The character Detective Lim in the hit television series Gerak Khas is undeniably iconic.
However, behind the fame, the actor who brought the role to life, Farid Amirul Hisham Wu Abdullah, has revealed the bitter reality faced by some veteran artistes in the local entertainment industry.
Farid Amirul, 61, claimed that he was once offered what he described as an "unreasonable” payment of only RM500 for five days of filming involving 38 scenes.
He said the offer came last year for a production that required him to play a lion dance master, with filming scheduled in Kuala Kangsar, Perak.
"Breakfast and dinner were provided, but there was no lunch. The accommodation was one room shared by four people. When I asked about the payment, they said it was only RM500, including toll and petrol,” he said when met at a breaking-of-fast event and the presentation of Aidilfitri contributions to veteran artistes organised by Yayasan Kebajikan Artis Tanahair.
Farid Amirul said the RM500 offered for the entire period effectively amounted to about RM100 a day, raising questions about the value placed on experienced actors like him.
"I’m not a big star like Zul Ariffin or Beto Kusyairy, but there should still be some fairness. RM500 for five days with 38 scenes is actually the rate for an extra,” he said, adding that he chose to decline the offer in order to maintain the industry’s market value.
He also acknowledged that the entertainment industry landscape has changed, with social media popularity now often becoming a factor for producers when selecting actors for a production, compared with the past when experience and acting ability were given greater emphasis.
"I think the industry’s preference now may lean more towards influencers, meaning how many followers someone has on social media. I’m not very active on social media. I have accounts, but I don’t go live every day,” he said.
Farid Amirul, who acted in the Gerak Khas series for more than a decade, hopes to be given the opportunity to take on more challenging roles in the future to avoid being typecast.
"Most of the roles offered to me are usually that of a policeman or Chinese character, or communist, Japanese soldier and so on. I actually enjoy roles that are more emotionally challenging and allow me to bring out more nuance in my acting,” he said.
Apart from acting, Farid Amirul has also been working as a public relations manager at a carpet supply company since 2022. He said the new experience was initially challenging, but it has since given him a different perspective on life beyond the entertainment industry. - Bernama
