For his role as a terrorist in 'War On Terror: KL Anarki', actor Naque sacrificed his hair for a buzz cut and bleached it blonde. Photo: Handout
Actor Naque Ariffin only had five days to get ready for the role of a terrorist in the film War On Terror: KL Anarki.
He was called in at the last minute by director Kroll Azry (Pekak) to replace actor Ben Amir, who was injured while attempting an action sequence three days into filming.
It was reported that Ben underwent surgery and a lengthy recovery process due to an injury to his left eye.
Naque – whose full name is Mohammad Naquiddin Tajul Ariffin – was initially reluctant to take on the role of Joe due to the small time frame for preparation.
But since he was pals with Kroll, he agreed despite his reservations.
“They had already started shooting at that point,” said Naque, whose background is mostly in theatre. War On Terror marks his big-screen debut.
“I told them to give me two days to figure out how to play Joe.”
But Naque had one condition if he were to take up the role: Whatever backstory he came up with for the role, the filmmaker had to accept it.
Along with a backstory, the 32-year-old also conjured up Joe’s look, sacrificing his hair for a buzz cut and bleaching it blonde. He also decided his character should have tattoos on his arms and neck.
Naque Ariffin is experienced in theatre scene and is an acting coach as well.
Co-directed by Kroll and Frank See, War On Terror: KL Anarki centres on the police uncovering a terrorist attack planned for Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur, by brothers Lang (Qi Razali) and Joe (Naque).
A police special team, led by Senior Assistant Police Commissioner Rahman (Adlin Aman Ramlie), is assigned to thwart this threat.
Despite the challenges he faced coming in to the production at the 11th hour, on the big screen, Naque’s Joe comes off as a nasty piece of work who is truly evil to the core.
The actor’s efforts to bring the character to life also extended to the type of fight styles Joe engages in and some parts of the dialogue where the director allowed him to improvise.
However, when it came to the use of firearms, Naque relinquished authority to the stunt director who was in charge of weapons his character uses over the course of the film.
“Every moment I wasn’t filming, I had to go for weapons and fight training so I could catch up with the other actors (who were already trained prior to the shoot). By the end of filming, I had lost 10kg.”
Directed Kroll added: “Yes, on film, Naque is quite new but he’s experienced in theatre. He’s a lecturer, an acting coach and people in the industry know him. That’s why I wanted to get him for Joe.”
But the director did tell Naque a white lie to get him on board.
“When I called him with the offer, I did lie and say that in his first week of filming, there won’t be much physicality involved, only a lot of talking.
“But, actually, his first week was at Bukit Bintang ... His first day on set, he had to do a lot of running,” Kroll said cheekily.
