KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 — Indonesian actress Caitlin Halderman hopes her involvement in the horror drama series The Hidden Hand (Dia Perempuan Sialan), which marks her acting debut in Malaysia, will open doors for her to further develop her career in the country.
The 26-year-old actress said spending more than a month in Malaysia for the filming of the drama, in which she plays the character Riska, had made her increasingly comfortable with the local culture and way of life, while also sparking her desire to return for other projects in the country.
“I love working in Malaysia because the people here are very kind, and I would say the food here is also my comfort food. It feels like home.
“I had been to Malaysia about four years ago, but only for three days, so I did not really get to experience much. This time, I was able to experience the way Malaysians live,” she said when met after her appearance on the Fokus 30 programme, produced by Bernama Radio, at Wisma Bernama here yesterday.
The beautiful actress, who is of Dutch and Minangkabau heritage, said although there were some language challenges during filming, particularly because the original script was written in Bahasa Malaysia while her character is an Indonesian woman, the openness of the cast made her feel comfortable.
The 12-episode drama, which premiered on Sept 18 on the Viu video streaming platform, also stars Meerqeen, Hannah Delisha and Datin Seri Umie Aida.
Caitlin said everyone on the set was very open to sharing ideas and perspectives, as well as information about the Malaysian entertainment industry.
“I also shared with them about the Indonesian industry. We discussed things almost every day and there were no barriers among us, except for the language. But it was not a problem because every day I would ask how to adapt the dialogue in the script into Indonesian,” she said.
Caitlin said the possession scenes were among the most challenging parts of the filming as they required greater physical energy and emotional intensity.
“Those scenes were something I had never done before, so for me, they were the most difficult. Horror stories require a lot of emotion and energy because there are action scenes, possession scenes and so on,” she said.
She added that her experience as a former water polo athlete had also helped her considerably in her acting career, particularly in developing discipline, patience and the stamina to remain physically active.
Caitlin said her entry into acting was unplanned as she had initially tried her hand at an audition for a brand commercial.
“I was selected. After that, I was asked to audition for a film and was selected again. That was when I thought that this was quite fun, being part of this industry,” she said.
The Hidden Hand follows Riska, a woman determined to seek revenge against a family she believes was responsible for destroying her mother’s life. She infiltrates the family by disguising herself as a domestic helper. — Bernama
