Hairul Azreen says embodying a vicious character in 'The Assistant' affected his well-being

In 'The Assistant' Hairul Azreen plays a guy who enjoys hurting other people. Photos: Handout

If there’s one thing that filmmaker Adrian Teh would readily attests to when it comes to actor Hairul Azreen, it is the latter’s dedication to his craft.

Since their collaboration in the 2018 box office hit Paskal: The Movie, the two have worked together, as director and actor respectively, in Wira (2019) and Pasal Kau! (2020).

They followed those with Hairul’s directorial debut, Ada Hantu (2021), in which Teh was the producer and co-writer.

That partnership continues with the new action flick The Assistant, which opened at cinemas nationwide on May 19.

“I feel very comfortable working with Hairul; he is very professional and his commitment to his role is second to none in Malaysia. I dare to say that,” Teh mentioned during a press meet.

“I trust him in delivering what I have on paper. I need a fighter for my film, and Hairul is one of the best fighter actors in Malaysia.”

Hairul Azreen (left) with Adrian Teh at the 24th Udine Far East Film Festival.

Directed and written by Teh, The Assistant tells the story of Zafik (Iedil Dzuhrie Alaudin) who is sent to jail for 10 years for a crime he did not commit.

While serving time, he is informed about the deaths of his wife and son but not who killed them or why.

Zafik comes out of prison a broken man. That's when he meets Feroz (Hairul), who puts him on a path filled with violence.

Hairul told StarLifestyle that he didn’t know if he could play Feroz when he first got the script, as the character is larger than life, and most times is unreasonable and vicious.

However, wanting to put his best foot forward, Hairul watched similar themed movies and did extensive research for the role.

His effort pays off as Hairul’s performance in The Assistant is, to say the least, unlike anything we’ve seen him do before.

But this endeavour came at the expense of the actor’s own well-being.

According to Hairul, he was emotionally affected while inhabiting the character during the shooting period (in early 2021).

“I felt like Feroz’s personality was becoming my own. I became short tempered around my kids and I would laugh like Feroz,” recalled Hairul, who is a father of two.

“Whenever I smoked – and I don’t smoke, I vape – I could feel Feroz creeping into me. When I appeared on a TV show, I scolded an extra in the same way as Feroz does.

“So much so my manager commented that I was acting strangely and not like myself.

The actor walked the red carpet with his wife Hanis Zalikha during the premiere of The Assistant in Malaysia.

“I felt like I just couldn’t shake Feroz off of me... I called Adrian – (‘in the middle of the night,’ added Teh) – to ask for his help as Feroz was getting to me and I got a little scared.”

The 34-year-old star said he only had full control of Feroz a week before the production ended.

“That was when I clearly had him within my grasp.

“In that sense, portraying this role really challenged me more than anything else because at first, I couldn’t figure out how to play Feroz.

“And then it was the task of how to lose him as he got a little too close for comfort.”

It took Hairul Azreen awhile to shake off his character in 'The Assistant'.