Literally translated as a ‘half-child’, the luk khrueng (Thai Eurasian) is a ubiquitous figure in Thai entertainment. Famous male and female luk khrueng performers such as Mario Maurer, Willy McIntosh, Nadech Kugimiya, Mick Tongraya, Krissada Sukosol Clapp, Eve Pancharoen and many more occupy a prime place in Thai music, advertisements, film and television, attracting both criticism and admiration for their talents and beauty. Possibly the most famous and successful of all luk khrueng performers in Thailand, however, is the actor and model Ananda Everingham, whose film career spans the birth of the New Thai industry from the late 1990s up to the present day. Publicity material, websites and blogs hail Ananda as the foremost Thai movie star, with the Bangkok Post describing the performer as a ‘legend’, who ‘has been everything to everyone’ (Panya 2016), while a co-star states ‘I think of him as a superstar’ (Bunnag 2016). Such accolades continue and demonstrate the longevity of Ananda's career, with one Bangkok blogger referring to the performer as ‘2010's man of the moment’ (Ilbonito 2010b) and still ‘one of the country's top box office draws’ (Ilbonito 2010a). Indeed, Ananda's IMDb page lists over thirty-six films since the late 1990s, including significant box office hits such as the internationally renowned Shutter (Shutter Kòt tìt Winyaan, Banjong Pisanthanakun, 2004), Shambala (Panjapong Kongkanoy, 2012), Ploy (Pen-Ek Ratanaruang, 2007) and Eternity (Chua faa din sa-laai, M. L. Pundhevanop Dhewakul, 2010). The performer has also been an effective ‘brand ambassador’ for international companies and products in Thailand such as Seiko watches and Magnum ice cream and is credited with significantly increasing these product sales in Thailand. Despite such success, however, as the son of an Australian father and a Laotian mother (whose famous love story during the Cold War was portrayed in the Hollywood film Love Is Forever (Hall Bartlett, 1982)) Ananda only officially received full Thai citizenship in 2010, and has at times expressed ambiguity as to his overall relationship to Thailand and Thai-ness.

This chapter examines the position of the luk khrueng in contemporary Thailand, deploying Ananda and his film career as a case study through which to highlight some of the recent changes enacting upon representations of this figure.