• MARCELINO LEFRANDT
Indonesia saw a boom in action TV series in the ‘90s. Titles such as “Perjalanan” and “Gerhana” added much-needed punch to the industry. Combining martial arts and enticing storylines, the genre skyrocketed in popularity. In the middle of this phenomenon was Marcelino Lefrandt. The multi-talented actor has a stellar filmography, beginning his acting journey in 1994. And unsurprisingly, for an action star, Lefrandt is a prolific martial artist.
Martial arts have always been part of Lefrandt’s life. He took up judo and taekwondo early, “My father is a cardiologist, but he has always been into martial arts,” says Lefrandt, “I am the youngest of four. My father picked judo and taekwondo for all his children to learn.” In 1986, Lefrandt participated in the Junior National Judo Championship and later won first place at the 1988 Regional
Judo Championship in Manado. The upcoming years saw more victories on the mat, but eventually, Lefrandt decided to leave his favorite sport.
In 1992, Lefrandt dived into modelling. He participated in Aneka Yess! magazine’s Top Guest contest won first place, putting his name on the radar. During this time, he was introduced to the acting world, debuting two years later in an action series titled “Deru Debu” alongside Willy Dozan and Ari Wibowo. “I participated in the project because I was an athlete, and the genre was closely related to martial arts,” says Lefrandt. Then he eventually joined the cast of another action series titled “Jacklyn” in 1996 and its sequel two years later.
The year 2000 marked another significant milestone for the actor. Lefrandt was cast in the familyfantasy TV series “Bidadari” alongside Marshanda, Moudy Wilhelmina and the late Cecep Reza. In the series, he plays a young father whose daughter experiences abuse at her stepmother’s hand. This role would truly catapult his name into the realm of stardom. “It was quite a challenge for me because I was 27 years old, and I had to play a fatherly character,” Lefrandt recalls, “To play this character, I needed special preparation. I also had to change my gestures and tone of voice.” His effort paid off, and his character became a fan-favorite. “People also really thought that I was a father, but I wasn’t even 30 years old at that time,” he adds.
Beyond the show’s popularity, Lefrandt felt touched by the series’ positive impact on its audience, especially young viewers. “Some characters [in “Bidadari”] are housemaids, nannies or people coming from a low-income background. There was an actual case of a child who watches the series and then came to their nanny to apologize for their bad behavior,” the actor happily recalls, “So, I would say that starring in ‘Bidadari’ was a major turning point in my career. I am also forever grateful that it has become a barometer of great TV series for children.”
Challenges are inevitable in every journey, and Lefrandt is all too familiar with this adage. As a self-described perfectionist, he is always willing to learn, “I want to keep learning. I don’t want to reach a safe zone and stay there. I am willing always to be a blank paper to write on because that enables me to learn from whatever I do.”
Besides martial arts and filmmaking, Lefrandt is also passionate about promoting the splendor of Indonesian culture to youngsters. To that end, he and several of his friends founded Skylar Comics, “With comics, we can provide educational content while, at the same time, entertaining. We choose superhero comics as a platform to introduce the cultures of Indonesia since the genre is so well-received,” says Lefrandt. When creating the comic characters, his team took inspiration from Indonesian folklore, figures in wayang and more. So far, Lefrandt has written and published titles, including “Volt” (2012) and “Valentine” (2015).
Lastly, Lefrandt has also found joy in acting as a health influencer. He has dived headfirst into content creation making videos about healthy lifestyles. He wants to show positive examples for middle-aged and younger men through his content. “I believe that prevention is better than cure,” he says, “I want to help people take care of themselves and their families.”
Ending our conversation, Lefrandt shares his personal greatest hope, “I have to stay healthy, strong, creative and productive as long as I can. I am here in this industry for a reason, and that’s what I am still looking for.” Lefrandt also wishes that he can contribute even more to Indonesia’s entertainment industry, mainly through empowering and recruiting young talents interested in martial arts and acting. Through these initiatives, he believes he can contribute to a more dynamic film industry in Indonesia.