Rise to the Challenge – In her second appearance on DAMAN, Pevita Pearce shares with Riga Ramadhan about her latest movie, new challenge and more
Here’s a little fun fact that you have to know: working with familiar faces is always fun. Why? Well, put simply, you already know what to do, and they also already know what to do. So all the preparation gets done in such a short time and then voilà… the entire job goes well. Suffice to say, that is pretty much how it went with our latest photo shoot and interview with multi-talented actress Pevita Pearce, in her second appearance as DAMAN Darling. Yes, she also appeared in the February 2014 issue and, of course, she has moved forward in quantum leap since then.
For instance, in the last five years, Pearce has also been involved as a brand ambassadors for multiple brands, played in five different movies, created a clothing and accessories line and many more. “Special for this year, I have two movies that will be playing on theater,” she happily explains, opening the conversation. “One of them is titled ‘Rumah Merah Putih’ (Red and white house). This movie tells the story about children, friendship and also family in Atambua. Meanwhile, for the second one, I still can’t tell you much about it.”
As for the former, according to Pearce, there are several reasons that made her interested playing in this film. Starting from interesting scenarios, being able to working with Alenia Pictures again (Pearce’s first movie, “Denias Senandung di atas awan” (Denias, Singing in the Cloud) was made by them 13 years ago), different characters, to a special challenge in terms of location. “The filming process itself took place at Atambua in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. As we may already know, Atambua is on the border, so everything is pretty much limited. From water, no electricity during the night, to the condition of there is no internet whatsoever,” she opens up. “But still, this place was amazing. I spent a whole month for shooting down there and I felt grateful for all the amazing experiences that I’ve got, despite all the challenges.”
Speaking about challenge, she also notes how it’s actually very important for her—or any aspiring actor, for that matter—to always try looking new challenge, in order to keep growing each and every day. “For me, playing in this
movie gave me the chance to take another challenge. In this movie, my character is Maria Lopez. She is a Portuguese descent and grows in Atambua with all its limitations. But for Lopez, her nephew named Oscar, is ultimately her entire life. Maria Lopez’s story is the challenge that I need to tackle,” she continues. “How she interacts with children and how she appreciates everything despite the limitations, it’s totally a challenging character and this surely brings a new energy for me.”
“It took me about a month to become a full Maria Lopez,” she explains further of her experience. “I change my hair color, I change my skin tones as well. I learnt the dialect through talking with the nona-nona (ladies) in Atambua. Why? Because for me, it’s easier for me to adapt while learning by doing, directly in the environment.”
Aside to that, Pearce also amazed about living conditions in Atambua. “One thing that certainly put things in perspective, people in Atambua, with all kinds of limitations, still able to live in harmony with each other,” shares the doe-eyed actress. “And it was a very inspiring thing for me to see. On top of that, the children also got emotional attachment with the nature, and that’s a nice thing to see.”
Trust in the local film industry is another issue that has pulled her attention, as she acknowledges that right now, trust for this industry has already returned. “Couple years ago, there was a time when we have one or two hundred thousand viewers seeing a movie. But now, we already managed to get one to two million people. I’m pretty optimistic about Indonesian movie industry. This is a great number for our local industry,” Pearce passionately explains. “That means the market already trusts our own products. The market already trusts our own filmmakers.”
“To top it off, there are a lot of movies from Indonesia that goes to any kind of different movie festivals, from Spain, America, to Canada,” she enthuses. “I hope for our local industry, moving forward, there will be new filmmakers with new story. Bring new uniqueness as well as gain a new trust for the investor, in order to invest more in our local industry. Furthermore, I also hope that there will be a lot of films about children in the future. Because, as it currently stands, films about children are still lacking in our industry. In my opinion, the number should be multiplied.”
As the interview approaches its end and the questions take a personal turn, the sprightly actress appears very excited when asked about her works outside the movie industry. “Well, right now, I created a new clothing line brand called P.V,” she passionately replies. “I build it from scratch with a new concept. It’s a women apparel brand which celebrates individuality and empowerment, for people who beat the odds, who challenge themselves and break stereotypes every single day.”
Slipping out of her cozy sneakers and into a pair of sky-high heels with a gold gown for the photoshoot, the multi-talented actress is totally more than ready for any challenge the world has to throw in her way. Poised and posed for the first click of the camera, Pearce casually adds, “The most important thing is, whatever I’m doing now or in the future, I hope that I’ll always be happy. aside to that, I’m so ready for any challenge,” she concludes with an adorable smile.
OUTTAKES
Photography Burhan Prawira
Styling Primawan Hakim
Makeup and hair Archaengela Chelsea
Interview Riga Ramadhan
Location Klots Home Furnishing, Jl. Kemang Timur no.48, +62 21 7179 1827, klots.com
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