PETALING JAYA, April 5 — "Do you really want me to swear?”

That was one of the first questions Fly by Night star Fabian Loo asked director Zahir Omar to which he replied, "You have all the freedom to do so.”

"As an actor, especially in Malaysia, we don’t have the luxury of doing that,” Loo told Malay Mail.

For television making a name for himself in film, multi-dimensional and morally ambiguous characters don’t come by often, so when the chance to play the brash and hot-headed Sai Lo presented itself, Loo went all out for the role.

"It’s very rare for a Chinese actor to get a script that delves into the dark side of society,” he said.

Loo with Bront Palarae in a scene from ‘Fly by Night.’ — Picture courtesy of Planet Films

The predominantly Mandarin film, which has been receiving positive reviews on the international film festival circuit, centres around two brothers moonlighting as taxi drivers (played by Loo and Sunny Pang) who extort wealthy targets.

To prepare for the role in the gritty crime thriller set in the streets of Kuala Lumpur, Loo had to shed his boy next door image which Malaysian moviegoers got a taste of in last year’s Chinese New Year rom-com Think Big Big by OlaBola director Chiu Keng Guan.

"Zahir always told me ‘If you are a kind and good boy, I need you to be more aggressive and bad’,” he said.

To get into that headspace, the 28-year-old took up boxing to work on his aggression which he could channel into his character.

Working under the direction of the first BMW Shorties winner, Loo said actors on set would always have to bring their A-game.

"There are times when I get tired and I don’t give my 100 per cent and deliver my most genuine emotion, Zahir will say ‘Stop lying, give me the truth’ and I’ll be like ‘You caught me’,” said Loo.

He added that Zahir’s method differed from other directors he has worked with, allowing the cast to explore.

Director Zahir Omar told Loo to be more aggressive for the role of Sai Lo. — Picture by Hari Anggara

"Freedom comes with trust — in order to give actors the freedom to explore, you need the director’s trust.

"I will always go all out because I know he will be there to pull me back or to push me further, so I feel safe,” said Loo, who noted that unlike constraints of TV productions, actors in film get to explore the intention of a scene.

Asked what type of roles Loo loved playing, the psychology graduate said the character must be rooted in humanity.

"As long as the character depicts some truth of our humanity, I will be drawn to the role,” he said.

Making the switch from TV dramas to film hasn’t been an easy transition for Loo, mainly because of most who typecast actors.

Loo took a break from the stable income TV roles offered for a year to audition for films, which he said required a lot of networking.

"In film, you have to expand your contacts, get directors to know what you can do.

"I had a tough time for about a year where I had no jobs at all because to make that transition, you have to say no to TV jobs and at the same time you can’t force people to give you a job,” he said.

The actor, who was refreshingly earnest about the realities of a showbusiness career, also highlighted the importance of financial management.

"It’s literally auditions after auditions, so you have to start financial planning because you’ll use up your savings and you have to spend wisely. It’s quite a challenge,” he said.

Loo will next star in a Singaporean online series titled Driver. He is also working with fellow Fly by Night actor Bront Palarae in an upcoming project.

Fly by Night opens in cinemas nationwide April 11.