Chicco Kurniawan has been many things for the past several years: a self-taught actor, a promising neophyte, an international festival darling and just recently, a recipient of the prestigious Citra Award. Nevertheless, he never imagined there would come a time when he would be considered a recognized leading man, let alone the nation's latest heartthrob. Thanks to his acclaimed turn in the 2021 film Penyalin Cahaya (Photocopier) and heartbreaking chemistry with pop-R&B singer Ziva Magnolya in her viral music video for "Peri Cintaku" (My Fairy of Love) in April, the 27-year-old thespian found himself in an exciting, albeit unfamiliar chapter of his career.

Asked whether he now considers himself one of Indonesia's most admired dreamboats, Chicco could not hide his blush and nervous beam.

"I don't think so. I don't know. Um, I think this is the toughest question [of them all]!" he told The Jakarta Post with a laugh during a one-on-one sit-down on April 22.

The sardonic ingenue

First and foremost, Chicco refused to romanticize his vocation as an actor; the Jakarta native openly acknowledged that his initial motivation was to score "easy money" to make ends meet. Moreover, he was not hesitant when he said that he had never been a consummate cinephile.

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