Aeril Zafrel, who is married to Wawa Zainal, defends Sophia Albarakbah (right). Photo: The Star, Sophia Albarakbah/Instagram
Actor Aeril Zafrel, who starred with Sophia Albarakbah in the 2021 drama Tercipta Satu Ikatan, describes his co-star as someone who is kind and coquettish (manja).
“To me, she is a good person. Whether she is in character or out of character (on set), I find her to be manja. It is easy to fall for her if the person is susceptible,” said the 34-year-old, who is married to actress Wawa Zainal.
The father of four added: “That is just my opinion. For me, we have to accept her behaviour as a friendly gesture, and not misunderstand it to mean something else.”
Aeril said this to mStar – The Star’s Malay language news portal – during a press meet on Wednesday (Feb 1) for his upcoming drama.
Sophia’s name has been in the news this week after singer Bella Astillah accused Sophia of allegedly flirting with her husband, Aliff Aziz, while working in the new drama Ku Akad Kau Dengan Bismillah.
This has prompted Aliff to agree to stop working with Sophia, 29, in future projects as he wants to respect his wife.
According to Aeril, whenever he works with a female co-star he is upfront that their relationship is just professional. This is so, there are no misunderstanding when the camera is not rolling.
“I will tell the heroine that we are just acting and there can be nothing more between the two of us. This is because, the one time I forgot to say this upfront, an actress said that I was flirting with her.
“Maybe I got a bit carried away playing my character that she misunderstood. But I learned my lesson and I am clear about this from the start nowadays,” Aeril added.
At the same time, Aeril says he is thankful that his wife has given him her trust and fully supports him in whatever role he takes on.
“Wawa has full faith in me and, in turn, I won’t do anything to break that trust. We are very transparent with each other; she can look at my phone and I have access to her phone.”
