Christine Hakim: ‘I might have been a female cleric if I didn’t start acting’
The Jakarta Post - WEEKENDER | Tue, 09/23/2008 6:08 PM |
Christine Hakim never imagined what lay ahead of her when, as a 17-year-old part-time model, she made her screen debut in Teguh Karya’s Cinta Pertama. She won a Piala Citra – the local equivalent of an Oscar – for best actress (it was the first of six for her), and went on to become the most respected actress of her generation. Even when the Indonesian movie scene slumped in the 1990s, the honors continued to pour in for Christine, including commendations from France, India and Japan, among others. Awards are good for the ego, but the 51-year-old says she derives her greatest satisfaction from striving for better education for young Indonesians. The UNESCO Culture and Education Goodwill Ambassador discusses her fervent nationalism, her “other” side and going green.
Why the green hair?
The first time I did it was after doing a movie in Japan. As you know, the young people and even the grandmothers in Japan dye their hair all sorts of colors. So after almost a year of living and making a movie in Japan, I felt the need to release myself from the character. So I went to an extreme and colored my hair. I thought green would suit me best with my brown skin but people told me it looks like chicken feathers!
What is the most annoying and most interesting interview question?
Annoying? Questions about my private life, which I do not think is important for readers to know about. Secondly, I have been in the film industry for 35 years. I still get young journalists who have not done their research and we end up not focusing on important issues, like the movie.
The most interesting is talking about the future of our children, social problems and the political situation in this country.
Describe yourself.
Stubborn, but not firm enough, and I think with my heart too much.
What were your childhood dreams?
Like other people, I dreamed of being an architect or psychologist.
Who was your childhood hero?
My mom is my hero because she has a very big heart – not only for her daughter but also for everyone around us. Also my nanny, my mbok, because she was always there for me.
What makes you laugh or cry?
(Laughs) Everything. … Children can make me laugh or make me sad as well because I am very emotional.
What is the most common public misconception about you?
That I am a very serious person. In some respects, I am. As a child I was very focused on my studies, on my life and what I wanted to be. But I have another side as well, my crazy side, which I was not aware of. It was only after I became an actress that the crazy side began to manifest itself. Becoming an actress changed my life completely. Life is more beautiful, more colorful.
What is your must humbling experience?
When I went on the haj pilgrimage because there everyone is the same. In front of God, everyone is the same. What makes us different is only what we do, not what we have.
What is the most powerful moment in film for you?
In Tjoet Nja’ Dhien (1988). It was powerful for me as an actress and also as a human being because in that movie, I was following in the footsteps of my ancestors. Before the film, I had felt confused. I had grown up in Java but have mixed blood from everywhere – from West, Central and East Java, Padang, West Sumatra, Aceh … a real mix. So I did not know what my ancestry really was until Tjoet Nja’ Dhien.
If you were not an actor, what would you be?
Maybe an ustazah (female Islamic cleric) because ever since I was a child, I always felt peaceful when praying or doing my religious duties.
What motivates you?
To become a better person.
Where do you go to revive yourself and find peace and quiet?
I like to travel. Sometimes I travel alone. That is my time for contemplation. Also in the middle of the night when I am praying and it is quiet and everyone is asleep and I feel it is only God and me.
Why are you more nationalistic than most?
Like many other teenagers growing up in Jakarta, I did not know anything about Indonesia. When I became an actress, I traveled to the villages and saw the country and how people really lived. When I traveled abroad and compared our country to other nations, I wondered why ours was still poor. We are so rich with resources and filled with generous people. Why are we still suffering? It made me want to do something about our situation.
What is the one thing you always wanted to do and have not done?
A lot! So much! I never wanted to become rich but sometimes I wish I had a lot of money so I could be of more help to others and realize my dreams of building a school in Papua.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I never want to be influenced by achievements because then I would never be sincere. If someone appreciates my work, I am grateful but I do not want to focus on that because it would hinder my creativity and my growth as a human being. There is so much more I have not done, that I do not know, that I need to learn about.
What is unforgivable?
Nothing. We must be forgiving because if we do not forgive, it will become a disease inside ourselves, which will eventually destroy us.
What is the greatest insight you ever received?
That if we can accept the worst conditions possible that we could ever encounter with ikhlas (sincerity), that is a triumph for us.
What legacy do you want to leave behind?
In life, I do the best that I can. If that can be a take-home value for others, then I am glad for it.
+Titania Veda
Illustration by Martin Dima
The first time I did it was after doing a movie in Japan. As you know, the young people and even the grandmothers in Japan dye their hair all sorts of colors. So after almost a year of living and making a movie in Japan, I felt the need to release myself from the character. So I went to an extreme and colored my hair. I thought green would suit me best with my brown skin but people told me it looks like chicken feathers!
What is the most annoying and most interesting interview question?
Annoying? Questions about my private life, which I do not think is important for readers to know about. Secondly, I have been in the film industry for 35 years. I still get young journalists who have not done their research and we end up not focusing on important issues, like the movie.
The most interesting is talking about the future of our children, social problems and the political situation in this country.
Describe yourself.
Stubborn, but not firm enough, and I think with my heart too much.
What were your childhood dreams?
Like other people, I dreamed of being an architect or psychologist.
Who was your childhood hero?
My mom is my hero because she has a very big heart – not only for her daughter but also for everyone around us. Also my nanny, my mbok, because she was always there for me.
What makes you laugh or cry?
(Laughs) Everything. … Children can make me laugh or make me sad as well because I am very emotional.
What is the most common public misconception about you?
That I am a very serious person. In some respects, I am. As a child I was very focused on my studies, on my life and what I wanted to be. But I have another side as well, my crazy side, which I was not aware of. It was only after I became an actress that the crazy side began to manifest itself. Becoming an actress changed my life completely. Life is more beautiful, more colorful.
What is your must humbling experience?
When I went on the haj pilgrimage because there everyone is the same. In front of God, everyone is the same. What makes us different is only what we do, not what we have.
What is the most powerful moment in film for you?
In Tjoet Nja’ Dhien (1988). It was powerful for me as an actress and also as a human being because in that movie, I was following in the footsteps of my ancestors. Before the film, I had felt confused. I had grown up in Java but have mixed blood from everywhere – from West, Central and East Java, Padang, West Sumatra, Aceh … a real mix. So I did not know what my ancestry really was until Tjoet Nja’ Dhien.
If you were not an actor, what would you be?
Maybe an ustazah (female Islamic cleric) because ever since I was a child, I always felt peaceful when praying or doing my religious duties.
What motivates you?
To become a better person.
Where do you go to revive yourself and find peace and quiet?
I like to travel. Sometimes I travel alone. That is my time for contemplation. Also in the middle of the night when I am praying and it is quiet and everyone is asleep and I feel it is only God and me.
Why are you more nationalistic than most?
Like many other teenagers growing up in Jakarta, I did not know anything about Indonesia. When I became an actress, I traveled to the villages and saw the country and how people really lived. When I traveled abroad and compared our country to other nations, I wondered why ours was still poor. We are so rich with resources and filled with generous people. Why are we still suffering? It made me want to do something about our situation.
What is the one thing you always wanted to do and have not done?
A lot! So much! I never wanted to become rich but sometimes I wish I had a lot of money so I could be of more help to others and realize my dreams of building a school in Papua.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
I never want to be influenced by achievements because then I would never be sincere. If someone appreciates my work, I am grateful but I do not want to focus on that because it would hinder my creativity and my growth as a human being. There is so much more I have not done, that I do not know, that I need to learn about.
What is unforgivable?
Nothing. We must be forgiving because if we do not forgive, it will become a disease inside ourselves, which will eventually destroy us.
What is the greatest insight you ever received?
That if we can accept the worst conditions possible that we could ever encounter with ikhlas (sincerity), that is a triumph for us.
What legacy do you want to leave behind?
In life, I do the best that I can. If that can be a take-home value for others, then I am glad for it.
+Titania Veda
Illustration by Martin Dima
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