Iko Uwais: I'm not an actor, I just play the role of a fighter  

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The name Iko Uwais began to grab public attention since his first film Merantau ('Sojourn') was screened in movie theaters around the country. Then, one after another, the films he starred in made it into the market, like The Raid: Redemption and The Raid 2: Berandal. Both films, directed by Gareth Evans, were quite successful in the United States and Europe.

From then on, there was nowhere else to go except Hollywood. Together with his co-stars in the Raid film series, Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman, Iko is now featured in Disney's latest production Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was released last week. Iko plays the role of Razoo QinFee, a member of an intergalactic crime gang called Kanjiklu, led by Tasu Leech (played by Yayan).

For Iko, acting in a Hollywood film means carrying the Indonesia name onto the world stage, doing his best to be the pencak silat (traditional martial arts) ambassador in every international movie he is involved in. Besides the Star Wars sequel, he also appears in Man of Tai Chi, Beyond Skyline and Mile 22 (still in production).

Naturally, by acting in those films, Iko gets the chance to meet some Hollywood heavyweights, like J.J. Abrams, Harrison Ford, Frank Grillo, Jackie Chan, Keanu Reeves and Peter Berg. "To be honest, I feel slightly overwhelmed by them. Who am I?" recounted Iko, who should have been on the red carpet at the premiere of Star Wars in Hollywood last week. Instead, he was back home working on a film project.

Tempo reporters Tulus Wijanarko, Tito Sianipar, Dini Pramita and Cheta Nelawaty, were able to interview Iko on two separate occasions, the latest being last week in Jakarta. Excerpts:

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How did you get to be in the mega movie Star Wars?

This was a Gareth Evans project, which he got from Management 360 in the US. He had it back in 2014, during the fasting month, while we were promoting The Raid 2 in the US. But he kept it a secret. He scheduled us to meet directly with (Star Wars director) J.J. Abrams.

Who were at that meeting?

Abrams with his management team, including his producer. I was with Yayan because Gareth had another meeting elsewhere. He told us about his plan, suggesting some ideas he got from The Raid team, and he understood that we were the choreographers. Right there, we showed him some of our moves, and he became very interested. But I did reject some of his ideas. He said, "Wow, that's cool. But Iko, this is a movie for a general audience." (laughing).

At that time, were you told about the role of Razoo Qin-Fee?

Not yet. We were told only after we tried on our costumes, because they were complicated and very detailed. It had various layers of material, because for action, they had to be loose and comfortable. And we had to wear boots, parts of which pressed on our bodies, like a mat on our stomachs. That made it difficult for us to do complex and fast movements. After trying (the costumes on), we were told about the characters we would be acting out.

At that first meeting, had you agreed to do the part?

Yes, I did. I saw it as a very big opportunity, not for me personally, but also for Indonesia. Star Wars, after all, is not just a movie. It's become a world film culture, beyond the US. And, thanks be to God, now Indonesia is seen as a place for film collaborations. This movie is big. It's a legend and used up a huge budget.

Did Abrams mention he was a fan of The Raid?

Yes, he said he had watched The Raid 1. He was frank and open about it, saying he liked the style but because it was a film for general audiences, not all types of (choreography) could be included.

What's Abrams like?

He's very friendly. At every shooting, he visited us and he would say, "Wow, neat. How are you guys? Everything okay?" He really cares about the actors. Someone like J.J. Abrams talking to us nobodies that made us feel good. He interacted directly with the actors, never used go-betweens to convey his message.

How long was the shooting?

Yayan and I went first to the UK for a two-week shoot, because we also created the choreography. In the middle of our practice, Kang Cecep arrived. Then we tried the costumes and practiced at the set.

How much of a choreography did you contribute in Star Wars?

All (of my suggestions) were accepted. Usually, we would need one take and they would be happy. But in Indonesian film productions, one scene would need at least 10 takes.

You did one scene with Harrison Ford. What was that like?

That was something. Who doesn't know Harrison Ford? Actually, we had met before the shoot. He came down from the set and we were inside our tent, he passed by and saw us. He came to us, and shook our hands, one by one. Wow, we shook hands with Harrison Ford.

Did you carry on a conversation?

He sat next to me, and we struck up a conversation. He asked us where we came from and he answered back that the he had once been to Indonesia, to (document) cases involving forests.

Does he still care about Indonesian forests?

He still does, and he still remembers everything about his trip here, including his meeting with the minister (of Forestry, Zulkifli Hasan). He said, "I was upset, but he just laughed. I wonder why?"

(Harrison Ford met with Minister Zulkifli Hasan on September 9, 2013 in relation to a film documentary titled Years of Living Dangerously. The video with Ford and Zulkifli can be seen on YouTube).

Is it true there's a clause in your contract about not leaking out anything about Star Wars before its premier screening?

That's right. We signed on that we would not say anything. Even when we did our studio shoot, our handphones were sealed by a barcode. There were sensors that can detect if those barcodes were broken. When one guy asked to have his picture taken, his handphone was immediately taken away and the film erased. I also received a call at one time, because they thought I had made a video recording (of a scene). I was checked by the security. Secrecy was of the utmost importance. (*)

Read the full interview in this week’s edition of Tempo English Edition