BANGKOK: Thai transgender model Mimi Tao (Phajaranat Nobantao) is drawing international attention after stepping into a leading role in the German series 'Crooks', now streaming on Netflix worldwide.
Mimi Tao’s story has resonated widely, after she spoke of a childhood marked by hardship. She said she was ordained as a novice monk for six years and faced teasing and bullying because of what made her different.
Today, she has built a career as an international model and has taken on her first major acting role in Crooks, a high-intensity action investigation series that has been well received since its launch, with plans for a second season reportedly moving ahead quickly. The series also held a pre-world premiere event in Vienna, Austria.
Mimi Tao said filming took more than six months in Thailand. She initially auditioned to play the “younger sister” of a character portrayed by Thai artist D Gerrard, but the director later adjusted the role, asking her to play the “older sister” instead — an unexpected challenge in her first acting project.
“Crooks is my first acting work. It opened up a whole new world,” she said. “It’s more fun than I expected. I’d love everyone to watch—it’s a Netflix-standard production and the team put real effort into it.”
Beyond acting, Mimi Tao has worked in global fashion, including appearing on Project Runway for six years and walking in fashion weeks in the United States for multiple leading brands.
She also said she hopes to take on acting work in Thailand in the future—especially films or series that use the Isan language, which she says she particularly loves. She added that she would also like to collaborate with the team behind the film “The Undertaker”.
Mimi Tao has also served as a United Nations ambassador for the TogetherBand project, supporting campaigns to reduce inequality — further reinforcing her profile as a Thai transgender figure making an impact on the global stage. - The Nation/ANN
