gayinterrupted

im making a PSA for everyone here since it seems to really be confusing some of yall. Age of consent being 15 in thailand does not automatically mean people over the age of 18 cannot be charged with sleeping with a minor. They very much still can. Legal adult age in thailand is 20, so until then, everyone under that age is still a minor in the eyes of the law. there's a lot of context missing that goes into these situations regarding age of consent, so parroting that sentiment as a defense really does just expose how weird some of yall are.

There are also laws set in place regarding children in entertainment by the Thailand Child Protection Act that states that even if given consent, NC scenes regarding minors would still violate certain parts of the law as children cannot give true consent as they could be motivated by factors such as money, family, or further employment opportunities. Putting uncut NC scenes behind a paywall to further exploit a child is sinister.

now im not saying any of this to judge people for watching this show, but just to stop defending the choice to put a minor in this type of role. There's no need to defend it we can consume and enjoy art while still being critical of it. you're not a bad person if you watch this show, however throwing away ethics and morals because you want to see a man kiss a child onscreen is a different story. I just want us to be more critical with the entertainment we consume especially when children are involved.

you realize pop kissing hero is still mac (a 16 year old) kissing august (a 28 year old) right? you realize a child is at a different stage of development mentally and engaging in a role like this will effect him differently than it does august right? you realize mac doesn't have the same agency on set as august does and might not have his parents looking out for his best interest right? some people don't think these things should be ignored

like it IS real as there are still real people portraying these roles especially as when the show is over they will still be promoting as a pair, engaging in fanservice, and being sexualized together.

there are dozens of stories of THAI actors being abused on THAI sets. does thailand not have abuse in their entertainment industry? did daou and offroad not just come out saying they were victims of homophobia on set? i'm not judging them by "my way of living" im judging them by what THAI actors have said about their own experiences and what has come out about the thai entertainment industry. defending this in any way is weird there's like nothing else to say

exactly. no one should ever be harassed on set everyone deserves a safe work environment, but daou and offroad are at least able to process these things in a mature way. it would be much more harmful if these types of things were said to Mac.

and putting the nc scenes behind a paywall is so sinister, it's like the production knows what they're doing is morally bankrupt but they're still going to exploit a child to profit off these weirdos. this production makes very weird decisions regarding minors and has already had a controversy with one of their actors on another show (hit bite love)

but when it comes out that someone high up in the company likes little boys, everyone is going to act horrified and pretend there were no blatantly obvious bright ass LED signs pointing to it

Thanks for this comment! i appreciate all the helpful information.

i just saw the trailer too, and it really did make my stomach turn. I get that there are people who genuinely might not know about the age differences but watching a 16 year old act out romantic / sexual scenes with a fully grown adult man is something i will never get behind. It's just egregious and takes me out of the show entirely. Mac looks like his little brother

i just dont know why people feel the need to defend it. it's wrong from every moral angle and even if you enjoy the source material stay with me is right there. why are we compromising our integrity for entertainment? it does seem like this series is cursed like you said. I'm hoping once it actually starts airing more discussions regarding this will be had. Mac is innocent and a victim but i really hope this show gets cancelled as the longer it goes on the more harmful the effects on him could be

"we shouldn't stop him" he is a 16 year old boy. children don't always do things in their best interest and often make decisions without realizing the implications of their actions. It's clear from the trailer they just released that they're going to sexualize mac's character and he and August are going to be put in NC situations. It's gross from any angle.

As a user above so helpfully pointed out, section 26 of the Thailand Child protection act may have been violated even if consent of the underage actor was given. Even at 16, Mac's consent under law is not always reliable as he is a minor and may not be making these decisions in his best interest. Especially when influenced by money, family or future job opportunities.

While no one is justifying the crazy fans who would project inappropriate fantasies onto Mac and August, you still can't absolve the company of blame and responsibility. It's still their production and their decision to put a child in a role that is not appropriate for him.. That's not "empowering behavior" It's called doing the right thing. It doesn't matter if it's a good "job opportunity" the adults in the room should've had the integrity to realize that this role and the subject matter would not be suitable for a child. This is what i mean by protecting children. Mac is the only victim in this situation as he does not have the same agency as August does to make these decisions for himself.

yes western productions have their own problems and that's exactly my point. Actors in hollywood have unions and there are specific laws that limit the amount of time children can be on set, and we still have dozens of horror stories of manipulation and abuse. The thai entertainment industry is far less regulated. How many times have bl actors come out about talking about harassment or abuse on set? I already mentioned how barcode was sexually harassed and abused on the KP set and he was 17-18. This specific production company has had controversies regarding its actors in their shows before so I do not trust them to create a safe environment on their set for Mac.

"a cast between a 16 year old boy and 30 year old woman wouldn't raise anything" yes it would be so for real. Social media has made western audiences much more aware of the possibilities of abuse on set. That's why all these documentaries are coming out. Even shows like "the idol "and "euphoria" (which each boast a cast made up primarily of adults) had various controversies regarding the exploitative nature of the excessive sexual content.

"you should target the problem itself not the actor's age" do you not get that some jobs are just not appropriate for people based on their age or skills? No one is saying mac cant act, but he should not be playing a role where he is going to be put in a position to be sexualized and objectified as a child. He should not be put in a position where he could feel uncomfortable acting out intimate scenes with an adult. The trailer hinted at many nc scenes and kisses. Do you really want to watch a 30 year old man kiss a child? Is this really the hill you want to die on?

Yes abuse on set happens regardless of age, but children are naturally in a more vulnerable position than adults are (physically, emotionally, societally.) Children are at the mercy of their parents and the production, who may not be looking out for their best interest. The "problem" in this instance is the exploitation of a child. You cannot separate his age from the situation as it's the crux of the issue. We should be fighting for safer sets for actors of all ages, but right here right now Mac is the main victim and it all could've been avoided by casting a more age appropriate actor.

Everyone here defending mac and august being in nc scenes together needs to be put on a list

see this is a very nuanced comment that isn't just dismissing all the very real concerns that I and many other people have with the production.

i am pretty sure barcode was underage at one point during KP filming, but it doesn't really matter. Even he (and many other KP actors) were harassed and abused on set by the writers and the director so idk why people aren't more worried when there's a literal child involved. Like you said Mac has way less agency than barcode, and just because his parents or the adults around him signed off on it doesn't mean he isn't still being exploited / manipulated. I just want some of us to do some critical thinking. I also will never trust any type of company to protect their artists from the crazier more deranged fans. Even if mac and august dont feed into it, they will absolutely be shipped irl by a subset of fans and god knows how that could impact Mac mentally.

touching on the actual subject matter like you said addicted originally deals with pretty intense and mature themes of homophobia and sexuality. Even if the show is drastically edited to be more appropriate, why not just cast two adult actors who could appropriately and responsibly handle the adult material? i'm sure mac is a capable actor- but ethically its just a very weird decision.

i never said anything about pedophilia and your'e correct this is not that- but it's still disturbing. age of consent is a weird defense to use as like you said in general there's much more context regarding the law that goes into these situations. if this was real life, august still could actually be charged with a crime for being in a relationship with a 16 year old and just because the age of consent is 15, doesn't mean mac couldn't hypothetically still be abused, exploited, or groomed. legality does not always equal morality

even if the show was super sanitized and all mac and august did was hold hands (atp just adapt another show tbh as it loses the complete essence of addicted) it still doesnt mean there wasnt abuse going on behind the scenes. There are so many scandals regarding production companies and sets in the thai BL industry and i dont trust this specific production to have mac's best interest at heart (they've made very weird decisions regarding minors on other shows) idk i feel like im seeing a pattern within this production company it's getting very weird.

exactly like horrible things happen to actors on set all the time and god forbid anything happen to mac in this situation as there are already controversies regarding this production house. i just want people to care more about protecting children than they do about seeing two boys kiss onscreen. there are so many bls out there, its okay you dont have to defend this one

yes money is the root of all evil i'm well aware. nowhere in my comment did i blame august, the fault lies with the casting and the production for putting a child in this situation. and yeah personally i would find it weird as hell if i was a thirty year old acting alongside a child in a romantic drama.

it literally doesn't matter that it's acting bc these are A still real people playing roles (one of which is a grown man, one of which is a child), and B the thai bl industry intentionally blurs reality and fantasy with fanservice and shipping culture. i don't give af about "shipping" real people nor do i even consume bl media outside of the shows, but this is a morally bankrupt decision from every angle. If this was a western production and they cast a 16 year old girl alongside a 30 year old man in a romantic movie there would be outrage (for good reason)

This production company has made very weird decisions before and i dont trust that their main priority is protecting mac from manipulation on set, or from these weirdos who won't be able to separate the role he's playing from real life. a child should never have been put in this situation to begin with. Barcode was sexually abused on set as a minor as well, i'm not just talking out my ass. like did nobody see quiet on set?

"uncut spicy scenes"

i didnt even know about this, if this is true it's jail for literally everyone involved. why are we losing our morals and integrity just bc it's bl? in any other entertainment industry a 16 year old acting alongside a 27 year old in a romantic series / movie would be eviscerated in the media and by the public

yes and that was weird af too

i am begging yall to care more about protecting child actors than seeing them kiss grown men.

"what has august done"

this isn't about august personally, this is about a 16 year old being paired with a 27 year old man in a romantic series which will include them being shipped within the show and in irl due to fanservice. you're worried about the wrong thing. this is about protecting child actors. The production is the main party at fault for this horrendous casting decision.

yeah she's def not perfect but her actions are far more understandable and human whereas plawan is just lying and manipulating and gaslighting 😭 like its all for drama i get it its fun but can we have some objectivity instead of just mass hating on the only woman in the show

break ups... happen every day? sure from oab's POV it sucks but no one should be forced to stay in a relationship they don't want to be apart of anymore. can we use our brains? it's not like she cheated on him

the show being released by a different country does not make the decision any more moral or just?

people are criticizing the ages because it's very easy for children in the entertainment industry to be exploited, manipulated, and to develop trauma due to it.

watching the show is one thing, but actually defending the decision to cast a child and an adult as love interests is very weird

people in the comments actually defending the idea of a man pushing 30 being the romantic partner of a 16 year old we are in hell like where is the integrity 😭

I mean at this point in the show she’s done nothing wrong. Obviously cannot speak for future endeavors.

And by Oab’s enemy I was talking about methas