Thai-American rapper Nichkhun Buck Horvejkul is taking the entertainment industry by storm. A member of K-pop group 2PM, in 2019 he released a self-penned album in South Korea, China and Thailand called Me . Now, he has been cast in the upcoming Hollywood film Hong Kong Love Story alongside the namesake city’s stars Byron Mann and Kenneth Tsang. Directed by Keoni Waxman, the film borrows from the real-life experiences of Mann. According to Deadline, Nichkhun and Mann will play sons of wealthy families who travel to Hong Kong to see what life there has to offer. Their friendship is put to the test when a model, played by Polish actress Dominika Kachlik, comes into the picture. 7 most iconic leading men of Hong Kong’s golden age of cinema Before he debuts on the big screen, here’s a look at Nichkhun’s early years. He was born into an affluent family MC asked Khun's mom if she thought one day Khun would be a superstar. Khun's mom: Never. I never thought my son would choose this career path. We are of Chinese descent so I thought my son would graduate from college and work. That was all I thought then. #TeeTaiKrua #Nichkhun pic.twitter.com/7lkrIkVkJz — just a fan (@Daffodil0624) August 19, 2018 Nichkhun was born in America and raised in Thailand to Chinese parents. His mother hails from the island of Hainan, while he has extended family members and ancestors in Guangzhou province. Chungha’s rise to fame: how the Gotta Go and Roller Coaster star did it Before even debuting as a K-pop idol, Nichkhun already lived a lavish lifestyle. According to Soompi, his mother is the CEO of Thai pharmaceutical company Union Medical, one of the country’s leading importers and distributors. He attended an exclusive school My friend went to school with @Khunnie0624 ! A junior with a dream, he made it! #highschoolmemories #nichkhun pic.twitter.com/lLFbZjbqI9 — Sara (@sararuthee) March 9, 2015 According to the same Soompi report, Nichkhun studied at the exclusive Whanganui Collegiate School in New Zealand. The school counts Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, as one of its well-known alumni. Then he returned to California to finish his secondary education. His wealthy upbringing, complemented by his well-built body and boyish charm, has earned him the nickname“Thai Prince”. From handbags to guitars: how Blackpink’s Rosé spends her fortune He was scouted at 18 In 2006, a JYP scouting manager noticed Nichkhun at a Korean music festival in Los Angeles. Despite this coincidence, the star later said that his training was difficult because he could not speak Korean and he did not know anything about Korean culture. Besides teaching him the language, JYP put him in singing, dancing, rapping, and acting classes – even acrobatics. No dating, no phones, no food? The rules K-pop idols live by He was a happy-go-lucky teenager #BoycottSM: why are K-pop fans calling out SM Entertainment? In an episode of Eric Nam’s podcast, “K-pop Daebak”, Nichkhun recalled how he auditioned in front of Starbucks while onlookers starred at him as he posed, sang and danced. He also admitted he wasn’t great at school – preferring to ditch his studies and play badminton with friends – so he passed the audition he went along with the idea of a career in show business simply because he had no other clear plans. Want more stories like this? Sign up here . Follow STYLE on Facebook , Instagram , YouTube and Twitter .