The need for actors who can act

The need for actors who can act

By Agni Amorita

JAKARTA (JP): Oliver Stone reportedly wants to direct an
Indonesian script based on one of Pramudya Ananta Toer's books, a
project many local actors would no doubt want to take part in.

Finding the right people to fill roles, however, is a
difficult job as there are relatively few professionals here who
can handle the task.

And our film industry itself is to blame for being unable to
create a healthy and conducive system to grow our own Willem
Dafoe, Robert De Niro or gray-haired Sean Connery. The biggest
parts in our local wide-screen and television films are given to
beautiful and young faces, without the least consideration for
their abilities. Exceptions -- of course --do exist, but the
number of good actors who get the opportunity to star in films is
very small.

When Joanne Brough, the executive producer of Dallas and
Falcon Crest, was invited to Indonesia a few years ago, she saw
Dynasty copies dominating the local soap operas, or sinetron, on
almost all the TV stations. The theme of wealthy families with
continuous adulterous problems was adapted in various ways. The
plot of wars among the bold and beautiful was localized with
hyperbolic conflicts in the more than 25 episodes of those
serialized TV dramas. But what Brough could not find here was a
local Joan Collins or any other stunning character who had more
than a beautiful face.

Joanne Brough, who taught serialized drama scriptwriting for
some local writers in 1996, reminded her class to create at least
one strong character who could steal the show not because of
breathtaking physical appearance but by the character itself.

"This stunning character can be a wheelchair-bound grandmother
who talks with a deep regional dialect on every occasion, but her
character is strongly shown on the screen so even by her cough
she can draw the viewers' attention," explained one of Brough's
former students, Winny Rosalina, who now works as a staff writer
for RCTI's Ketoprak Humor.

"By having this character, not only will we enrich the story
but also give our own very special identity to the show," she
said.

With such a strong character, a show is more likely to appeal
to the audience.

"I can't leave home on Saturday night before finding out what
Pak Misdi's going to say," said 32-year-old Yenny Subrata, a bank
manager from Bandung.

Pak Misdi is a retired tea plantation worker played by
55-year-old actor Bambang Suryo on Aku Ingin Pulang (I Want to Go
Home), aired on SCTV every Saturday night.

"The way Pak Misdi reacts is very unpredictable, but he always
comforts me with his Sundanese philosophy of life. And I find his
West Java dialect quite entertaining, even though he is not
Sundanese," she said about the actor, who is from Central Java.

Aku Ingin Pulang is now entering its 70th episode and is quite
popular.

Unfortunately, not many television shows have such stunning
characters as soap producers do not think that viewers can see
"real people" as their heroes. Which explains why TV series
always feature A-list actors such as Ayu Azhari, Paramitha Rusady
and Bella Saphira.

Miscasting is a common occurrence. Famous actress Bella
Saphira, for example, dons a gray wig to play a middle-aged woman
on SCTV's Dewi Fortuna.

"I think it's realistic because I am portraying an established
big city woman. I wear chic outfits and different makeup, just
the way those mature woman in Jakarta do," the 27-year-old
actress said in an interview.

Harry Capri, the producer of Aku Ingin Pulang, emphasized that
his show is not a Dynasty copy.

"Of course we still need the portrayal of a jet-set family in
the serialized drama to match the viewers' dreams, but
considering that the audience is not dominated by middle-upper
income people, I prefer to have a common person as the hero in my
productions," Harry said.

Another director, Dedi Setiadi, said there was no need to cast
young and beautiful faces, even though this meant it was more
difficult to sell the show.

"We must start this hard work anyway," Dedi stated. "The
system is still against us but I just go on and on."

Dedi, whose Cermin (Mirror) was named Best Dramatic Show at
last year's Indonesian Sinetron Festival, knows well the
challenges. He is still trying to sell Cermin, but there have
been no takers. The film, made in 1997 and 1998, is about people
living in a slum area.

A perfect mirror to reflect our poor film industry.