Thai Stars Unite for Netflix Comedy 'Gang Over'

Top Thai entertainers have come together to bring full-over-the-top energy to the giant Netflix comedy film 'Gang Over,' starring leading lady Bow Meldas alongside comedy heavyweights Joke So Cool and Gong Huayrai. Today the three leads — Bow, Joke, and Gong — teamed up to talk about the film, introduce their characters, and share why they couldn't refuse the parts.

Bow: "I play Waranuch. In this film you can't really call me the 'leading lady' (smiles); I'm more like the catalyst who sets the story in motion. The decision wasn't hard because you have P'Teng Therdthai, P'Joke So Cool, P'Gong Huayrai, P'Duangduen, P'Taeng Afteryam, and Jina James — everyone's character is quite distinct, so I felt the work wouldn't be difficult. Top talents from every circle gathered together, and it's a Netflix production on top of that, so I felt everything had to come out great."

Joke: "I play Suea Hao, a con man (smiles). The main reason for accepting was similar for all of us — the cast list. When I heard it was a Netflix film, my hands shook with excitement. Looking at the roster — P'Teng, P'Gong, Nong Bow — it's amazing chemistry. We shouldn't let this opportunity pass."

Gong: "I play Dabthoi, the male lead (smiles). The reason was to push past my limits. I've done films before but I know my potential. This time working with real pros, I wanted to meet fellow actors who act really well, so I accepted. Most importantly, it's hard to say no to the word 'Netflix.'"

Challenges of their roles?

Joke: "For me it's the action scenes and playing a villain for the first time — someone ruthless who can kill, with a 'slow bad' vibe. Especially the motorcycle action on a big bike, which I had them convert to automatic so I could ride it. The rehearsals were intense, but we survived the shoot."

Gong: "My obstacle was how to stand opposite Nong Bow convincingly. As the leading man I had to stand on sandbags, and I was nervous in our first scene together — we did nearly ten takes for one line of dialogue until my whole body cramped. But Nong Bow helped melt the tension away."

Bow: "Mine was acting with P'Taeng, P'Duangduen, and Nong Jina James. They improvise fast and we never workshopped together. Meeting them, we had to play childhood intimates instantly. That was the hardest part of this film."

What was it like working with P'Teng?

Joke: "I'd never done a film with P'Teng, only a brief sitcom together, no personal talks. He's a superstar who looks moody. Before 'action' he sits perfectly still, conserving energy. But once you get to know him he's easy. P'Teng is undeniably skilled — no wonder he got the Police General Vinay role. He's fluid, agile, improvises a lot, and looks after the whole cast."

Gong: "P'Teng is an artist. Off-camera he sits quietly, charging energy for what needs doing. Expecting him to be cracking jokes all day is a total misunderstanding. But once it's 5-4-3-2-1 he goes all out, and even leaves room to feed new lines to fellow actors so everyone gets a memorable moment."

Bow: "I had many scenes with P'Teng, but behind the scenes he doesn't talk much to us — maybe because we're women he gives us space. We tried to stay close, sit and listen to him, and learned so much. He's like a master teacher, the director feeding us knowledge indirectly, adjusting our lines to be natural, helping us get into the emotion."

Joke: "Most importantly, P'Teng loves this project. He's invested, proud to be in it, dedicated to making the best work possible. He kept asking 'anything else?' throughout — giving it his all."

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