Iedil Putra & Interchange

Malaysian actor ledil Putra talks to theSun about his role in the much anticipated film Interchange and his love for acting. Here is the full article. 

Headline: Sticking to His passion 
By Bissme S 

Actor Iedil Putra’s dream of working with award-winning director Dain Said has finally come true. The 32- year-old has a starring role in Dain’s upcoming film, Interchange, a supernatural thriller that will open in cinemas at the end of the year. 
“I loved Bunohan, and I have always wanted to work with [Dain],” says Iedil.  
In Interchange, the actor takes on the role of forensic photographer Adam, who becomes psychologically traumatised after photographing numerous brutal crimes. 
Adam then locks himself in his condominium and spies on his neighbours, taking pictures of them. When the beautiful Iva (played by award-winning Indonesian actress Prisia Nasution), moves into his neighbourhood, a relationship develops between them. Adam soon learns that 
loving Iva can be a dangerous thing when he gets dragged into a dark world filled with blood and gore. 
“I knew I would be in good hands when I accepted the role,” Iedil says of Dain. 
He loves the fact that the director organised a lot of meetings and also conducted rigorous rehearsals with his cast before shooting began. “Dain wants his actors to get into the skin of their characters,” Iedil says. 
“I believe rehearsals are important because the director needs to convey his vision to his actors. Rehearsals also allow the director and the actors to find better ways to present the story to the audience.” 
Iedil adds that Dain loves to use literature as a reference, pointing out that the director’s office is filled with books. He was even asked by Dain to read Albert Camus’ The Stranger to better understand his Adam character. Since his character is from Sabah, Iedil says Dain got a dialogue coach to teach him the Sabahan accent. “A lot of East Malaysian elements can be seen in this film,” he says, adding that this is something we seldom see portray in local films. 
Describing his character, Iedil says: “Adam is filled with angst and is reserved. He is always questioning life. I am nothing like Adam. I am more easy going.” 
Iedil is also excited with the news that Interchange has been picked up by Paris-based distribution company Reel Suspects. 
“I am always jealous to see our neighbouring countries producing good movies that have been widely accepted in international film festivals and international market,” he says. 
“We should be doing the same. At the end of the day, as an actor, I want to be involved in good projects. We should be paying more attention on developing good scripts.” Iedil has been acting professionally since he was nine years old. 
His first attempt at acting was in a stage play, I Remember the Rest House by the late director Syed Alwi. He also appeared in a handful of other plays. But at age 17, Iedil received a scholarship to study medicine in the United Kingdom. 
“I did not want to burden my parents … so I accepted the scholarship. I thought I could take up performing arts as a hobby.” 
But Iedil could not see himself as a doctor “when I am 65”, so he quit his studies and became a full-time actor. 
“My parents were sceptical about my decision, but in the end, they gave me their blessing.” 
Iedil has since delivered some notable performances as an actor such as playing a racist schoolboy in the stage play Parah, and an arrogant actor in the film Terbaik Dari Langit. 
When asked if he has any regrets choosing acting over medicine, he says: “Sometimes the industry can kill your spirit, and there are times I feel jaded being a Malaysian actor. 
“It is difficult to get good scripts and good roles. Sometimes, you have to accept roles that you are not happy with because you have to put food on the table. 
“In some productions, I am given a script just a day before the shoot. Sometimes, the script gets written on the set just hours before shooting begins. How do you expect an actor to get into his character just hours before the shoot? 
“But I am passionate about what I do, and you don’t give up on what you are passionate about. You just stick with it.”