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Is actor Chicco Kurniawan Indonesia’s next hearthrob?
Humble beginnings, industry recognition and YouTube-approved charm — Chicco Kurniawan has not let his abusive childhood stop him from rising in the ranks of local movie stars.
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H
umble beginnings, industry recognition and YouTube-approved charm — Chicco Kurniawan has not let his abusive childhood stop him from rising in the ranks of local movie stars.
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.
"I didn't have such an aspiration back in the day," he continued with a shrug. "My 'dream' was simply how to put food on the table the following day."
Chicco's facile mindset stemmed from growing up in a dysfunctional household — a childhood that he described as "pretty grim". The actor did not have the healthiest relationship with his father considering how the latter used to subject him to various forms of abuse.
"Mentally, verbally and physically," said Chicco.
On top of that, he and his two older siblings have long lived separate lives. He left home during the second semester of the seventh grade, living in a kost (rooming house) and working part-time at an internet cafe to support himself.
"My family was pretty individualistic in a way that, 'You've got to take care of your own life'," he said.
After observing his older brother's work (Bobby Samuel, whose acting portfolio has been mostly television movies and soap operas), Chicco decided to cut his acting teeth on various commercial and variety show auditions, which led to his feature film debut, the 2017 horror feature Multiverse: The 13th Step. Unfortunately, for the newbie, the experience of shooting the film was far from glamorous. He came to realize that the Indonesian film scene does not necessarily respond warmly to acting rookies, most likely due to their typical lack of proper training and education.
Chicco's educational background also put him at a disadvantage: At the time, he was "only" a graduate of a vocational high school, at which the courses "had nothing to do with art whatsoever", he described.
"Once we enter [the set], we are immediately considered a professional," said Chicco about the reality of being an actor in Indonesia. "We are expected to be able to execute the brief that is given to us. As an actor, I have to be able to carry my weight. Otherwise, I would find myself in the hot seat — and that's considered normal [in this industry]."
Funny enough, feeling "dumb" on the film set made him realize that he might have finally found his life's work.
"Whenever I get to know a brand new character, I become the dumbest person in the room because I know nothing about [this character]. And once I become dumb, I feel like that's when I can grow [as an actor]. Does that make any sense to you?" said Chicco, grinning.
The leading man
Fully embracing his lack of experience, Chicco decided to collect more insights into acting by asking for advice from more seasoned veterans, attending plays and watching films. He was particularly moved by American actor Joaquin Phoenix's performance in the 2013 science-fiction romantic drama film Her.
"When I watched that film, I felt transported," he said, especially how the futuristic feature enabled him to relate to something "that had never happened before".
The year 2017 was a big one for Chicco. He costarred with Adipati Dolken and the then-fresh-faced Putri Marino in Edwin-directed Posesif. The psychological teen drama film received critical acclaim, particularly on how it deftly explores dating abuse and generational trauma. It was one of the "better" experiences Chicco has ever had shooting a film.
"The production really grew on me. Like, 'Oh, so this is what shooting a film is supposed to be like!' Not that the other productions were terrible, though," he quickly added. "But at the time, I felt like the whole thing was the most proper: the work hours, the scheduling, the food! I won't name names, but there have been lots of productions in which I was given nothing but rice, five seeds of beans and teeny-tiny beef."
Chicco later starred in a short film Pria (Man), a small gig that he heralded as his "turning point" as an actor. Portraying a teenage boy who struggles with his sexuality and his conservative Muslim upbringing, Chicco received a nomination for Best Lead Actor in a Short Film at the 2017 Madrid International Film Festival. As the man behind the role, he claimed that his focus was solely to provide an emotional truth to the story, disregarding how his provocative turn could negatively affect his then-burgeoning career.
"For me, it's as simple as, like, 'Turns out, there are people like [my character] in this world'. It's not about what's right or what's wrong."
He also commended director Yudho Aditya for being generous enough to teach him the more refined aspects of acting.
"That's when I discovered the minimum requirement of being an actor," Chicco reminisced. "Which is how to play with your feelings and not how to deliver my lines and be handsome."
His tenure as a leading man was further cemented when he took up the 2021 drama film Penyalin Cahaya in which he starred opposite Shenina Cinnamon and Jerome Kurnia. His performance received rave reviews and was awarded Citra Award for Best Actor in Leading Role at the 2021 Indonesian Film Festival, besting the likes of Iqbaal Ramadhan, Deddy Mizwar and Reza Rahadian. Chicco is one of the youngest actors in the festival's history to win that category.
"The win was like God telling me, 'Chicco, whatever you do, perhaps you have to continue doing it'," he said.
Unfortunately, the film was hit by a scandal the following year: One of the scriptwriters was accused of sexual misconduct and, consequently, removed from the credits and the film's promotional materials. Considering how the narrative of the film touches on themes of sexual assault, the controversy was both unfortunate and ironic.
Chicco, just like his fellow castmates, was stunned by the scandal. Having said that, he personally believed that transparency is the key to whether the audience would still be willing to watch Penyalin Cahaya. After all, turning a blind eye on the scandal would be a foul play, he reckoned.
"If my friend and I are discussing sexual assault, I would probably recommend them to watch Penyalin Cahaya. However, I would follow with a note about what happened behind it, which is the scandal that was going on. It's up to them whether they [ultimately] want to watch it or not."
The matured heartthrob
Chicco enjoyed a different kind of popularity came 2022, in which he was featured in Ziva Magnolya's video clip for her latest single "Peri Cintaku". The video has garnered more than 10 million views since its premiere on YouTube on April 8. He has also been involved as a brand ambassador for Enam Belas Film Festival, which focuses on short films and feature films about gender-based assault. To boot, he has been an active member of a theater troupe called Teater Tetas.
Now that he is no longer that narrow-minded novice, he can finally recognize and appreciate the value of being a thespian.
"I used to feel that I was the one leading the thorniest life. Turns out, I was wrong. I used to only focus on me and not the other seven billion people in this world. Acting made me realize that. So now, my vocation is more than just about the money or the career. Acting has become my way of life.
And where does Chicco see himself in five years?
"Maybe in five years, I would try establishing my own production house," he said.
