Family matters: Rachel Amanda (right) in a movie scene. (Courtesy of Visinema Pictures)

Fresh off her latest production NKCTHI — Nanti Kita Cerita Tentang Hari Ini (One Day We’ll Talk About Today), Amanda is pleasantly surprised by the viewer figures the drama has received.

Hitting theaters nationwide on Jan. 2, NKCTHI was watched by more than 118,000 cinemagoers on its opening day, reaching the million-viewer mark in a week on Jan.9. 

The movie is the first Indonesian title to reach 1 million viewers in 2020.

As of Jan. 15, data from filmindonesia.or.id showed that NKCTHI has managed more than 1.4 million viewers, with the movie’s Instagram page announcing that it had amassed a total of 1.6 million views over 13 days.

“The Indonesian audience has grown, in that we finally realized that they are craving something different, like a non-linear story line with a smooth execution. What we didn’t expect was that the movie would become a medium of reflection for many, how they can relate to [the characters],” she said during a recent media event at Visinema Pictures, NKCTHI‘s production house.

In the movie, adapted from the book of the same name by Marchella FP, Amanda plays Awan, the youngest of three siblings navigating life in a seemingly perfect family that harbors some skeletons in the closet.

To get into the character, Amanda said that she had to establish the character of Awan, the youngest of three, and the one who is doted on the most.

“At first I was a bit confused because I’m the eldest child in my family, so I wasn’t as doted on. The challenge then is to become the 20-something youngest child who has a mindset that the world is going to turn out OK,” said the 25-year-old.

To get into the character, Amanda asked around her friends who have the same background as Awan, as she said that the only reference in her family was her 14-year-old brother, who was not exactly a good fit.

Rachel Amanda (KapanLagi.com/Muhammad Akrom Sukarya)

“Maybe it’s also because I’m the eldest sibling, so naturally when I see the youngest sibling I’ll often see them as only a child. However, it’s not always easy being the youngest, as it turns out.”

Amanda’s role in NKCTHI was her latest in the jump back to the big screen. 

She made her name as a child actress in several TV soap operas during the early 2000s, before making her silver screen debut in the 2006 Heart. 

Her performance as main character Dion in I Love You, Om in the same year landed her a nomination for the Breakthrough Actor/Actress category in the 2007 MTV Indonesia Movie Awards.

For the better part of the 2010s, Amanda went to focus on TV serials, with a minor stint in the music industry with her 2012 self-titled album Amanda. Her last role in the 2000s was in the 2009 Kata Maaf Terakhir (The Last Apology), which resulted in three nominations at the 2010 Indonesian Movie Awards. 

Her return to the silver screen was in 2017 with Trinity: The Nekad Traveler, an adaptation of travel blogger Trinity’s book The Naked Traveler.

Since then, Amanda has played several supporting roles, including in the critically acclaimed Dua Garis Biru (Two Blue Stripes). NKCTHI is the first movie in which she has a leading role, one that is beloved by many as well.

She herself did not think that the movie would be well received, as in she did not predict that people would go in droves to see NKCTHI.

“I could never know whether something is going to be a hit or not, as me being involved in the project is such a joy in itself. I think all of us in the production didn’t expect that it would hit 1 million viewers and in that short of a time,” Amanda said.

Behind the scenes: Rachel Amanda (center) laughs during filming. (Courtesy of Visinema Pictures)

With family dramas making up two of her latest projects that received rave reviews, Amanda does not rule out branching into other genres, but noted that it was “surreal” that she was entrusted with the Dua Garis Biru and NKCTHI.

“But it is sometimes a bit scary for actors in that situation when going into their next project. As Mbak Gina [S. Noer, scriptwriter and director of Dua Garis Biru] said, it’s a process.

“And I’m trying to keep it in mind that whether a movie is good or bad depends on many factors. You can be involved in a great project that doesn’t have a great reception or vice versa and that’s all part of the process.

Going forward, Amanda is keen on continuing her career on the big screen, as she fell in love with the moviemaking process, where the preparations are more thorough for both actors and scriptwriters. Coupled with her recent roles, feature films will definitely be on her list of future projects.

“I’m not saying that doing serials is tedious because I’ve had fun in soaps during my seven years there. Rather, I came to a point where I felt like I missed feature films and I wanted to grow as an actor, as I felt like my acting has been too stiff due to the fast paced nature of the work,” she said, adding that it was her way of slowing down and taking a breather between projects.

“For my next projects, it’s never about the numbers. To be honest, being selective in roles is something I’m still learning to this day because being an actor is a very vulnerable job to me.

“When you’re involved in a project with a role and a story you’re really into, it’s a collaborative process. When you’re going all out but there something that’s not perfect and ends up with a result that’s not as good as you’d like, it really bothers us.”

It’s a mindset that she has been trying to instill in herself: to give 100 percent regardless of the outcome.

“It’s not that I don’t thoroughly select my roles,” she clarifies. “But it’s in knowing which ones you can excel at and then do your best at it.”