on a trip together — those were things that made it for me,” says Joss, before playfully adding, “And to add on what Gawin said, I genuinely think he’s attractive. I think that helps.”
His co-star bursts into laughter and pats him on the back. “Yeah, you too, buddy,” Gawin replies nonchalantly. It’s a prime example of the addictive chemistry they ooze on screen.
Behind the Scene Standouts
Although Gawin recommends viewers to focus on the most emotive scenes and Joss claims that some of the best moments in the series simply came from sharing the screen with his co-star, both actors agree that recording on the beach was a highlight behind the scenes.
“After episode 5 [or so], that’s where the show really starts to get about Mark and Tong’s relationship,” says Joss. “There are some scenes that have already been shown where we go to the beach. Personally, that was one of the really fun experiences. The scenery was beautiful and the flirting was really warm.”
“It was kind of a magic moment,” Gawin chimes in to further elaborate on what made the shooting so special. “Coincidentally, when we were doing a scene at the beach, there was a paraglide flying on top of our jet skis. The cameraman captured that at the perfect moment and it panned to us, so that was kind of the perfect [image with] the sun and the weather.”
But the romantic moment on screen was not without mishaps, Joss recalls casually. “I almost drowned,” he drops, amused. Gawin nods and mouths “he almost drowned,” as Joss continues to tell his story. “I wouldn’t say drowned, but I was driving the jet ski. I took a really soft turn and I fell and as I fell, I had a camera in my back and a GoPro to record. I remember Gawin was hooking me up.”
Proving their almost telepathic chemistry, Joss pauses just on time for Gawin to reenact the scene where he pulled Joss from the water and worriedly asked, “Is the camera okay, Joss?” We all laugh heartily.
My Golden Blood OST
On par with the enthralling storyline and dashing starring duo, the accompanying music is another highlight from My Golden Blood. Both Joss and Gawin lend their voices to songs soundtracking pivotal moments in Tong and Mark’s story.
Joss, on one hand, delivers a romantic ballad titled “Just You.” With the actor’s dulcet vocals, the track is a confession of sorts that expresses the desire to spend time with a loved one. The corresponding music video sees Joss dressed in head-to-toe white, ready for a ballroom scene with Gawin.
On the other hand, Gawin, who flaunts a musical background and dreamy vocals, serenades listeners with the full-English track “Closer.” The song is a heartfelt love letter that perfectly encapsulates his character’s story with lyrics such as “You’ve saved me time and time again/When you′re with me, it’s like you set me free/ Baby, you see? Every step brought me closer to love again.”
“I was really happy and excited when I first heard the demo. I usually listen to a lot of songs in English, so I feel I am very connected to English music,” Gawin says of recording the song. “It was a blessing for me. I’ve been very lucky to get the chance to work with Sin, who is the song’s writer. It was a really fun process. It didn’t take long to record the whole thing. When we finished and sat down to listen to it, we liked what we recorded. It was really fun to work with him.”
Thai Entertainment Rise
With an endearing cast, story and music to match, it’s no wonder My Golden Blood has drawn viewers from all over the world. Each episode has quickly risen to the top of social media trending topics in countries such as Bolivia, New Zealand and Brazil.
“It feels so surreal to know that we have fans in America, Brazil, Japan… all over the world,” Joss reflects. “The project was supposed to be out a long time ago, so it was a long wait for us and the fans as well. We are very happy that the fans finally get to see it and hope they enjoy it. We had fun shooting, so there are many scenes that we are excited for the fans to see.”
Although support from faraway places may be surprising for Joss and Gawin, the Thai entertainment industry has expanded so rapidly in recent years that global and diverse audiences are the norm. The country’s TV productions enjoy great popularity across the world and, according to projections, are expected to generate roughly 4,900 million baht (about 146 million US dollars) in 2025.
Thai entertainment’s quick ascent to global fame has propelled stars like Joss and Gawin into the limelight, bestowing them with loyal fan bases and opportunities aplenty. Both actors are acutely aware of the responsibility it entails. “I think both of us are very grateful,” Joss says sincerely. “We know that these opportunities are very rare. We feel very blessed to be in this position […] We’re both very grateful for things that happen to us and will happen to us and all the possibilities. We’re going to enjoy the ride.”
Gawin also expects the Thai industry to keep growing and reaching new highs. “I’m very happy that Thai pop culture is growing steadily,” he shares. “There’s a lot of talent, lots of amazing actors, actresses, singers in the entertainment business and I’m just happy that Thailand is moving in that direction. Maybe one day we can have [productions like in] Hollywood.”
Signed With Thanks
Both actors are just as optimistic about fans, BL enthusiasts and potential new viewers embracing My Golden Blood and appreciating the work and time invested in the project. After all, Joss says, they’re only one of the many pieces involved in the series.
“There are so many people who worked really hard for this series to happen,” he emphasizes, listing creators, scriptwriters and the production team. “We really take our work seriously when it comes to acting. We tried to do as much research as possible, memorize our lines and bring the characters from the script to life. We hope that [viewers] love us, love our characters and love the show.”
Gawin, for his part, looks forward to people resonating with Tong and Mark’s love story. ”Love is a universal language, so I think it won’t be hard to connect with our story. I hope you guys can enjoy it and go through all the emotions. We both put our heart and soul on the table, so it’d feel very good to have all the fans appreciate it,” he says. “And thank you for coming on the rollercoaster ride with us.”
You can watch My Golden Blood on GMM25 every Wednesday at 8.30 PM BKK time. The show is also available on GMMTV’s Official YouTube Channel.
*Editor’s note: This interview was condensed and edited for clarity.
