Ophelia, the Actress

By Sori Siregar

Acting has its risks. It can also bring with it trouble. The real problem is not the heavy burden of knowing by heart the dialog of the script to be played. Or the duration of the time- consuming shooting days. Nor the gossip among crews and actors, nor the low standard of payment.

For Ophelia, a starlet in a new television series, one big nuisance of being an actor was the obligation to keep up an attractive appearance when in public.

"No wonder," she thought, "many actors drive lavish cars, live in plush houses, dine in classy restaurants and shop extravagantly."

This is not a problem if an actor is well-paid. But for those who play small roles in a television drama or play and are paid below the standard wages, or a small fee, it is out of the question to live in such luxury.

There are not many popular actors who can afford to live that way. Where do they get the money? Do they come from well-to-do families? Or are the rumors true? That they use the television dramas they are taking part in as promotion to introduce themselves to those "hungry men", who are always after beautiful girls in the entertainment profession for pleasure. And the actors, the rumors say, are successful, particularly in fixing their prices.

A men's magazine in the capital has exposed this kind of high- class practice several times. Ophelia was scared that the rumors were true.

She was fortunate enough to have an opportunity to play a supporting part in a television series that paid a moderate fee. Furthermore, supporting actors are higher in status than supernumerary actors or those classed as extras.

As a high school graduate, she was very happy with the chance given by the director, since she knew it was difficult to find a job nowadays. When she heard from a friend that a production house was looking for a new actor for its forthcoming production, Ophelia went directly to the producer to audition and submit her curriculum vitae. Luckily, she passed the test and was entrusted to play a challenging role in the drama.

It was the story of a middle-aged single mother who had to do her utmost to bring up her two children. Ophelia played Marni, one of the children, who dropped out of school to help alleviate her mother's burden.

The story goes on that after years of struggle, doing all kinds of jobs, washing clothes from one house to another, selling cookies, steamed cakes, pancakes and noodles in front of their house, life for the hard-working mother and daughter gradually got better.

In the end, with their hard-earned savings, Marni's younger brother could enter a university while Marni married her former classmate, who now worked as a middle manager in a bank. Her mother and brother lived with her and her husband as a new happy family.

It was a story with a happy ending, the kind of play most liked by viewers. Ophelia's acting in the drama was not bad. It was considered promising by the director. Consequently, her picture began appearing in magazines and newspapers along with interviews.

Reporters warmly welcomed her debut in the television drama industry and flattered her as a rising star.

"Do I have to appear in costly dresses and expensive makeup if I want to go anywhere or buy something in a supermarket?" Ophelia asked herself. She later answered herself "being attractive in appearance has nothing to do with prices. Decent behavior is more important."

As a daughter of a civil servant working in the Ministry of Agriculture, Ophelia's family had only one old car. It was used by their father to go to work. So if Ophelia wanted to go out she had to take a taxi. Eventually she realized it costs a lot of money to continually take that expensive public transport. She made up her mind to take a bus as an alternative.

Moreover, how much did she get for her role in the drama? For one episode she was paid Rp 1 million. To get that she had to spend a whole week shooting on location without rest. The drama she took part in was made up of 13 episodes and she received her pay in installments. Seven million of the Rp 13 million had already been allocated for enrollment in a private university.

The remaining amount had been spent for an overhaul of her father's old car, repairing leaks in the roof of the family's house, buying gifts for her four brothers and sisters and saving a small sum in the bank.

Realizing this, Ophelia concluded that it was too risky for an actress to pretend to be rich and present a glamorous appearance in public. "Why should I?" she thought. "I am not as well paid as Cok Simbara, Christine Hakim or Desy Ratnasari. Even if I were paid like them I'll remain modest and simple in everything."

For Ophelia, an actor should be a regular person. Nothing special, more so if they were only actors with small parts in television dramas. They are paid much less than what Ophelia received. What can they do with a Rp 300,000 to Rp 500.000 monthly income?

In an air-conditioned bus on her way home from a discussion at the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center, Ophelia was spotted by a group of female students from a nearby high school. One by one they approached Ophelia for an autograph. An old man sitting beside her was wondering. He turned his head, looked at Ophelia and examined her carefully.

"Oh, what a coincidence," he exclaimed to the surprise of other passengers. Aware that other passengers were disturbed by his voice, the old man lowered his voice.

"My daughter is one of your fans, Miss Ophelia. You had her sympathy in your suffering in the drama. We all thought your acting was superb. She liked the way the story was told. It was interesting, very interesting. Her only objection was your marriage to your former classmate when your hard times were over. Why didn't you go back to school even though you were then too old to be a high school student? She said the drama discouraged girls to continue schooling and encouraged them to marry earlier. Didn't you tell the director this?"

Ophelia gazed at the old man with friendliness. He was as old as her father. She politely answered: "Is this your own comment or really your daughter's? I am sorry to ask you this. I have a reason for asking. My parents also share your impression."

"At first it was hers then it was also mine."

"Pak, the drama is open to any kind of comment and conclusion. And it was not made for educational purposes. Though much of the substance of the story reflects the reality in our surroundings, the drama was screened only as entertainment, no more than that."

"You mean it was only for commercial purposes?"

"You're right, Pak.

They both laughed. They shook hands before Ophelia got off at the next shelter. The high school students also got of the bus and followed her. One of them came nearer.

"Mbak, in future television dramas you should not accept a role like the one in your first series. You are such a beautiful actor. You are supposed to play in entertaining and special ones which depict a happy family in an urban society. In this monetary crisis we have a hard time. What we need now is entertainment."

"All right, then. But please don't be disappointed if you do not see me on TV in the future. I start university next month. Besides, I am not an actor, I am only a common extra player of a television series. I have no talent at all and I was selected only because of my looks.

"I realized that from the very beginning but since I needed money for my schooling I accepted the role offered by the director. Okay?"

The girls, stupefied, then left Ophelia alone.

Glossary: Mbak: term of respect for female adult Pak: term of respect for elderly male

Sori Siregar was born in Medan, North Sumatra, on Nov. 12, 1939. A participant in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa in 1970 to 1971, he worked as an international broadcaster for the Indonesian section of BBC radio for a two- year stint beginning in 1972. He has contributed extensively to magazines and journals, and is the author of six novels. A new collection of his short stories, Myth, will be published this year.