Kevin Dasom is Herlene Budol’s new leading man in the upcoming Kapuso afternoon teleserye, Binibining Marikit.
The Irish-Thai male pageant titleholder is set to play Matthew Smith alongside Tony Labrusca as Drew Jimenez, and both are the love interests of Herlene, who portrays Marikit dela Cruz in her latest teleserye.
The series starts airing on GMA Afternoon Prime on February 10, 2025.
Kevin, 32, stands out easily because of his foreign good looks and nice physique.
But he is more than meets the eye.
His titles as Manhunt International 2024 and Mister Supranational Thailand 2018 are not his only accomplishments.
A former TV actor in Thailand, Kevin turned his back on showbiz limelight and pursued a professional basketball career.
Since his sports teachers as a child were Filipinos, he feels a strong affinity for the Philippines despite not having any Filipino blood.
These are some interesting details that Kevin shares with PEP.ph (Philippine Entertainment Portal) in an interview at the Binibining Marikit presscon last February 3, 2025.
One might ask, if he was once an actor in Thailand, why did he decide to pursue an acting career in the Philippines?
Read: Herlene Budol takes a swipe at former leading man Rob Gomez
FROM SHOWBIZ IN THAILAND TO SHOWBIZ IN PH
About a decade ago, Kevin turned down a TV project in Thailand, which also served as an antecedent for him to leave Thai showbiz altogether.
Prior to this decision, Kevin was fairing well in the industry.
“I did three or four teleseryes, and then things were going really well,” he tells PEP. “And then it didn’t work out on my end, not on their end."
“They offered me,” he explains about another showbiz opportunity in Thailand, without going into specifics.
He adds, “I think I was a bit too overwhelmed with what they were approaching me at that time."
Kevin is resolute in saying that he knew in his heart that he had to turn down that offer.
And it was not just the project he was saying no to, but to his budding showbiz career in Thailand, too.
“At that time a lot of people were asking me, ‘Do I regret it?' No. I don’t regret it at all,” Kevin says firmly.
“I didn’t feel it was right. I trusted my gut that it wasn’t the right decision," he explains about that showbiz opportunity.
What Kevin says next offers a bit of insight into why he did not continue pursuing a showbiz career in his home country.
“Nothing against in the industry in Thailand, but I’m way too foreign…
“I would watch the scenes and you see a foreigner speak in Thai with other Thai artists. It just doesn’t make sense," he elaborates.
Kevin is “one-hundred percent half-Thai,” being born and raised in Thailand and fluent in Thai and English.
But while he has Thai blood, his appearance is very much similar to his Irish dad.
He shares, “I am the only one in the family, 10 siblings, and I’m the only one who looks white, foreign, ‘afam.’”
His appearance gave him this fish-out-of-water feeling as an actor in Thai showbiz.
He further explains, “And if I can’t buy into it, how would I give the fans, the viewers that I’ll be giving them that feeling …that I don’t believe myself? How could I expect the fans to believe me?”
This, continues Kevin, would shape his perspective when it comes to undertaking tasks, such as acting projects.
He says, “How does this make sense? How can I provide value to the world and help the fans buy into my character?”
Read: Herlene "nag-take advantage" sa leading men na sina Tony at Kevin
PINOY CULTURE IS SOMETHING FAMILIAR FOR KEVIN
Kevin is not entirely new to the Philippines, literally and figuratively.
Prior to accepting the acting project, he has been to the country a number of times.
“I’ve been to the Philippines many times since 2018, for pageants and modelings here and there,” he explains.
Growing up in Thailand, Kevin says Filipino teachers and coaches would train him in basketball, his favorite sport.
"I’m not Pinoy but my childhood teachers I grew up with are Pinoys," he reveals.
“My first basketball trainer, coaches in Thailand were Filipinos, and they were the ones who taught me the slang,” he quips with a grin.
“They taught me how to play basketball, they taught me how to say thank you, what kuya is…
“I have a connection with the Philippines and would I love to stay here, of course.”
Asked what he thinks of Filipinos, Kevin responds, “Filipino people are some of the easiest people to talk to.
“They’re very kind, warm, welcoming. I could be walking on the street and they’re just saying hi.”
He adds that he recently went to La Union and felt the warmth and hospitality of the locals even if he is just a foreign stranger.
Kevin also grew up knowing adobo and sisig, and swears that garlic rice in the country is special.
He then enumerates popular Filipino fast-food chains he loves, like Mang Inasal, Andoks, Chowking, and Jollibee.
LOVE FOR BASKETBALL
When he turned his back on Thai showbiz, Kevin focused all his energy on professional basketball.
For him, basketball is not just a sport, but something that opened a lot of doors for him.
“It’s not a hobby, it’s not even a passion. It’s me. Basketball took me out of a lot of trouble, potential trouble from my childhood.
“It gave me a purpose, it gave me a lot of scholarships, travels around the world.”
He then explains why it is tough for him to finally choose a showbiz career in the country over basketball.
“It was a tough decision, but I don’t regret it at all,” he clarifies.
Last December 2024, Kevin officially signed a contract with Sparkle GMA Artist Center, the Kapuso Network’s talent management arm.
SHOWBIZ CAREER IN PH
But how did he get the chance to become a GMA artist?
He relates that Jonas Gaffud, Miss Universe Organization director, was the one who paved the way.
As both of them are part of the pageant community, they met in Thailand for a pageant event some years back.
One time, while they were having lunch in Thailand, Jonas’s phone rang.
It was Sparkle Vice President Joy Marcelo who was on the other end of the line.
She was asking Jonas if he knows someone “who suits this character description” for a TV project.
Jonas then handed the phone to Kevin and asked him to talk to Joy about an inquiry.
Kevin recounts, “So Jonas was, ‘Hey, Kevin, can you introduce yourself, do something, put the camera?’ And then I did.
"And then Joy was, ‘Okay, can you come to the Philippines?’ And I did, I did the casting.”
That was how Kevin got his role in Binibining Marikit, and eventually signed with Sparkle GMA Artist Center.
He says of his first-ever teleserye in the country: “I didn’t know how big the project is, I didn’t know how big my co-stars were.
“When I first did the screen test, when I first did the workshops, I had zero information.
“But I was just really nervous and really excited.”
Kevin has been in the country for roughly three months now and is slowly adapting to the Filipino culture.
During the interview, he would even drop Filipino words and phrases.
On trying to learn Tagalog, Kevin says, “Konti naman pero I try, sinusubukan magsalita ng Tagalog like araw-araw, just to get used to it.
“But I understand more than I speak, kasi I read the script and I translate all the time, so I get new words all the time.”
ON BINIBINING MARIKIT
While this marks his showbiz comeback, albeit in a foreign country, Kevin explains his return to the industry comes with a deeper purpose.
“The whole goal for me coming back to the industry was just providing as much value as I can to the brand [as a titleholder], to my country, and to my family as well.
“When I got the offer, it was an easy yes. It was a tough decision, but it was an easy yes. If that makes sense.
“It was a tough decision to give up everything I’ve worked for, in terms of like, [me] being close to my family, professional basketball, and just sacrificing a lot of emotions.”
Kevin hopes his comeback will be successful and that he could sustain it beyond his contract with Sparkle GMA.
On his leading lady Herlene, Kevin describes her as "amazing, wonderful…” and that with Herlene, it is “what you see is what you get,” and a lot more.
He continues, “You know, Herlene, as a person, has a lot of depth to her, a lot of character. And you wouldn’t know that at first. But once you get to know her, [she’s] amazing.”