ZUL Ariffin, the star of J Revolusi, started out playing an extra in a drama almost a decade ago, and has risen through the ranks.
The buff 30-year-old actor has been landing leading roles in big and small screen productions.
Now that he has reached the peak of his acting career, it seems that he does not intend to settle for anything less than the role of the hero.
“I’ve since considered myself leading man material, and I’m sticking to playing lead roles only,” he said when met at the launch of Astro’s Raya programmes at Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur recently.
Zul, who plays the titular character in the action thriller Tombiruo, said that he was aware about the tough competition for hero roles, especially with many young actors fighting for the spot.
“Regardless, I’ve worked hard to get to where I am today. It’s a healthy competition, and each actor has something different to bring to the table. At the end of the day, the best man wins,” he said.
Zul said that having worked his way up from the bottom had made him appreciate his craft even more.
The actor of Malay-Dutch parentage kicked off his acting career in 2008. He was only an extra then, but he graduated to bigger roles as the years passed. His breakthrough was the lead role in TV3’s romantic comedy Rindu Awak 200% in 2014.
On the silver screen, he starred in films such as Evolusi KL Drift 2 and Balistik, before taking on the action blockbuster J Revolusi earlier this year, for which he won the Popular Film Actor award at the Anugerah Bintang Popular BH 2016.
“It took me seven long years just to land a TV lead role. These days, I notice that some actors have it easy and can secure lead roles in dramas without experience.
“I shall not name names, but it saddens me when these actors do not seem to give their all in their acting.”
Zul advised newbies to hone their skills and not be carried away by their popularity.
When asked on his love life, Zul merely said he was seeing someone special, but was adamant that the relationship be kept private.
“Yes, I am in a relationship, but her identity will remain a secret,” he said.