[Movies] Before ‘Apprentice’, Fir Rahman almost gave up on acting

Fir Rahman at work.
Fir Rahman at work.
Fir Rahman.
Fir Rahman

“I did give up once.”

Fir Rahman, who plays lead character Aiman in Boo Junfeng’s “The Apprentice”, is a familar name today. The role earned him a nomination for Best Newcomer in the 11th Asian Film Awards.

The 31-year-old actor also stars in Channel 5’s “Lion Moms”, and recently completed a successful run in Toy Factory’s stage play, “Prism”.

But there was a time when success did not come so smoothly for him.

Fir Rahman at work.
Fir Rahman at work

The play’s the thing

Fir got bitten by the acting but when he was studying in Temasek Polytechnic. He answered a casting call for a play, “Selasihku Sayang” in 2002.

“The next moment, I found myself in the room auditioning and I had to sing. I aced it, and I got the role!” he said.

He entered Suria’s “Juara” later that year, and won in the Acting and Hosting category.

But he had to enlist for his National Service a few months after winning the title, and could not commit to projects for two and a half years.

Fir Rahman (Fir Rahman)
Fir Rahman (Flit Media)

Post-NS

Fir completed his National Service in 2005.

“But by that time, two and a half years later, [Suria] had more fresh faces. So I found a full-time job while doing theatre at night,” said Fir.

He continued getting supporting roles in Suria and other one-off appearances in shows like “Crimewatch” during this time.

“I felt like giving up,” Fir told his friend. “I was a winner, but for many years I did not have the opportunity to be the lead. So in 2010, I got a job as part of the cabin crew for Jetstar.

If I’ll be flying, how will I act? So I thought that’s it, that’s a close to my acting career.

But it was short-lived. I only did this for about a year.”

Fir Rahman in "Apprentice" (Meg White)
Fir Rahman in “Apprentice” (Meg White)

Fir’s elder brother passed away suddenly in 2011, while he was on a trip. By the time he got home, his brother had already been buried.

Before that, his elder brother had been taking care of their aged parents, who had several health issues.

His parents passed away a few years ago.

Fir Rahman (Fir Rahman)
Fir Rahman (Flit Media)

Fir’s big break

His big break was in 2011.

“A few months after I stopped flying, I got the main role for a Suria drama, Nine Lives.”

He has been acting non-stop ever since.

“I think it’s all predestined. I got roles after roles, dramas after dramas after that,” shared Fir.

He clinched the role for “The Apprentice” in 2012.

And in 2014, he got his first major role in a Channel 5 drama as Reza in “Lion Moms”.

Fir Rahman (Fir Rahman)
Fir Rahman (Flit Media)

His first experience in film

“Apprentice” is Fir’s first film role.

“The demands are higher, and the character profile is stronger than compared to television roles. It’s very dark, following the journey of Aiman [the character that Fir plays]. We had a lot of time researching with [Boo] Junfeng and Mastura [Ahmad] and Wan Hanafi Su in getting our characters and chemistry correct.”

Fir Rahman in "Apprentice" (Meg White)
Fir Rahman in “Apprentice” (Meg White)

One big difference between film and television was the type of Malay spoken.

“We get to use colloquial, conversational Malay in the film. It’s unlike some dramas in Suria, where some of the dialogue is not as conversational.”

Proper Malay is usually spoke in Suria dramas, whereas “Apprentice” made more use of everyday words in Malay.

He gave the example of the question “What do you want to do now?”

In proper Malay, it would be phrased as “Apa yang ingin kau lakukan sekarang?”

However, it would be “Kau nak buat apa sekarang?” in colloquial Malay.

Fir Rahman (Fir Rahman)
Fir Rahman (Flit Media)

Thoughts on what Singapore’s media industry needs

“Money. Seriously.”

Fir explained that in order to make more critically acclaimed films, like “Ilo Ilo”, “Sandcastle”, and “Yellow Bird”, more funding would be required. Unlike more commercial films like “I Not Stupid” or “Ah Boys To Men”, films from the former category usually do not attract as many sponsors or investors.

After all, you hardly see any product placement in “Apprentice”.

Fir Rahman.
Fir Rahman

“We also need more collaboration. We have a lot of good actors, good directors in our industry,” the actor said.

“It’s not easy to be successful, especially in this industry. But if you think that this is your passion, don’t give up. Don’t do things halfway. You never know who is watching you.

Regardless of whether it’s a supporting role or a lead role, do your best.”

Fir Rahman (Fir Rahman)
Fir Rahman (Flit Media)

This review was written for and first published on Yahoo Singapore.

Marcus Goh is a Singapore television scriptwriter, having written for Police & Thief, Incredible Tales, Crimewatch, and Point of Entry. He’s also a Transformers enthusiast and avid pop culture scholar. You can find him on social media as Optimarcus and on his site.

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