(Courtesy of Warta Kota/Nur Ichsan)

Passion and talent are two things that resulted in actor Mahbub Herjunot Ali '€” known as Herjunot Ali or simply Junot '€” earning his place among the upper echelons of Indonesia'€™s actors.

With sturdy performances in blockbusters, like Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijck (The Sinking of Van der Wijck) late last year and 5cm, under his belt the 28-year-old has proven he is in the same league as other respected actors such as Reza Rahadian and Lukman Sardi.

But he is also grounded and freely acknowledges that he still had to hone his acting skills.

'€œI don'€™t consider my role in Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijck to be the peak of my career. I believe acting is a never-ending process,'€ he said.

Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijck, his most recent project, is an adaption of the best-selling novel of the same title by prominent writer Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah, popularly known as Hamka.

The actor evidently sets high standards: '€œI am my best critic,'€ he explained.

In the film, Junot won praise for his mature approach to acting, on one occasion he had to deliver six-pages of lines for a one-shot scene that sees him in an intense interchange with another character in the film,
Pevita Pearce.

'€œYes, I nailed a challenging scene in the film, but I feel that I could'€™ve done better. I could'€™ve been more consistent.'€

In addition, he had to maintain a Makassar dialect throughout the 165-minute film.

He said the dialect was not as easily recognizable as others, such as Javanese or Batak.

'€œI had to practice all the time to maintain the dialect,'€ he recalled, adding that he spent three months prior to filming concentrating on mastering the dialect.

Catapulted into the limelight of the entertainment industry as the host of many programs, it was only later that he began to explore acting through a role in teen-flick Lovely Luna in 2004.

Two years later, when staring alongside talented Vino G. Bastian in Realita, Cinta dan Rock n'€™ Roll (Reality, Love and Rock n'€™ Roll), a teen-drama movie by edgy director Upi, he further cemented his acting skills. In 2008, Junot stared in Gara-gara Bola (Because of Soccer), a film produced by prominent filmmaker Nia Dinata.

After a three year break from the big screen, his choice of comeback character was the lead role of Hamid in Di Bawah Lindungan Ka'€™bah (Under the Shade of Kaaba, 2011).

Similar to Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijck, Di Bawah Lindungan Ka'€™bah was also adapted from a Hamka novel. But the film received a lukewarm response from the public.

Not one to be dragged down by bad reviews Junot came back fighting and won acclaim through his role in 5cm.

Junot admitted he took a gamble accepting roles in 5cm and Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijck as the two films were not main stream. '€œNevertheless, I believe this to be a formula for success,'€ he said.

Junot said he aimed for one thing '€” to work toward the success and integrity of the domestic film industry.

'€œI know we have many filmmakers with integrity, but they often lose the battle against market demand. This is something that we need to work on.'€

Music is his other passion. He has made path in the live music world as a DJ '€” a career he started in 2008, under the guidance of DJ-actor Winky Wiryawan.

On occasions, Junot entertains crowds in clubs out of town with his favorite mixes of electronic dance music, R&B and disco punk.

He also plans to release a solo album in 2014. '€œBeing a DJ is something I'€™ve done for a long time and I want to develop this part of my career by booking more gigs this year.'€

Popular

Reform era draws to a close

Essay competition: ‘Rethinking work: Driving sustainable growth in the digital age’

Local films outshine foreign ones in home market