The smile that got Anna Jobling's career rolling. Photos: Handout
Ever since starring in the hit Indonesian horror flick Lembayung, Malaysian actress Anna Jobling has gotten many acting offers from Indonesia.
She has three gigs – one drama and two films – lined up in the neighbouring country.
Lembayung is the first major role in a film for the 24-year-old, who is of English-Malay parentage.
In the film, she plays the role of a ghost that’s haunting a clinic in a small town.
Director Baim Wong, 43, said that he was in awe of Anna’s talent.
“Many might have underestimated Anna’s abilities, but she truly impressed me,” the Indonesian director told Malaysian media at an event in Petaling Jaya, Selangor recently.
“One scene, in particular, stood out – when she had to crawl (in a supernatural way). It’s an incredibly challenging move to execute, yet she pulled it off in just one take.”
However, Baim said that the model-actress was not his first choice at all.
“I initially approached three other top Indonesian actresses for the role, but they were all unavailable due to scheduling conflicts.
“That’s when a colleague showed me a photo of Anna.
“I travelled to Malaysia to audition her, and within half a day, I knew she was perfect for the role,” Baim explained.
Anna, who rose to fame after starring in the 2022 TV3 drama Melur Untuk Firdaus, remembered her audition well.
“During the audition, Baim kept saying, ‘I want you to smile, just give me a few smiles’.
“I didn’t really know what he was looking for, so I just gave it my best shot.
“Then he said, ‘OK, now imagine you want to kill someone. Look at me like you want to kill me – and smile.’
“When I did that, he immediately said, ‘That’s it. That’s what I want.’ And just like that, I got the role,” Anna said.
“That was my audition, and that moment became the most crucial scene for me in the entire movie because I want people to remember that smile.
“I was even more surprised – and thrilled – when I saw it featured on the poster,” Anna said of her creepy grin.
Anna Jobling with co-star Arya Saloka (left) and director Baim Wong.
Lembayung marks actor Baim’s directorial debut.
He delivers a film that seamlessly transitions from supernatural horror to a murder mystery while exploring themes of abusive men.
Since its release in Indonesia on Sept 19, Lembayung has become one of the top 10 films of 2024 in the country.
Shot in November 2023, it is based on a viral thread that gained traction on Twitter (now X) in 2022.
In the thread, the writer shared an eerie experience she and her friend had during a nursing stint at a dental clinic in a small hospital in a town in Central Java.
Based on the thread, Baim and Gemati Rahayu came up with a screenplay.
“About 40 to 50% of the film is based on real events, while the rest is dramatised for cinematic storytelling,” Baim said.
Lembayung follows Pica (Taskya Namya) and Arum (Yasamin Jasem) arriving at a rundown clinic to start their internship.
One night, a long-haired woman (Anna) comes in as a patient but all she does is to stare creepily at Arum.
Since then, strange events begin to happen around Arum and Pica.
Arum (Yasamin Jasem) is about to find out how internship can turn to hell very fast.
According to Anna, she’s always dreamt of portraying a ghost in a film as she’s a huge fan of horror movies, especially those from Indonesia.
“It has been one of my goals to star in a horror film since I entered this industry,” said Anna.
The actress added that she she enjoyed the filming process, , even the challenging ones where she had to dig dirt with her bare hands and another one where she hung from the ceiling.
“The hanging scene took quite a while to shoot – so long, in fact, that I actually fell asleep at one point.
“I even decided to eat my meals while hanging because coming down and going back up was such a hassle, not to mention painful.
“As for the opening scene where I’m struggling to breathe with a noose around me, that moment was very real.
“I asked the crew to tighten the noose for awhile so I could truly feel what it would be like.
“It was intense, but I felt completely safe throughout the process because the crew was incredibly attentive,” she added.
Anna said to prepare for her role, she watched horror films and attended acting classes.
“Before we started shooting, I had the privilege of training with Yayu Unru, a legendary acting teacher in Indonesia.
“I was his last student, and knowing that fills me with a deep sense of responsibility to honour his legacy by giving my absolute best.
“I cherish every piece of advice he gave me.
“Sadly, he passed away just before we began filming, which made the experience even more poignant for me,” Anna said.
As her role doesn’t have much dialogue, Anna admitted it was difficult as she had to convey complex emotions without speaking.
“During Yayu’s class, we spent a significant amount of time perfecting different ways to crawl. I even recorded myself crawling during the lessons, carefully analysing the movements to ensure they reflected something horrifying.
“I practised at home every night to make sure it was perfect.“It was incredibly difficult, but hearing that Baim appreciated my performance makes all the effort worthwhile,” Anna beamed.
Lembayung started showing at cinemas nationwide since Dec 5.
