DIDI PETET: (JP/Emanuel Dapa Loka)

Throughout his 23-year film career, Didi Widiatmoko has worked as an actor, film director and scriptwriter. But don't ask how many projects he has been involved in, as he says he has lost count.

"I never documented all that," he told The Jakarta Post recently on the set of his new soap opera, Jangan Berbohong Sama Tuhan (Don't lie to God), in Pondok Kelapa Permai, East Jakarta.

"Let other people document my work.... It belongs to society," he said. "If there is repetition, and if it goes on and on, it will affect creativity."

Winner of the Citra Trophy for his 1987 film Cinta Anak Zaman (The love child era), Didi has become a legend in Indonesia's acting milieu. He is known by his Sundanese nickname, Didi Petet, meaning slit-eyes.

He does not want to track his work because he wants to always look ahead to keep his acting fresh. He avoids repeating scripts and performances, and makes sure his style and characters do not get duplicated in future films.

Since his debut in the film Semua Karena Ginah (All because of Ginah) in 1985 he has been performing steadily.

He is still remembered today for his role as Emon, the transsexual character in the box-office hit teenage film series Catatan Si Boy from the late 1980s.

His role as Si Kabayan, a simple character from the wealthy Sundanese Pasundan area Kabayan Saba Kota won him extraordinary reviews from audiences; sequels followed.

Didi's developed his acting skills mainly during his time at university -- he gained experience in several stage performances and many films -- but he also studied the fundamentals at the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) where he later taught.

His time working on big-screen movies gave him many opportunities to broaden his experience.

"I learned to take every opportunity I was given seriously. And it's true, I never wanted to fool around.

"Good acting is action which convinces people. That's why I tried to convince the film directors what I felt was correct, not through talking, but with good acting," he said.

Commenting on the skills of actors working in today's soap opera, or sinetron, Didi said many nowadays had talent, especially the younger actors.

"Only a few things remain to be fixed. They just need to be told what is the essence of acting and how to develop it."

He said young actors, however, should not be too quick to rest on their laurels.

"Because when they start feeling content, it could be the end of their career," he said.

He said there was nothing wrong with the instant fame which many sinetron actors faced when they suddenly appear in the industry, adding it meant they were taking advantage of the opportunities given them.

"Of course, if he or she just stops there, then they're not interested in learning more. Acting skill has to be worked on all the time because the acting technique and styles keep changing as the culture changes."

Didi said each actor had to learn to find new ways to act to differentiate their performances from those of other actors.

"If something has often been used by other people, why should you use it again? This is art. Acting has to be truly fresh and the essence is in your work, not in someone else's or in something already done by a lot of other people."

Didi said discovering original acting styles was not easy: It required much practice and experience.

"Actors must keep sharpening themselves and build on their achievements," he said.

He added he had learned a lot about human beings, their character and behavior, through making films.

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