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New Straits Times

#SHOWBIZ: Amerul Affendi plays slick action hero in '6 Jilake'

VERSATILE actor Amerul Affendi is back on the big screen, and he is playing an action hero for the first time. Amerul, 36, said that it was a "tick" on his bucket list, even though his character was more of a funny hero than a serious one. "My latest character is Mr Big Ears, better known as Kuping, and he is a war veteran who fought the Dutch in Melaka and now has to return to his home state Perak to confront them again," said Amerul, who is the star of director Aziz M Osman's latest action-comedy '6 Jilake'. "I've never imagined myself as an action hero, as I'm more of a character actor. Nevertheless, I love being versatile and the action hero role has always been something I've wanted all along. "Thank you, Abang Aziz for casting me in '6 Jilake', it was a superb adventure from the word go." WACKY Amerul admitted that he prefers to be a slightly wacky hero as opposed to a no-nonsense one, for he is a "funny guy" at heart. "I'm not into characters who are smooth and perfect, I love flawed characters who can be irritating yet heroic at the same time, and that's who Kuping is," he said. When asked about working with Aziz, Amerul said that he had always admired the director. "'6 Jilake' marks the first time that I'm meeting Aziz and working with him. "He told me that he was a big fan of my movies such as 'Bunohan', 'Polis Evo', and even 'Pekak'," said Amerul. "It is an honour and a dream to work with Aziz who is a great storyteller. "I immediately said yes when he cast me in his movie." STAR-STUDDED Amerul is familiar with Aziz's best known movies such as 'XX-Ray', 'Leftenan Adnan' and 'Juang'. He admitted that it was easy to work with Aziz because he was good at communicating with the cast and crew of '6 Jilake', which has a star-studded ensemble cast. The cast includes Bell Ngasri, Saiful Apek, Datuk Remy Ishak, Ayda Jebat, Asmidar, Datin Maria Farida, Datuk Fauziah Nawi, Datuk David Teo and Aziz himself. "While I had to do many physically challenging stunts, it was not stressful at all on the set. "Aziz always had things under control and knew what he wanted. "He understands each character and actor in and out. "And best of all, he is very energetic and youthful on the set," said Amerul. When asked about working with Saiful for the first time, Amerul said that he had always wanted to meet the 'Senario' comedian. "Since I was small, I have always dreamed of meeting Saiful Apek. He is a great comedian, and working with him was really cool. "He is very helpful and friendly, a happy-go-lucky man by name and nature." SILAT Amerul had to display slick silat skills while playing Kuping. While he did take silat lessons during his secondary schooldays, these did not last long. "It was only during my 20s that I relearnt silat under an experienced silat master, and it was one to one," said Amerul. When asked about future action movies, Amerul said that he is game for them. Amerul would love to star in a Syafiq Yusof movie too, as he has "fallen in love" with the iconic director's top movie of 2025 'Blood Brothers: Bara Naga'. Amerul admitted that the fight scenes he had in '6 Jilake' were not the major challenges that he faced during filming. Instead, he had to endure a massive heat wave that hit Gopeng, Perak. "Never have I filmed under such a hot, roasting climate. It was 37 degrees Celsius," said Amerul. Amerul would love to star in romantic comedies with strong ensemble casts, such as the iconic British movies 'Love Actually' and 'Four Weddings And A Funeral'. "Romantic comedies are fun, and one helps me recharge after an action movie." Amerul, who has a theatre background, still appears in plays, but only at the end of the year. "Every year end, I make sure that I appear in at least one play, be it in English or Malay. "This year, I'm going to star in a Malay language play by Revolution Stage," he said.