KapanLagi.com/Puput Puji Lestara

slender figure and fresh look launched Julie Estelle’s career in the entertainment industry.

She was noticed by a talent scout when hanging out at a mall with her best friends and given a hard-to-resist offer — to star in a TV ad — when she was only 16.

She took the offer to star in a facial wash product for fun. She had nothing to lose, and she has no regrets.

“It was really a coincidence. I had never thought of becoming an entertainer. I took the offer because I wanted to give it a try,” says Julie, now 22.

Her full name is Julie Estelle Gasnier. She was born to an Indonesian mother and French father, and is the sister of actress and emcee Cathy Sharon.

Julie has all the “unwritten requirements” — including light skin — of a cosmetics model.     

Soon after the commercial, she was swamped by offers to become the brand ambassador for products ranging from hair care, sanitary pads and household appliances to mobile networks.

From the ad world, she tried her luck in the local film industry, taking a small part in the 2005 teen flick Dealova.

The 22-year-old sealed her first leading role in Alexandria, starring as Alexandra Yasmina, a young woman who likes collecting comics and dreams of traveling to Alexandria, Egypt.

In the film, directed by Ody C. Harahap, she plays alongside Marcel Chandrawinata and Fachri Albar.

“After playing in Alexandria, I found that I had a passion for film, so I decided to keep on acting,” said Julie.

Just like most Indonesian actors, Julie simply learned how to act from acting coaches during workshops before the production began.

Her face also appeared in a number of projects such as Rizal Mantovani’s horror film, Kuntilanak (Woman Ghost), and its two installments, love flick Selamanya (Forever), Timo Tjahjanto’s and Kimo Stamboel’s thriller Rumah Dara (Macabre) and the teen flick sequel, Hearbreak.com 2.

Her latest film to hit theaters was the comedy Cowok Bikin Pusing (Boys Get Me Dizzy), in which she brushes shoulders with her best friends Aming Supriatna and Laudya Cinthya Bella.

In this film, she stars as a bakery owner named Cecile who is cheated on by her long-time boyfriend, Marco (played by Marcel Chandrawinata), and takes sweet revenge on him with the help of her two best friends, played by Aming and Laudya.

This is actually a 2008 movie, but the release was postponed due technical problems.

“It was so much fun playing with my best friends. It was easy to get the chemistry among us,” Julie says.

“This movie is something that I would show my children and grandchildren, because it is really a great experience playing with my own best friends in the same project.”

Julie says that she does not limit herself to certain genres, adding that as long as the script fits her, she will grab it.

“I appreciate all genres. I’ve been in almost all genres, including horror, but I still want to act in a film which portrays social issues, something that educates people. This is a genre that I have never done before.”

Even though she is willing to play in any genre, Julies said that she would refuse any offer which required her to bare her body.

“I don’t want to portray a role that flaunts sexiness. That’s not my thing,” she says. “Besides, I’m in Indonesia, which has different culture from European countries or the US, which are more open minded.”

Julie is confident that she will stick to the film business for a long time to come. “I’ve just started my career, so I feel like I still have many things to learn. I still want to achieve more,” she says.

She chose to give up her dream of becoming a doctor to totally immerse herself in the entertainment industry.  

“I first planned to go to a medical school in France. I had to go to France because I used to speak French since I went to an international French school in Jakarta when was a little,” Julie said.

“It would be difficult for me to learn everything in Indonesian in a medical school. But due to my hectic schedule [in the entertainment industry], I finally chose to study at a business school, though I still take some time off to film projects.”

She does not even know when she will finish her studies, as she is busy doing a new soap opera titled Kasih dan Cinta (Kasih and Cinta) for a private TV station.

While other entertainers may opt to stay away from soap operas due to their time-consuming filming process, Julie does not mind it.  

“For me, it’s a good opportunity. Besides, I’m still off campus so I think I have much time to do this [soap opera project],” she says.

“When the soap opera has yet to be aired on TV, the shooting process is still fine. But once it gets on TV, you will work so hard. Sometimes, all the cast and crew have to work everyday and race against the clock, even on Sundays, to shoot the latest episodes.”

Being an actress is not her only passion. Julie also set her eyes on the directorial field.

She once lent her hand as a co-director for her sister’s directorial debut, the short film Gadis di Ruang Tunggu (The Girl in the Waiting Room), an adaptation of Rachmania Arunita’s short story entitled Gadis di Pesawat (The Girl in the Plane), which starred Laudya Cynthia Bella.

Julie said she learned many things while co-directing the film.

“It takes a lot of responsibility as a director. You have to manage your actors and crew, adjust the music with the scenes and be involved in every process, from shooting to editing.”

“There are more burdens [than acting]. It was so tiring, but I’m satisfied with result,” she added.

Julies said it was good to be in the same industry as her sister.

“We often share about many things, including our entertainment career. Cathy is more than just a sister. She’s my best friend,” she said.

“We always give ideas and critiques to each other. We are not competing. I always support her and she does the same thing.”

She even appears with Cathy in her latest ad for a household appliance brand.

One of her biggest wishes is to work with Cathy again.     

“I really want to make another film with her, but not in the near future because we are very busy now, maybe next year.”

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