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Boot camp, sharpshooting and enunciation: ‘Foxtrot Six’ stars recount filming preparations
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Shoot 'em up: The 'Foxtrot Six' cast underwent physical and shooting training prior to filming. (MD Pictures/-)
F
em>Foxtrot Six stars Chicco Jerikho, Julie Estelle and Verdi Solaiman got a taste of Hollywood and army boot camp in their preparation for the English-language action flick.
The movie sees the three act beside lead actor Oka Antara as well as Mike Lewis, Rio Dewanto and Arifin Putra in a tale of an ex-marine squad getting back together to fight evil government forces in a dystopian Indonesia.
Directed by Randy Korompis and co-produced by Hollywood action producer Mario Kassar – responsible for such blockbusters as Basic Instinct 2 and Terminator, the film steals attention as it imagines an era where all people in Indonesia speak English.
Full-on English acting is not completely strange for some of the actors, but it does come with its own challenges.
“It’s something very different, because we’re not used to it. […] This is the first feature film for which I had to speak exclusively in English […]. Everyday talking [in English] and acting in it are two completely different things,” commented Julie Estelle, who plays journalist-turned-rebel Sari.
“So, for us to nail it, our acting coach [Eka Sitorus] was incredibly strict with our pronunciation, enunciation, context […] you know, everything had to be perfect, and he thought we did a good job in the end. That was a relief!”
As actors, the language problem did not weigh them down, although they did admit there were times things went a little too far.
“Sometimes when the adrenaline kicks in, we tend to slip up. We say stuff that isn’t in the dialogue, like there were too many curse words. Randy had to come up to us and say, ‘Hey guys, let’s keep it PG13,” says Verdi Solaiman, whose character Oggi is an explosives expert.
The preparation was what one would expect for such a mentally and physically demanding movie.
The actors, especially the ones playing the ex-marine Foxtrot Six crew, underwent rigorous training to fulfill the technically demanding roles. Several of them spent a week at the National Police’s Mobile Brigade (Mako Brimob) camp in Depok, West Java, to prepare for their roles.
The camp required them to live the life of real soldiers. The actors were woken up by trumpet at 4:30 a.m. every morning and expected to get ready within a few minutes. In the chaos of the early adjustment process, Verdi dislocated his ankle, which forced him to leave the camp to undergo physiotherapy for two weeks, so that he would be ready for filming.
It was more of a physical challenge for Verdi, who previously shared the screen with Julie in action film The Raid.
“Foxtrot’s training was demanding for us in terms of crawling a lot and climbing over things, and doing so while donning heavy helmets and gear,” Verdi explained.
For Julie, the main focus was understanding the emotions of her character.
“My character, Sari, is more on the dramatic side, because the film isn’t really about her. It is about the Foxtrot Six team itself. My prep was more about getting into the mindset of a rebel leader,” she explained.
Portraying soldiers in the movie, the actors experienced genuine sympathy and appreciation for real military personnel.
At boot camp for about one week, Verdi connected with police personnel sharing emotional stories about being away from their families.
“You got to imagine that in those camps, you have men that are separated from their families and talk about their children so enthusiastically. It makes you wonder how their kids felt when they had to leave.”
For Chicco, the boot camp session gave him better insight into the technicalities of being a sniper.
“Relaxation is the key,” said Chicco, who plays mysterious sniper Spec.
“The guy training me is regarded one of Indonesia’s best snipers. He’s a little guy, but he is able to run smoothly carrying those heavy sniper rifles and also reloading them quickly, sometimes at the same time,” he said.
The Filosofi Kopi star noted that, while Foxtrot Six was his first-ever action movie, it certainly would not be his last. There are no concrete plans for a sequel to Foxtrot Six (“We’ll have to wait for the audience reception” added co-star Julie), but Chicco said there was enough material written for Foxtrot Six to make six movies.
“Action films are a great new beginning, a great experience from the get-go from me, of course, I hope to do more of that!” says Chicco. “I’ve always been a fan of action flicks, and I’ve always imagined myself one day being in those sets. And look at me now!”
