“The White Lotus”' Tayme Thapthimthong Was a Dancer, Army Soldier and Bodyguard Before Booking His Breakout Role (Exclusive)

Tayme Thapthimthong is a man of many talents!

The Thai breakout star has risen to fame after landing his first major on-screen acting gig playing Gaitok on season 3 of The White Lotus.

In a matter of months, Thapthimthong tells PEOPLE that his dreams have become a reality after years of wondering if he could ever make a career out of his true passion.

“I’ve always wanted to be an actor,” he reveals. “I think, I was 18, 19, and I was doing a performing dance course at Kingston University near London. They had a drama module in there, and that was the first time I got to try out drama, even though it was Shakespeare. But it was just the first time really getting to act, and it just felt right. It just felt good.”

Related: The White Lotus Cast By Season: See the Actors and Their Characters Side-by-Side (Including a Familiar Face Heading to Thailand for Season 3!)

In college, Thapthimthong says he studied various styles of dance, including contemporary, ballet, African, Indian and hip hop. He had “a phase” after graduating where he was a singer and a dancer, but says he knew acting was what he loved most.

“It's one of those careers where you kind of feel like, ‘Oh my God, how many people really get to do that?’” he admits. “It's one of those dreams that's like, ‘Maybe I need a secondary dream.’ I've always also liked the military, so that's what I did before acting in The White Lotus.”

While in England, Thapthimthong trained with the Royal Marines as a cadet and got one-on-one training with a Special Air Service operator on the weekends. He then moved back to Thailand, where he became a Lieutenant in the Thai Army.

“I was there for three years, and I came out and worked in the private sector for two years — ended up as a bodyguard, and then White Lotus happened,” he explains.

Related: Natasha Rothwell Calls New Season of The White Lotus 'Magic' — and Admits She Was 'Gagged' by Wild Story

The irony of being a real-life bodyguard before playing a similar role on TV is not lost on Thapthimthong. In fact, he jokes that some scenes of the HBO hit were difficult to watch back given his background in security.

“[There are] so many things that, oh my God, Gaitok, come on!” he says. “When we get trained in the army, one of the first things [we learn is] that you never just leave your weapon like that on the table wide open. It is just not something you do.”

“I think he's just so struck by Mook [Lalisa Manobal] the whole time that anytime she comes around, he's just like, ‘Okay, I'm just going to drop everything else now and then just concentrate on her,’” he laughs.

With just a couple more weeks until the show’s highly anticipated finale airs, Thapthimthong could not be more grateful to be right where he is.

“Maybe a week after we finished filming, I wrote an email to the executive producers and Mike White,” he recalls. “I just wanted to say, ‘I'm sitting here right now. I'm still pinching myself. Did these seven months really happen?’ And thinking what I was doing before, to all the things that [are] happening now, I just wanted to say to them, ‘Just thank you so much for choosing me and giving me that opportunity.’”

Looking ahead, Thapthimthong says he hopes to continue on his journey as an actor. “I’ll go wherever the work is,” he notes.

“I'm a fan of action and those sort of epic films, like Lord of the Rings type films,” he shares when asked what his dream role would be. “I'd love to do a war film or a John Wick type of film. I'd love to just display some action on screen. I feel like I learned a lot from the military. I trained a lot with weapons, and I just want to showcase that on screen.”

“I’d love to be a Thai James Bond!” he adds. “But it doesn't matter if it's guns or swords or anything, I'm really just up for it. I feel like I have a lot more to give.”

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New episodes of The White Lotus season 3 air Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.

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