PETITE actress Izara Aishah Hisham has had enough of playing romantic roles, preferring “kick-butt” roles in action movies.
While she did get the chance in 2012 in the film Balun, for which her character was a silat exponent, sadly, the film was not released.
Opportunity finally knocked on her door and it is the action thriller
J Revolusi, which will open in cinemas on March 2.
Izara plays the female lead Eddie, a Royal Malaysia Police special operations force personnel, who assists Jay (played by Zul Ariffin) in rescuing his kidnapped sister and going after the person responsible, Andra (Farid Kamil).
Playing Eddie has been a gratifying role for her, but she finds that it is one of the most exhausting acting experiences she had ever gone through.
“Eddie is athletic and boyish, so in most of the scenes, I had to run, climb, fight and scream,” Izara said on the set of the drama series Dia at Sunway Pyramid Hotel in Petaling Jaya recently.
“That was already difficult and tiring. Making things harder is the fact that I had to also look feminine at the same time!
“Most of the cast are at the set for long hours. Sometimes, even for two days straight,” she said, adding that filming J Revolusi had challenged her mentally and physically.
“Sometimes a fight scene had to undergo reshoots to get different camera angles,” she added.
For J Revolusi, the Johor-born actress had to train in the Filipino martial arts of Kali and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
She chose to do all of the stunts herself, earning her some scrapes and bruises.
One challenging scene was when she had to spar with Zul in training, which she said was exhausting.
“It took two days to shoot that scene because we had to be precise with our techniques and movements on camera. Since I was the one who asked for this, I have to pay the price,” joked the 24-year-old.
On a more serious note, Izara said she actually did not mind the challenge, since she had always been a martial arts fan.
“I learned Muay Thai when I was 16, so I had the basics down.
“Thankfully the Kali and jiu-jitsu instructors were great at teaching, so it didn’t take long for me to learn them.”
A film by Grand Brilliance and Infinitus Productions, J Revolusi is directed by Zulkarnain Azhar. It also stars Nur Fazura, Azad Jazmin and Iedil Putra.
“I hope my acting as a member of the special operations force is convincing. I have yet to watch the film, so I can’t wait.”
Izara, who has also ventured into business and is set to release her own line of lip stain, has acted in dance drama Showdown The Movie and romance drama Pilot Cafe.
“I hope people will be able to see how serious and passionate I am in acting. Having played a variety of roles that I’ve taken up and the kind of portrayals that I’ve given, I want to be acknowledged and be respected as an actress, not just another popular celebrity. Choosing roles that matter has always been important for me,” said Izara who is filming Dia, a 60-episode drama series slated to air in November on TV3. It also stars popular Indonesian singer-actor Irwansyah, and local actors Janna Nick and Adi Putra.