Bangkok Breaking uncovers ‘unseen’ sides of the Thai capital city

A man from the province heads for the pulsating city life to be reunited with his brother — only to arrive to an unexpected tragedy that is more than what it seems.

This is how Bangkok Breaking launches its action-packed drama, now streaming on Netflix, with its first episode already showing explosions and a mysterious accident set against the intoxicating bright lights of the Thai capital city at night.

In the Thai original series, Wanchai is thrown into the wild world of road rescue services shortly after relocating to Bangkok from rural Thailand, as he attempts to follow in his brother’s footsteps and joins a local rescue volunteer foundation.

But he’s also desperate for answers and justice. To uncover what turns out to be a city-wide conspiracy and corruption possibly involving rescue services, he seeks help from Kat, a top entertainment female reporter eager to dive into crime-related coverages. With their goals the same, they grow close to each other in their mission to find the truth.

Thai A-listers Weir Sukollawat Kanarot stars as Wanchai and Aom Sushar Manaying as Kat, respectively.

According to showrunner and executive producer Prabda Yoon, the show which is Netflix’s second Thai original series reveals the unseen sides of Bangkok. “Something new for Thai audiences will be storytelling through the eyes of the rescue volunteers. We have seen their vehicles or foundations, but we hardly ever see how they live, work and train. The foreign audience, on the other hand, will be exposed to the unseen sides of Bangkok more than Thai people. Foreigners usually see the tourist side of Bangkok, but we barely present such perspectives in this series. They will see roads, lifestyles and workplaces that they may never have seen or been to before.”

Weir agreed by saying that “it’s a story that happens in Thailand that even some Bangkokians might not know about.”

The show’s storyline, he added, would give foreigners another perspective of Bangkok. “There are black sides, there are white sides, and (it) will also tell you the story through the small little characters that it has, that are trying to fight for justice, and I believe that the things that happen in the story can happen anywhere in the world.”

As for Aom, the series will showcase what Thai filmmaking is now capable of. “What’s interesting about this is that Thailand has never really created a series like this before because of the different conditions from the local platforms. But now, we have the opportunity through Netflix to give us the freedom to create a series that is different from what Thai people have traditionally made. I think, many different countries will be able to see the potential of the production team in Thailand, and we’ll be able to show that we’re modern and we’re up-to-date.”

The STAR recently met up with the stars of the series for an interview.

On why the show is a must-watch besides the action scenes:

Aom: “You can see the different atmosphere, different lifestyles in Bangkok, and what you have to do to survive in a city like this. Maybe you’ll be able to see the generosity of Thai people, their pain and suffering. It’s something that is a little bit sad — about how you have to struggle so much to live in a capital city that’s much bigger than who you are. I think you’ll be able to see that, and then I guess you have to pick what you want to see in that.”

Weir: “What you’ll see other than just action scenes in this series... is that you’ll be able to follow the characters. Each of the characters has their own stories which are representatives of real human beings who exist in Bangkok, and they are the little people. They have to be in Bangkok for different reasons, but at the end of the day, you have to ask yourself, is it possible for someone who is so small, who has never lived in Bangkok, or even someone who does live in Bangkok, to fight against something that you think you can’t overcome?

“How are you able to fight against them and overcome them? Are you going to win with justice or do you want to win by not giving up? Or do you want to win by having a relationship with someone with similar values to you? You just want to follow (these characters) and give them support along the way.”

On filming challenges and action sequences:

Aom: “I think the scenes such as action scenes or where you have to use different techniques, I’m not very familiar with. I used to just do romantic comedies and so it was quite exciting. I love doing new things. There is a big scene where there’s an accident and I thought it was just fun that I was able to be in the car and it was able to flip over like that. I’ve never been able to do anything like that before in my life… Even though it was difficult, it was still fun.”

Weir: “For me, I’ve had the opportunity to do Thai action series. In terms of the production of Bangkok Breaking on Netflix, it makes it even more real. It’s so realistic that it made me question, can I really do this? There’s fire everywhere, there’s a car flipping — I’m in the car — there’s an explosion and I’m nearby, or even the different things going on in the teaser, I was actually in those scenes.

“It wasn’t that scary because everything was made to be safe, but we had to make it look as realistic as possible, so I had to be in that environment as much as I could, as long as it was safe. Because everything is about emergency rescuers and the different situations that can happen when emergency rescuers come and rescue people, there’s a lot of scenes like that. I think, if everybody sees these different action scenes, they’re going to be excited because they’re very realistic.”

Aom on the difference of Bangkok Breaking from past projects:

“It is so different, that is one of the reasons why I want to take on this project. As an actor, if I play a role that’s in my safe zone over and over, I know that people will like that character. But I also want to have something new for my fans as well. That way, they can see me from a different side and in a different flavor. As an actor, you should be able to take on different roles so your fan club will not be bored of you.

“But I also want to thank my Philippines fans who helped support me in every project — ever since the series Autumn in My Heart, to Full House, to Kiss Me, the Philippines fans have always been following my progress. I want to say thank you for that and I want to say please watch Bangkok Breaking as well because it will definitely surprise the fans.”

Weir on what the Netflix series means to him after being an actor for 20 years now:

“I believe that in the occupation of being an entertainer, everybody has talent but it all depends on what channel you can show your full potential. I’ve been in the entertainment industry for 20 years, probably the same as Aom. I’ve been on free TV platforms, or even in mainstream or indie movies. I’ve been able to travel overseas to do (promo) pitches for movies, I’ve been able to see different cultures where there are large productions, and I thought that if there’s one day where I am able to show the entire world more than what I have right now, that’ll be good.

“That’s why when Netflix contacted me, I immediately made the decision to join, because I wanted to challenge myself and improve myself. I love my profession and I want people to see that as an actor, no matter what country you’re in, we have the love and passion for our profession and want to do the best we can.

“I don’t just want Thailand to see my potential but I want the entire world to see my potential. Not just for my own sake, but I want to show that Thai people are talented as well. Thai people can do things to wow you as well. I’m very happy to be able to work with Netflix. I wasn’t worried at all about how good the production would be. I was sure that it would be as good as Netflix in other countries. I want everybody to keep an open mind and I want you to try and watch Bangkok Breaking, which is my first series that is shown on this platform and shown in over 190 countries around the world. I hope everyone will like it.”