Thailand’s Trailblazer: Santi Saelee Faces Goliaths in Netflix’s ‘Mad Unicorn’

Netflix’s latest Thai series, Mad Unicorn, has taken the world by storm, shooting to the #1 spot in Thailand just one day after its May 29 premiere. The series continues its meteoric rise, achieving the fourth spot on Netflix’s Top 10 Non-English TV chart globally within its first week. Mad Unicorn, inspired by the story of Thailand’s first unicorn startup in the express delivery industry, has garnered widespread acclaim for its compelling narrative and the dedication of its cast. Under the masterful direction of Nottapon Boonprakob, the series transforms a story inspired by true events into a fiercely intense narrative, as viewers root for the underdog startup, Thunder Express. Led by Santi Saelee (Natara Nopparatayapon), Thunder Express battles against established giants and overcomes numerous obstacles to become Thailand’s first unicorn. The Journey to Becoming ‘Santi’ While audiences have long admired Natara Nopparatayapon’s talent, his portrayal of Santi is being hailed as his most challenging role yet. Mad Unicorn presented Natara with new hurdles, including intensive Mandarin language training and the longest monologue of his career — entirely in Mandarin. “I wanted viewers to truly believe in Santi,” Natara explains.” I needed to understand his origins and what drove him.” He [...]