The Leading Man

Bront Palarae enjoys acting but he also loves the thrill of pushing beyond his craft into unfamiliar territories

- Brian Cheong

For an actor based largely in Malaysia, Bront Palarae has had the privilege of being in a number of international productions that have even gotten him accolades. Most recently, his performance in crime drama The Bridge 2, a joint production between Singapore and Malaysia, snagged him the Best Leading Male PerformanceDigital prize at the 25th Asian Television Awards. It’s his second nomination at the awards after the Bernard Chauly-directed Eropah, Here I Am in 2016.

You could say that Palarae, who turns 43 in September, was blessed by the acting god the moment he stepped into the industry. He won the Best Actor award at the Malaysia Film Festival as well as the Anugerah Skrin for his debut leading man role in Belukar in 2010.

“The Malaysia Film Festival was my very first award and that felt like a personal victory,” he quips. A string of award-winning performances later, including Best Actor at the ASEAN International Film Festival for the 2015 Malaysian blockbuster Ola Bola, Palarae has calmed down significantly and sees any awards that come his way these days as a team recognition.

“Over time, you think less of it in terms of your achievement; it’s more about the team, an acknowledgment of the team’s effort. Now if I win an award, it feels like I represent the whole group.”