A talk about “Hard Nights” with director Tanwarin Sukkhapisit

Review (1)

Love in middle age comes in all forms.

Many people exclaimed “wow” the moment they saw the poster of a new Thai PBS series, “Hard Nights.” Two familiar faces of veteran actors Tuck-Napasranch Mittiraroch and Noom-Surawoot Maikan appear as the two leads, playing against type as an LGBT couple. But beyond this casting surprise lies a deeper story — one that portrays the diverse lives of people in “middle age,” a stage marked by profound changes in both body and mind.”

The combination of “LGBT + middle age story” is rarely seen, especially in the world of Thai TV drama. This is what sparked the buzz around “Hard Nights” from the moment its poster was released.

Although the story centers on diversity, it draws from the lives of those who are “neither young nor old.” Many also face challenges such as burnout or midlife crisis, which the series portrays in compelling ways.

Thai PBS invited director Golf-Tanwarin Sukkhapisit to discuss the origins of this series and its key themes, which aim to encourage society to gain a deeper understanding of diversity.

“Hard Nights” — extending the dreams of middle-aged people

The conversation began with Golf-Tanwarin Sukkhapisit, who explained how they came to direct Hard Nights. They said it was a project offered for their consideration, and the moment they read the synopsis, they immediately agreed to take it on.

“I’ve always made films and dramas that tell LGBT stories. When I read the synopsis of this series, I knew I couldn’t let it pass—I had to do it,” Golf recalled, before elaborating further.

“There have been many stories about sexual diversity, but I had never seen one that focused on middle-aged LGBT people or the older-aged ones. How do they live? Do they still have dreams? So when WanneeWandee, the production company behind this drama, asked if I wanted to direct it, I accepted right away.”

The accomplished director smiled warmly as they added that Hard Nights is not only about middle‑aged lives, but also reflects aspects of their own journey.

“Hard Nights” — an LGBT drama that isn’t just about LGBT

Although the poster for “Hard Nights” presents characters reflecting the image of “men who love men,” director Golf-Tanwarin Sukkhapisit did not deny that this is indeed a love story within the LGBT community. Yet, to define “Hard Nights” strictly as a “gay drama” or a “BL series” would not be entirely accurate.

“Hard Nights is not a gay drama, because we don’t just tell the story of two characters. In reality, we explore the broader context around them. That’s why it isn’t simply a gay or a BL series. It might be better described as an LGBTQ series that reflects the real lives of this community. We portray relationships across diverse identities — such as people who are asexual, women living with transgender partners, and even parents who still struggle to accept their gay children at the age of 50.”

“I’m 53 now, which means I’m living in this stage of life myself. Before taking on this project, I had the chance to reconnect with old friends back in Korat — the ones I grew up and made short films with. Many of them have been through so much in life. We sat together, talking and asking. Does the childhood dream we once had still exist? Some said their dreams are gone. Others said they only have very minimal dreams left (laughing). One friend even said, ‘As long as I don’t burden anyone before I die, that’s dream enough for me.’”

“This is the reality of middle‑aged life. I feel that people don’t pay much attention to the dreams of those in this age. So when I had the chance to make this drama, I wanted to tell stories of the dreams and hopes of people in middle age. And this series is also about sexual diversity, about the LGBT community. Life as LGBT is already not easy, and when you add age into the picture, it becomes even more complicated, with so many stories worth telling.

“At the same time, this drama also reflects the lives of people in middle age — just as the title suggests, Hard Nights. Once people reach 40 or 50, many begin to struggle with insomnia. Some can’t sleep because of physical issues, others because of worries. It’s part of the midlife crisis. Anxiety about hair falling out, going bald. Questions about sexuality — wondering whether our partners still feel sexual desire. Some people want intimacy while the partner doesn’t. These are real-life situations that anyone can encounter in daily life, especially those in middle age.”

“We talk about these things openly. We don’t want to sit here being coy, saying we shouldn’t talk about this or that. At this age, we should be able to talk about sex like adults.”

They went on to explain that within all the diversity of stories, “Hard Nights” ultimately conveys a message that all human beings share the same problems.

“Even if we’re telling stories about sexual diversity, it doesn’t mean others won’t understand. Because these are human issues — everyone faces them. Whether it’s relationships, family, stability in life, or the dreams that remain as we grow older. None of us knows how many years we have left, or how we’ll live our lives from here.”

“Hard Nights” and the Origin of “Aon and Jira”

The drama “Hard Nights” is filled with diverse stories of many lives, but the origin of it all comes from two characters: “Aon” and “Jira,” a middle‑aged LGBT couple facing relationship struggles. Director Golf chose Tuck-Napasranch Mittiraroch and Noom-Surawoot Maikan to take on these important roles.

“When I first read the script, I immediately felt these roles had to be portrayed by Noom and Tuck. I could picture them together so clearly. I brought it up with the team, and we decided to reach out. Both of them agreed right away. They told me that no one had ever asked them to play roles like this before — probably because people never imagined Tuck and Noom in such characters. Audiences have always seen them as tough, masculine figures in action films. So the idea of them portraying gay characters in a BL‑style series was something no one had pictured.

“But for me, I saw something right there. Part of it was because I love the eyes of Noom’s and Tuck’s. As a director, the eyes are the place where a character’s feelings are expressed most powerfully. And I felt that their eyes could absolutely embody the characters of Aon and Jira.”

Golf said that casting actors with a tough, masculine image in roles about “men loving men” might seem like a challenge to some. But for her, having Tuck and Noom join the project made everything easier and more natural. Both are true professionals, and their professionalism ensured that stepping into these roles went seamlessly.

“They’ve played so many roles over the years, but a challenge like this has rarely come to actors of their age. Since they’re already such professionals, I never worried about the acting itself. What mattered most to me was understanding.”

“I still remember the day we brought the cast together for a workshop. We didn’t spend a single moment talking about acting. Instead, we focused entirely on understanding. I invited Tuck, Noom, along with Lift (Supoj Chanchareon), Ko (Gokgorn Benjathikul), and Lookwa (Pijika Jittaputta) to sit together and discuss LGBT life — what it means, from birth to old age, and what kind of life experiences LGBT people go through.

“Once we gave the actors this perspective, they began to truly understand their characters. And when the cameras finally rolled, with Noom and Tuck stepping into the scene together, the moment I called ‘action,’ the entire room went silent. We all saw the same thing — they were no longer Noom and Tuck. They had become Aon and Jira. In that instant, I genuinely believed they had been a couple for seven years.”

Golf said that the most important thing happening in the scene was understanding, which helped the characters express themselves in the most natural way.

“We told them, we don’t want any caricature of being gay. This is simply the life of two men living together. We set aside the stereotype of gay men being loud or flamboyant — that wasn’t what we wanted. What we wanted was authenticity, the way people naturally are, without emphasizing labels, without forcing gestures, without trying to change the voice. Just express what feels most genuine.”

“Hard Nights”: a drama that keeps you wide awake — for all genders and all ages

Although the story deals with sexual diversity, the director emphasized that it is truly for people of all genders, all ages — and, above all, it’s entertaining.

“If the purpose of watching a drama is entertainment, I believe this show delivers it from the very first moment (laughing). Don’t think of Hard Nights as a melodrama — it’s nothing like that. It’s a romantic comedy with a variety of storytelling techniques. Because the main character is a cartoonist, some scenes are even presented in cartoon form. We wanted to break away from the idea that dramas about sexual diversity have to be heavy, overly dramatic, or dull. I’m confident this one is anything but boring.”

Golf stressed that they want people of all genders and ages to watch, because once there is “awareness,” it leads to “understanding” for everyone.

“You don’t have to be old to watch this. We made it for people of all ages. At its core, it’s about understanding within the family. You may not be elderly yourself, but you have a father — and isn’t he aging? You have an aunt, an uncle, a grandmother. These are the people closest to you. Sometimes you’ll watch and think, ‘This character feels just like my aunt,’ or ‘That one reminds me of my uncle.’ These aunty and uncle figures are the people we live with in real life. Watching them helps us understand those loved ones more deeply.”

Golf went on to say that embracing diversity and learning to live together is the ultimate message Hard Nights wants to share with its audience — with the hope that these ideas will continue to grow and bear fruit in the future.

“The more people watch this drama, the more society will learn to understand one another, we hope. At the very least, during the making of it, it wasn’t just me who understood, or only the scriptwriter. The actors themselves — Noom, Lift, Tuck, these straight male actors — shifted their perspective. They performed with genuine understanding. They weren’t simply acting for the sake of performance; they truly grasped the characters they were portraying.

“These men came to understand sexual diversity more deeply, and were able to embody their characters as real human beings. For the audience, watching them becomes a way to reflect on and better understand the people around them — family members, colleagues, and others in society, all living together in this country. It’s about learning to embrace diversity without stereotyping or judging anyone, especially those who are different from us, as somehow ‘bad.’ That is the change we want to see most.”

Wrapping up the conversation, Golf-Tanwarin reflected that, as someone in middle age themself, their happiness today lies in still having dreams and in the fact that those dreams continue to sustain her.

“When I was in Grade 11, I told my friends, ‘I’m going to be a director.’ They laughed and said, ‘Golf, you’ll only ever be a country queer’ (laughing). Back then, those dreams felt impossible. But at the end of the day, I achieved them all. And today, I’m still living by that same dream, making a livelihood from it. So whether you have many dreams left or only a few, don’t abandon them. At the very least, they are what nourish us and keep our lives moving forward.”

Stream “Hard Nights” now on VIPA: https://play.vipa.me/lVqBkveFHZb