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Meet the cast
In between filming at Infinite Studios in Batam, Riau Islands, the key cast members of Halfworlds talked to journalists about their roles, stories from the set and being away from home
In between filming at Infinite Studios in Batam, Riau Islands, the key cast members of Halfworlds talked to journalists about their roles, stories from the set and being away from home. The interview, which was held in two sessions, went on in a relaxing, fluid manner with the actors pulling each other's legs while dropping hints about what to expect from the series.
Salvita Decorte
Bali-based artist and model Salvita Decorte, 22, plays the street manga artist Sarah ' a character she relates to in many ways.
'Sarah dresses up exactly like I do and I can totally relate to sitting down painting with passion,' she said, although her own abstract portrait painting style will not appear in the series.
It will be her breakout role on the small screen, but Salvita said director Joko Anwar gave her ample room for improvisation.'I feel super comfortable. I can make mistakes but it won't be a mistake. It will just being me interpreting the character.'
She teased the journalists about her fight scenes, saying she had rehearsed the choreography for a month as couldn't wait 'to kick some ass'.
Although she had learned wushu and made it to a national competition during her childhood, it took her all day to practice for one scene.
'I saw Reza [Rahadian] during practice kicking five guys in a matter of three minutes. And I was like 'How did he do that?'
'I always believed I'm street-fighting tough. But they taped me while practicing and it's so embarrassing because I realized I punched like a little girl,' said Salvita, who referred to Angelina Jolie as an actress with a tough persona.
In the accommodation where the cast members were staying, Salvita roomed with jazz singer Aimee Saras who played her on-scene best friend, Pinung.
As they grew closer after bonding by eating out together and chatting over coffee, Salvita found that Aimee's real personality didn't fit her image. 'At first look she seems so girly, but she's actually a bit feisty,' she laughed.
Aimee Saras
Aimee Saras previously worked with director Joko for the latter's musical Ornop, soon after her return from New York. Pinung, a tattoo artist who declines to have her body inked for romantic reasons, is Aimee's screen debut.
The petite stage actress, singer and songwriter did her own research about tattoos and learned the skill from a professional. 'It's a physical challenge for me to work with the instruments. That thing is so heavy. But it's my weapon. How I use it you have to find out for yourselves,' she said.
To become Pinung, Aimee started listening to the kind of music favored by the nerdy Goth-rock 20-something.
'She reminds me of my teenage years when I used to act and dress like her. I'm really glad that I got to be like that again without being frowned at,' she quipped.
Aimee, who met Salvita for the first time during auditions, initially thought the younger girl was a cold person. '[However], she is sensitive and caring. We clicked right away.'
As a stage actress she has the habit of stretching and singing to warm up before filming, but she was not the only one doing it.
'Just now I saw Reza jumping around, singing,' she said, adding that day was the first time she had met him on set. 'I'm a big fan of his. My heart is pounding hard seeing him.'
Reza Rahadian
The sought-after actor will play Tony, a 425 year-old blade-wielding demon who is a brutish and formidable match for his enemies. The character, according to Reza Rahadian, 'is playful and very authentic'.
A frequent award recipient for his acting in different film genres, Reza said that he was experimenting with his portrayal of the character.
'After I read the script I called [director] Joko and told him I wanted to develop the character myself. It's a very dynamic role,' he said.
Besides the blade, his other weapon of choice is a dual-pronged silver instrument with a glass orb attached for collecting blood.
Reza, who trained in martial arts moves for a previous project, said that the weapons were heavy.
'I use mock-ups for rehearsal, thank God.'
Working with Joko was a mess, he joked, 'Because he always makes us laugh on set'.
Reza said he took the job both because of the story and the production crew, saying that he was working with a good ensemble cast. 'Especially working with Bront,' he quickly added after the Malaysian actor gave him a Rp 5,000 note.
The same note had been passed back and forth a number of times between the actors during the interview.
It was the first time for him to work with Aimee, who he said wasn't shy about showing her admiration toward him.
He did an impersonation of Aimee who was frozen upon meeting him and later sighed. ''Too bad I'm married,' she said,' Reza laughed. 'I'm her fan, too. I showed her I have her songs on my phone.'
Reza said he was excited about the series, which he said was developed organically.
'This is the first of its kind made to give something new [to the viewers]. That's where we're heading to,' he said.
Bront Palarae
The series marks the dashing Malaysian actor Bront Palarae's debut on an international network.
Bront, 36, whose real name is Nasrul Suhaimin Saifuddin, will assume the role of Detective Gusti who embarks on his own investigation based on his suspicions of Sarah.
Being 'trapped in interesting things that are going on', the detective will be armed with a .45 automatic pistol and a gnawing conscience.
A junior black-belt holder when he was 11, Bront said he didn't get many fight scenes.
'The character has all the clean moves,' he said.
Bront, co-founder of Otto Films where he is also a screenwriter, director and producer, said that Joko came to Kuala Lumpur to ask him in person to be in the series.
He reportedly set aside two projects for Halfworlds.
'It's a privilege to work with Reza Rahadian,' he said, receiving back his money from Reza.
On a more serious note, he said that production teamwork was the main pull factor for his involvement in the series.
'It's important to have a good story to work with, but later you realize that you need a good team to execute the plan,' he said.
'Halfworlds is from the region, for the region and, hopefully, will be enjoyed by the rest of the world.'
' JP/Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak
