SABAHAN singer and actress Dyvianna James is beaming with pride, as her very first appearance on the big screen will introduce her to American audiences later this year.
The Sabahan beauty plays a brave, young paramedic named Aisyah in C144, and she is the compassionate voice of reason among a group of campers who climb Gunung Bubu in Kuala Kangsar, Perak, in search of a United States Air Force aircraft which crashed atop the mountain during World War 2.
"It is good to get rough and tough. I love adventure films," she said.
COVERED IN MUD
Dyvianna, the youngest of three siblings from Tambunan, said that the film's director Jack Wong and producer Aaron Lim made the cast and crew climb Gunung Bubu, and in the process she fell on a muddy, slippery slope.
"I was literally in mud. And to make matters worse, a scene which involved a fiery explosion smarted my eyes and made me shed tears," she said.
Dyvianna also had to stem the flow of "blood" from a severe wound on the stomach of one of the characters.
"One of the guys got stabbed by his friend who is possessed by a ghost. As the paramedic, I had to tend his wound to save his life. But the fake blood looked frighteningly real!"
Dyvianna, who has been in the entertainment scene for a decade, had her big break when she performed in several Broadway musicals staged by Broadway Academy Malaysia in Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya.
"I joined Broadway Academy in 2012, and they, especially my vocal teacher Dr Casey Koh, coached me as a stage performer. I am a big fan of Broadway or West End musicals for their catchy songs," she said.
SHY DURING SCHOOL DAYS
Dyvianna admitted that even though she had always been a music lover, she was shy during her school days and was not active in theatre or singing.
"It was only much later, when I pursued a diploma in physiotherapy at a private college in Kuala Lumpur, that I began to overcome my shyness by modelling for advertisements and performing in concerts with friends," she said, adding that she had always wanted to become a singer-actress.
Dyvianna, who has also performed in Christmas concerts organised by Genting Highlands, is currently promoting her first single Dengarkanlah, which is written and composed by her fellow Sabahan Mohamad Afif Fadlullah Shahrom.
"It is a simple, boy-meets-girl love song, with a happy ending. The music video tells the whole story, about a secret admirer who bonds with me over our mutual love of cats," she said.
WOMAN PRISONER
Even though Dyvianna loves to sing "feel good" songs, she is more of a fan of "dark and disturbing" films as opposed to happy endings.
"One such story was Zuriat Dari Penjara. This 26-episode drama saw me play a woman prisoner, whose backstory was tragic.
"The drama focused on the lives of women prisoners, particularly those who became 'mums behind bars'.