AFTER taking a gap year, Fahad Iman was about to study graphic design but felt that there was no point putting in a half-hearted effort that would lead to half-hearted results, so the plan eventually fell through. “It’s quite funny thinking about it but I really reflected on the phrase ‘You only live once’ and asked myself what would I want to do with my one and only life, and somehow acting popped up.
“At the time, I naively thought ‘Ahh, how cool and easy it would be to become an actor’.”
After expressing his interest in acting to his mother, Fahad was introduced to a family friend and theatre veteran Sabera Shaik, who offered to train him for three months.
“In those three months, unbeknown to me, I was actually rehearsing for a theatre show.
“Going into it was very nerve-wracking but I decided to just do it because I had nothing to lose. I had so much fun nonetheless, and it made me fall completely in love with acting and performing. That’s when it hit me that this is definitely something that I’d love to do for a living.”
The 28-year-old performing arts graduate has starred in a myriad of local TV productions since making his acting debut at 23.
How did you transition from theatre to TV?
Theatre wasn’t something that I had in mind when I set out to be an actor. I was mostly thinking about doing TV and film even though I was exposed to the theatre world from the get-go and throughout my studies.
It’s a bit challenging to make a living by just doing theatre here in Malaysia. Most theatre actors that I know of have a day job to sustain themselves. Being in TV and film has allowed me to do what I love, which is acting, and at the same time, make a living from it.
What would you consider your big break?
I was doing TV commercials for about a year when I first started but I got quite frustrated because I wasn’t doing what I wanted to do. It was good money but it wasn’t pushing me as an actor. I wanted to be a part of the storyline and the character developments of TV dramas. So, I sent my portfolio to the heavyweights in the industry – producers, directors, production houses and even TV stations.
Most didn’t reply but one director did. Michael Ang gave me my first big break with a supporting role in the TV drama Isteri vs Tunang, starring alongside Scha Alyahya and Hisyam Hamid. It was a big deal for me.
Do you ever get burnt out?
Like any job, of course it has its ups and downs but sometimes, it doesn’t even feel like work when you’re doing what you love. Especially when you’re working on a project with cast and crew mates with whom you really get along with, and it feels like family.
What is one major lesson you learnt in the industry?
I think one of the challenges for me was to not let people take advantage of me. When you’re new to the scene and have little to no knowledge about the industry, some might use that to take advantage of you.
At first, it was rather difficult for me to say ‘no’. For example, when people were offering low rates and because I wanted to avoid any kind of conflict or inconvenience, I’d say ‘yeah’ and just accept the offer. But throughout the years, I was able to stand my ground, and not settle for less.
Has being an actor helped you get in touch with your sense of self?
I guess there is some truth to it when people say that artistes are sensitive people, at least I speak for myself. I guess that being sensitive does help me in my craft because I’m able to approach a scripted character with sensitivity.
Professionally, it’s good to be sensitive with the people whom we work with because filmmaking is a team effort. If you lead with ego, you’re just making it harder for everyone else.
How do you maintain your mental wellbeing during difficult times?
It was challenging to push myself to be creative during the lockdown. I found that most days, I didn’t feel like doing anything at all. So, I took it upon myself to focus on self-care, my mental and physical wellbeing first, and take things a day at a time at my own pace.
