ACTOR Aniq Durar admits that his slight foreign accent may limit acting offers.
Although he is born in Malaysia, the 31-year-old hopes to improve his speech so that he can explore more possibilities as an actor here.
His Pan-Asian looks also rule him out from playing the typical Malay male characters in a rural setting.
The actor, whose full name is Awangku Aniq Durar Pengiran Malyx, was born in Kuching, Sarawak, to a Melanau father and a Pashtun mother.
"At home, my father speaks Melanau, Iban and textbook Malay.
"He also speaks Indonesian as he picked up the language while he was studying there and that's where he met my mother, who is from Perak," says the business graduate from Monash University, Australia, when met in Kuala Lumpur recently.
Since becoming an actor in 2018, he has graced the screens of both films and television drama series.
"In films, I've been given the role of a Japanese character and I've also acted as a Chinese man in another.
"But in the drama series, I've played Malay characters. I remember there was this production where I played the role of a guy from a B40 background, but because of my slang, it sounded a little odd, I think.
"But this is just a small matter, I won't give up," says Aniq who wants to act for as long as he can.
Great opportunity
As someone who is fairly new in the industry, Aniq says he has never felt being treated unfairly by senior cast members on film sets.
"So far, I've never gone through such experience while working. I've never been bullied by any senior artistes like being tossed with scripts or screamed at.
"Once, I actually cried, but that wasn't because of anyone. It happened because I felt like I had failed to deliver," he says.
For him, the opportunity to work alongside experienced actors is something he always looks forward to.
"From my experience, they have been helpful in sharing tips and advice on how to improve and work hard.
"I've never felt offended when someone on the set took the trouble to point out my mistakes or showed me how I could improve my acting.
"After all, I'm still new. There's still a lot for me to learn. And I want to be doing this for a long time," he says.
In fact, Aniq feels a little uncomfortable if he doesn't get any feedback from his co-stars or director, as he wouldn't know whether he had nailed it or vice versa.
Latest role
One of Aniq's latest projects sees him being part of the cast of the drama series, 'Luruhnya Bunga Cinta 2', which is airing on TV3's Akasia slot.
In the series, he plays the role of Awal, who is the third person in the relationship of the drama's protagonists Nuh (played by Redza Rosli) and Nuha (Tracie Sinidol).
The 20-episode series is the continuation of 'Luruhnya Bunga Cinta', which tells the complicated love story between Nuh and Nuha.
In this second season, after being diagnosed with a Stage 3 cancer, Nuha tries to hide it from Nuh.
She later decides to end the relationship to avoid causing Nuh heartbreak should her condition worsen.
Awal who knows this, later tries to help Nuha to get treatment although he realises that he will never win Nuha's love.
Produced by Global Station Sdn Bhd, the drama series is helmed by Muhamad Riza Baharudin.
Aside from watching it on TV3, the popular drama series can also be streamed on Tonton via† www.tonton.com.my or through the Tonton app, which can be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store.