P

evita Cleo Eileen Pearce is a popular actress but not many people are aware that her creativity has led her to explore different facets of the creative industry.

The 23-year-old actress, who has starred in nine films, is also a designer and a poet. She owns an accessory brand, is the brains behind a clothing line and has released a poetry book.

'€œThere is something about the creative industry that attracts me so much. When I'€™m doing something creative, I find great pleasure in it,'€ Pevita says.

Pevita recently finished her latest film, Aach...Aku Jatuh Cinta (Aach... I'€™m in Love), directed by renowned director Garin Nugroho.

'€œWorking with Garin is very interesting; he'€™s very knowledgeable and I'€™ve learned a lot from him,'€ she said. '€œHe'€™s like a teacher to me who always encourages me to develop my creative side, such as by asking me to keep writing poems.'€

The film, slated to hit theaters on Feb. 4, tells a love story between Yulia (Pevita) and Rumi (Chicco Jerikho) with the background of the social and political situation in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

The retro setting did not give her any trouble at all in playing Yulia, as she had enough preparation for the role.

'€œI have totally grasped the foundation of the character that I'€™m playing, so even though I wasn'€™t born yet at that time and I haven'€™t gone through the stuff that Yulia has, it'€™s not a big problem for me to play her,'€ Pevita said.

Playing alongside the Citra Award winner Chicco is another exciting experience for her, including when she shares intimate scenes with him.

'€œIntimacy is not always defined by physical interaction, but also by the dialogue and emotion. The chemistry between Chicco and I is very well built as my imagination perfectly matches his,'€ she said.

'€œAnd Chicco is a very great actor; he can easily adapt to his character and is very professional. It'€™s hard not to fall in love with his acting.'€

The Jakarta-born Pevita first fell in love with acting when she was in elementary school where she took part in many stage plays. She later made her debut in a soap opera and managed to secure a part in the 2006 film Denias, Senandung di Atas Awan (Denias, a Hum Above the Clouds).

Once she jumped into acting, she wanted to do it seriously, so she flew to Australia to study acting at the New York Film Academy for four months.

Her film projects include Lost in Love (2008), which earned her a nomination as Best Leading Actress at the Indonesian Film Festival in 2008, Rasa (2009), Dilema (2012), Sanubari Jakarta (Heartbeat of Jakarta, 2012), 5cm (2012) and Tenggelamnya Kapal Van der Wijck (The Sinking of Van der Wijck, 2013).

Her roles in films also inspire her to write poetry.

'€œI once wrote a poem based on Hayati and Zainuddin (the characters in Van der Wijck). The words of Buya Hamka (the author of the Van der Wijck novel from which the movie is adapted) are very poetic, making me feel melancholic,'€ she said after reading a short poem to The Jakarta Post.

She started writing poems when she was a teenager, compiling them into a book that was released in 2014, entitled Our Notebook: Peace in Mind, War at Heart.

Pevita also finds great interest in fashion. After taking an internship at a clothing company when in high school, she found the fashion business exciting, prompting her to study it at LaSalle College in Jakarta.

In 2009, she set up her own accessory brand, Hippearce, before joining the Tre tropical clothing line where she is not only a shareholder but also in charge of determining the concept of the clothes for every season and of making marketing strategy.

Her 13 years of journey through the creative industry has definitely shaped her into a better person, she said. '€œEvery project has its own challenge and I always try to be better in every project that I do. After 13 years, I feel like I'€™ve become a better individual who can adapt well in many different circumstances.'€

Nevertheless, Pevita is still craving for more adventure. She looks forward to playing in non-dramatic movies and being involved in stage plays. '€œMas Garin and I have been talking about a theater project that is also related with poetry. Let'€™s just wait and see.'€