‘The White Lotus’ star, Tayme Thapthimthong, is a military veteran and former bodyguard
Gaitok, the sweet, gentle, and always-smiling resort security guard of ‘The White Lotus’ season 3 was portrayed by British Thai actor Tayme Thapthimthong.
But did you know Tayme is a military veteran and former bodyguard in real life? Before landing his breakout role, he worked as a nightclub bouncer, served in the Royal Thai Army’s elite Counter Terrorist Operations Command (Thailand’s equivalent of the U.S. Delta Force), and later joined the Close Projection division (comparable to the CIA). Most recently, he was the personal bodyguard for Thai rapper Way of the hip-hop group Thaitanium.
Tayme’s path may have been shaped by early experiences with bullying. In an interview with Time Magazine, he recalled growing up being bullied as the only Asian kid in his school. “I always think back to a moment when I decided to stand up to the bullies. It just changed everything. It made me feel maybe sometimes you just have to fight back.”
“So Gaitok may have lost his gun at the White Lotus Hotel, but seems like he has many more at home that he wasn't telling us about! 😂😅,” Tayme shared on Instagram. “I haven't touched a weapon in almost 2 years, but it's always nice to come back to it. Still a little rusty, not as sharp on the movements as I used to be, but will get it back soon for sure!! Just gotta keep training!”
