Actor Sahrul ready to move past pretty boy roles

Actor Sahrul ready to move past pretty boy roles

Tony Ryanto, Contributor, Jakarta

A lot of kids and teenyboppers may well be acquainted with Sahrul
Gunawan, a teenage singer and the protagonist of Jin dan Jun (Jin
and Jun), a TV show that was broadcast on RCTI from 1995 to 2000.
Two different actors starred as Jin, but Sahrul played Jun for
the full five-year run of the show.

Sahrul has grown up and has since appeared in rather mature
shows such as Bukan Cinderella (Not Cinderella, SCTV, 2003) and
Kecil-Kecil Jadi Manten (Teenagers Become Bridegrooms, RCTI,
2002).

Most people are drawn to the actor because of his looks. While
good looks are a blessing, they could work to restrict the roles
an actor gets.

Remember Tony Curtis? He was a handsome actor. However, unlike
Rock Hudson, Curtis was gorgeous. So in an effort to change his
image, he and Sidney Poitier played the protagonists in Stanley
Kramer's The Defiant Ones.

The actor, one critic said of the movie, delivers a truly
surprising, almost flawless, performance. He received a Best
Actor Oscar nomination for his work.

In Bukan Cinderella, Sahrul is no longer a pretty boy, or so
he wants viewers to see him. He is not clean shaven, he seldom
smiles, is often moody and represents the angry young man,
forever at odds with his stepmother.

At one point, the female lead, Lia, says, "Mom's been in an
accident, but thank God she is still alive and well."

"Why thank God? Didn't she have an accident?" is the comment
of Sahrul's character.

"We always have to thank God because He knows what is best for
us," retorts the girl. And Sahrul's character begins to ponder
this and seemingly comes to the conclusion that she's right.

It's an effective moment, especially considering that Lia is
not only younger but socially from a lower class. In Lia's words:
"He comes from a rich family, whereas we do not. To make things
worse, the family wants him to marry a girl of the same
standing."

The strong dialog reminds us of the conversations involving
another actor, Krisna Mukti, in the early episodes of the series
Aku Ingin Pulang.

Sahrul is well aware of his cute looks and tries hard to play
against type. In his secretary's opinion, "He is happy whenever
he is entrusted to play a new character that is different from
the ones he has played in the past."

The 27-year-old actor (born in Bogor on May 23, 1976) has
appeared in 14 TV series and FTVs (70-minute made-for TV feature
films).

Apart from the delightful Jin dan Jun series, Sahrul said his
favorite sinetron (short for sinema elektronik, or electronic
cinema, which is aired on TV) was Jalan Lain Ke Sana (Another Way
to Heaven, SCTV, 2002), in which he played a Muslim religious
teacher.

"A lot of viewers say they like me in that series because the
role suits me, and I myself have learned a great deal from the
dialog," Sahrul said.

A graduate of the School of Economics at Pakuan University in
Bogor, Sahrul has twice performed the haj pilgrimage (in 2001 and
2003).

In 2003, he also did the umrah (pilgrimage to Mecca that can
be performed at anytime during the year).

When asked about marriage, the son of HM Somantri and Hj
Hasanah is modest.

"I am still single. I want to be a family man but am still
looking for the right young woman. God willing, she will come and
will make a good wife."

Sahrul expressed hope he could become an actor of substance,
one to be reckoned with.

"I admire Sean Penn because the American actor plays different
characters in each of the films in which he stars.

"I also admire (local film stars) Christine Hakim and Rano
Karno. Apart from Sean Penn, I have a high regard for Nicole
Kidman and Al Pacino."

"One of my favorite films is I am Sam, which is touching and
in which Penn is outstanding."

He makes particular mention of another local actress and
singer, Meriam Bellina, who Sahrul praises as a true
professional.

The late director Arifin C. Noer also had a lot of praise for
Meriam, saying she had contributed a great deal to the nation's
film industry.

Meriam plays Sahrul's mother in Pernikahan Dini (Dini's
Marriage), a popular soap opera that also stars Agnes Monica, who
won the Panasonic Best Actress Award for her work on the show.

Sahrul said his favorite local director was Chairul Umam
because the latter was very accurate and cooperative.

"I also have a great deal of esteem for producer Leo Sutanto
because he has vision and idealism."

The actor's motto in life are the two Bs: Belajar dan Berdoa
(study and pray). And his favorite dish is sayur asem (vegetable
soup), a delicacy a lot of Indonesians miss whenever they are out
of the country for long periods of time.

Sahrul said he would like to be record producer for aspiring
young singers. He is the executive producer on his fourth album,
to be released this year.

"I would like to be honored with a sinetron best actor award.
I hope the FSI (Indonesian Sinetron Festival) is revived because
competition makes our profession more worthwhile and meaningful."

Sutanto says Sahrul was a promising actor. "My next sinetron
for him is tentatively titled Ketika Nadine Ketemu Usep (When
Nadine Meets Usep). From what I gather, his dream is to become a
star in a 35mm feature film, which I am most happy to consider."

At the age of 43, Tony Curtis played the title role in The
Boston Strangler but didn't get the attention of the Academy of
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The character he portrays is in
sharp contrast to the ones that so pleased his legions of female
fans in The Prince Who Was A Thief, Houdini and The Black Shield
of Falworth.

Sahrul said: "I know people tend to think I am not capable of
bringing to life characters other than sweet pretty boys, but I
pray I will be given the strength to perform effectively in more
serious fare, like Tom Cruise in Born on the Fourth of July or
Michael J. Fox in Casualties of War.

"And I hope I don't have to wait until I'm 43."