Presenter and skincare specialist Reisa Broto Asmoro makes her first foray into acting in the new series GLOW, where she plays a working mother with similarities to herself.

Viu family drama GLOW debuts on Mother’s Day, depicting the struggles of being a new mother, while one of its stars can relate to such challenges.

Premiering on Dec. 22, GLOW sees the acting debut of Reisa Broto Asmoro, a skincare specialist, television host and the 2011 Indonesian representative to the Miss International competition.

“Acting is a whole different thing. I can’t express myself the way I usually do on television,” she said after the series’ premiere event in Jakarta on Thursday.

Aside from Reisa, the three-episode series will also star Indonesian Idol finalist Agatha Suci and actress Nirina Zubir, all under the direction of Project Pop musical group member Hilman Mutasi, who helmed the 2008 comedy-drama Tarix Jabrix.

The theme of the series is stitched deep into Reisa’s life experiences and her overall outlook on mothers and would-be mothers who just want the best for themselves and their children.  

The series highlights the general concerns that new Indonesian mothers have regarding raising their children in a friendly and comfortable environment, while also wanting to be a wonderful parent to them as well.

GLOW centers on Reisa’s semifictional character Regina as she moves out of her mother’s house for the first time and adjusts to a separate married life, away from the friendly neighborhood she was used to and the environment she thrived in.

Moving into her new townhouse with her husband and daughter, she quickly feels the uneasiness of settling into an individualistic environment where the neighbors don’t really talk to each other.

GLOW, sponsored by skincare brand Pond’s, also follows Regina’s efforts to establish her own skincare clinic at her new home, while also settling into the new house as her husband toils at work for most of the day.  

The domestic life that she leads in the series sharply contrasts with her reality though, as the former beauty pageant winner is living a royal Javanese life. She has been married to Surakarta Prince KP Tedjodiningrat Broto Asmoro since 2012.

Mom to mom: In the series, Reisa shares the screen with actress Nirina Zubir.

But in between her high-profile marriage, she has managed to find her own footing as an individual by serving as the host of the Dr. OZ Indonesia health talk show, as well as running her own skincare clinic in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, as Reisa formally studied and trained in medicine.

But despite this, the series draws mostly from her own experiences in raising a child and setting up a new home after marriage, thus Reisa’s performance comes off as natural. The Regina character is shown as a very positive and optimistic person due to her upbringing.

Both her real-life and her on-screen mothers are single parents, who Reisa said would go the extra mile in terms of love for the sake of their children. As also depicted in the series, Reisa found that when leaving home, she had a hard time adjusting to neither living near her supportive mother nor the environment she grew up in.

As this is her first foray into acting, she felt that it was an easier fit to play a character who went through similar situations.

“It would be a bit of a stretch for me in my first acting attempt to play a character that’s too different from myself. Also, I’m used to certain expressions and methods when I’m on camera.”

Reisa, however, is open to expanding her acting range in the future.

“But we’ll see, you know. In the future I’ll probably be ready.”

Right now she is still very much committed to her job as a skincare specialist. As an expert in that field, she has managed to take the time to outline the most important thing to remember when dealing with the care of one’s own skin.

“The only thing I can say is that you can’t see it as a burden,” she suggested. “You take care of your skin because it’ll benefit you and because you feel like it needs the care and that you want to.”

 Leaving the nest: Moving from her mother’s house into her new townhouse with her husband and daughter, Regina (Reisa Broto Asmoro) quickly feels the uneasiness of settling into an individualistic environment.

— Photos courtesy of Viu

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GLOW’s first episode is available to stream on Viu starting on Saturday, with the two following episodes available next Monday and Wednesday, respectively.