With exceptional skill, hard work and admirable humility, these eight iconic male figures have proven themselves worthy of success. Joezer Mandagi and Gabriela Yosefina discover more
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1 WORTH FIGHTING FOR
JOE TASLIM
“If i wasn’t a judo athlete for more than ten years,I wouldn’t be able to achieve what I have right now,” Joe Taslim opens up. Crediting his stardom to his disciplined and rigorous years in martial arts, the actor has become synonymous with “Indonesian Action Hero.” Nevertheless, he is not easily satisfied with his stature, mentioning that if he stops practicing, next year there will be somebody who can beat him. With that in mind, “The Raid” and “Fast & Furious 6” star has already planned to fly to Los Angeles to take acting classes before working on a new title back in Indonesia. “Actually I am a beginner in the acting world, I am still a baby,” he quipped. The dark-haired actor continues, “An actor should get into the character, putting himself in different gestures. That means I have to be able to speak three to four languages or fight in five types of martial arts..” Is that a hint of his ambition to break into Hollywood? Taslim admits that he wants to try. “To be honest, i don’t know If I can make it. But it is not about taking the medal, it is the fight itself. If you try hard enough, that is already considered a success. With acting, i don’t want to play safe, not because I am ambitious but because I love this job so much. It is my life; it is the best job in the world.”
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2 JUDGE, JURY & ENTERTAINER
DANIEL MANANTA
It’s been quite a while since Daniel Mananta graced the pages of DA MAN magazine, so it was great catching up with him again. so, what’s new for the TV host, VJ and actor? Well, for one, he is no longer just the host of the ever popular “Indonesian idol” singing competition, but also a judge for “Indonesian Idol Junior.” Fans of fashion reality-show “Asia’s Next Top Model” might also have caught a glimpse of him as a guest judge in one episode. On another note, Mananta has also started working behind the scenes, starting as one of the producers of “Killers,” a Japanese-Indonesian thriller. “We’re producing three more movies for the next two years,” he explained. “So, I’ve been busy looking for investors, getting the scripts ready and everything. It’s still in the early phases, but the scripts look good.” On top of all that, he also runs his own talent agency and event organizer company—which doesn’t sound any less stressful. “I’m a person who’s easily distracted,” he said about his lifestyle, “So, whenever I’m tired or stressed out with something, I just look for a way to escape, and I escape to my movies. I love watching movies. I can totally zone out and I forget about everything else that’s happening.” soon, it seems, his works will help others beat stress as well.
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3 OUT OF HIS COMFORT ZONE
MARCELL SIAHAAN
The public knows him mainly as a popballad singer, but Marcell Siahaan has a lot more on his plate these days. as a singer-songwriter, he has just wrapped up his latest album featuring a similar theme with as his previous five albums: love. “However, this album is going to be something different,” he says. “the love i am singing is much more optimistic and supportive; i want to make people believe more in the power of love rather than the pain it brings.” adding even more rock flavors into the album and tapping a different music producer to do the project, he wishes to avoid the mushy-love-story stereotype and wants to collaborate with more people. Concurrently, the singer has two other music projects: a rock band named Konspirasi where he plays drums and an electronic group called juggernaut. At the moment he is also waiting for his license to work as an advocate specializing in handling cases in the entertainment industry. Even with eleven years in the music industry with admirable consistency and a huge amount of followers, singer has never relied on his big name alone. ”Every time a musician has a new album, everything goes back to zero. You cannot solely count on your fame because that way of thinking will slow you down.” Fully aware of the rapid movement of the music industry, Siahaan feels that it’s crucial for him to stay creative and to get out of his comfort zone. “Our music speaks with the language of creativity, productivity and regeneration. the music industry is transforming and connecting to other fields such as fashion, design and even politics. so, i need to keep my content fresh and continue growing.”
“I want to make people believe more in the power of love rather than the pain it brings”
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4 KEEP CALM AND INSPIRE
ABIMANA ARYASATYA
Shyness and quietness are not what you’d commonly expect from a renowned actor like abimana aryasatya. But the thespian does not hesitate to speak frankly about it, “My biggest enemy is myself; i am super shy.” Even so, this dark-haired actor manages to charm the audience with his characters in headliner movies such as “Laskar Pelangi 2: Edensor” (The Rainbow troop 2: Edensor) and “99 Cahaya di Langit Eropa” (99 lights in the European Sky). This year alone he is about to star in another movie adapted from a novel, “Negeri Van oranje,” and he is also set to act in several titles adapted from novels by legendary Indonesian author, Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Starting out in showbiz with the name Robertino, he rose to the top in just several short years. Little did people know that Aryasatya has always been interested in staying behind the scenes. “Up until this point i still have to act, but i wish i can be a producer in the future,” he admits. Although when asked specifically about his milestones in life, he doesn’t seem like much of a planner. “The most important thing is to do the best for today because we don’t know whether tomorrow will come.” a fan of Daniel Day-Lewis who is into movies that are character-driven, the scorpio believes that there is no such thing as a good or a bad movie. He quotes poet and theologian Rumi when explaining why, “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”
“ The most important thing is to do the best for today because we don’t know whether tomorrow will come”
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5 BUSY AS A BEAVER
WINKY WIRYAWAN
Winky Wiryawan, popularly known asDJ Winky, might not always be wordy, but he is certainly always busy. He has just launched yet another album, aptly titled “Playlist,” as the songs in the two-disc set represents the musical world he has been listening to since early childhood until today. He also worked on a short movie covering the album in more detail. Of course, the name Winky Wiryawan has long been a staple of Indonesia’s movie and TV world, and this year’s no different. “Another one that’s going to air,” he began, “is a TV series about Kopassus. I’ll be playing one of the five main characters.” so, yes, we will see the famous DJ taking on the role of a member of Indonesia’s premier special forces unit. And, yes, he and the rest of the cast had to go through training with these elite soldiers. oh, and he has also plunged into the world of directing, with at least one movie clip and another short film awaiting release this year. With such a busy schedule, how does unwind? “Well, I happen to have to team working on jingles, helping companies with product launches, and so on,” he explained. “What i do for fun is usually connected to what i do for a living.”
“What I do for fun is usually connected to what I do for a living”
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6 A MULTITUDE OF CHARACTERS
RIO DEWANTO
This April is a busy month for Rio Dewanto. His highly anticipated movies are all going to come out in that particular month, and in every single movie he plays the leading role. From a coffee shop owner in “Filosofi Kopi” (the Philosophy of Coffee) to a man who leaves behind his homeland in the Batak highlands to try his luck in Jakarta in “Bulan di atas Kuburan” (the moon over the Cemetery) and a loving husband in “Cinta selamanya” (Forever love), the actor gets to portray diverse characters that showcases the depth of his acting skills. Asked to mention which one of those titles presented the biggest challenge, the actor wisely replied, “there are different challenges in each movie i play; each one of them is not something to be taken lightly. i believe that when i am given the opportunity and trust to play a certain role, it is an important journey for my career.” He then quickly adds, “But perhaps the least challenging is my role in ‘Filosofi Kopi’ because during filming i was also preparing my own coffee shop named all Goods. Additionally, the director offered me a certain share of the coffee shop in the movie, so now i have two businesses to run.” Even though the start of his acting career was pure coincidence, Dewanto fully commits himself when it’s time to get into character. “I believe that an actor should not merely memorize the script, he also needs to understand what it is all about. To do so, i ask a lot of questions about one’s motive in certain scene, or the background story of that character, because everything that happens in his life will affect how he is at the moment,” he explains. The thespian then shares a more important drive that pushes him to give his best, “I am going to give my movies to my children and grandchildren, so i will not give them a bad one.”
“I believe when I am given an opportunity and trust to play a certain role, it is an important journey for my career”
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7 LESSONS FROM A CUP O’ JOE
CHICCO JERIKHO
Coffee is now one of Chicco Jerikho’s main concerns. His latest movie, “Filosofi Kopi” (the Philosophy of Coffee), launches this April; which, naturally, means plenty of campaigning duties. More importantly, however, Jerikho— along with co-star Rio Dewanto and director Angga Dwimas Sasongko—have turned the set for the coffee shop in the movie into an actual café; which, naturally, means a lot of management and clean up duties. Luckily, the set was built with a real, functional café in mind. “We had an actual architect design the space that we rented,” he explained. Furthermore, his involvement will extend beyond simply bankrolling the venture and maybe make the occasional public appearance at the premises. “I’ve went to barista school,” he said, “so, on Saturday or Sunday, or when I’m free from work, I’ll brew some coffee here.” Besides the obvious connection with the movie, the Filosofi Kopi café will also highlight Indonesian coffee variants. Finally, as perhaps the most interesting nod to “Filosofi Kopi”—as in the movie and the book, written by Dewi Lestari, it was based on—the café’s house blend will be Ben’s Perfecto. And if you’re lucky, the barista brewing your cup of Joe will be none other than Chicco Jerikho himself.
“On Saturdays or Sundays, or when I’m free from work, I’ll brew some coffee here”
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8 ACTOR IN TRAINING
J. RYAN KARSTEN
Fresh off the pages of our newest issue of DA MAN Style, J. Ryan Karsten is back for our anniversary issue. You can pick up a copy of the former for tales of his modeling career, as today he’s much more eager to chat about his future plans. With several TV films and a TV series under his belt, he wants to move further into the world of presenting and acting, with landing a movie role being his big goal. “Acting is just so exciting, and that’s is why I’ve fallen in love with it,” he began, “Which is also why i really want to find a movie role this year. Something cool, obviously, maybe action or drama—one of those two genres.” His modeling schedule is still as busy as ever, but whenever he’s not posing in front of a camera or strutting down a runway, he’s busy casting. Of course, that’s easier said than done. “Fashion shows are usually arranged far ahead— say, a month or so in advance,” he said, “But for tV shows, you can be called in only three days before shooting starts. ”So, he has his work cut out for now; although he still manages to find time to hit the gym, watch movies and—as can be seen from his Instagram feed—play a bit of music.
“Acting is just so exciting, and that’s is why I’ve fallen in love with it”
Photography Haruns Maharbina
Styling Triska Putri
Videography Dimas Anggakara & Fickar Hajar
Digital Imaging Abdul Khalik, Michael Purwagani
Styling Intern Cynthia Rosalin
Grooming Ria Sambuaga
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