‘Give her an Emmy’: Indonesian actress Christine Hakim makes waves in HBO TV series The Last of Us
- Veteran Indonesian actress praised for conveying sense of dread that is ‘so palpable but not over the top’
- A household name in Indonesia, Hakim was also part of the Cannes jury panel in 2002 and appeared in 2010 Hollywood film Eat, Pray, Love
The scene was short, but veteran Indonesian actress Christine Hakim only needed less than 10 minutes to make an impact.
The 66-year-old “grand dame” of Indonesian cinema was praised for her performance in the latest episode of HBO’s highly anticipated The Last of Us television series, an adaptation of the popular PlayStation survival horror video game.
The episode, which aired on January 22, featured Jakarta in 2003 at the start of an outbreak of Cordyceps, a brain-infecting fungus that turns victims into cannibals.
In the episode’s opening scene, Hakim’s character, an expert in the study of fungi, learned of an impending virus outbreak and advised a military officer – played by Indonesia actor Yayu Unru – to bomb the city to prevent it from spreading.
Viewers lauded her acting, saying that “her fear is so palpable but not over the top”, and that the sense of dread in the scene was “all carried by this woman, Christine Hakim”.
Twitter user Aimee Carrero went further: “Give this actor her Emmy for that couch scene alone.”
Hakim is no stranger to Indonesian and now global audiences. She was part of the Cannes Film Festival jury panel alongside Malaysian star Michelle Yeoh in 2002, and also appeared in a minor role in the 2010 film Eat, Pray, Love in 2010 as Wayan, a Balinese jamu, or local herbal drink seller.
Indonesian social media users pointed out with pride that Hakim is a household name, and one of the nation’s most decorated actors.
Hakim made her debut on the big screen in 1973 in Cinta Pertama, a film by the late acclaimed director Teguh Karya. The role saw her win her first Citra Award – accolades by the Indonesian Film Festival committee to recognise excellence in the industry. Hakim has gone on to earn eight other Citra honours, as well as a lifetime achievement award, in her storied career.
The actress has also used her fame to bring attention to the quality of education in Indonesia and raise awareness of autism among the public.
Indonesian viewers lauded the opening scene with Hakim as the “best opening to an episode ever in a TV series”, and expressed happiness at the casting of Hakim and Yayu.
“As a big fan of the game The Last of Us, I am quite proud of the name Jakarta, Indonesia and several actors involved in this series,” user yogapunyatwiter said.
They also gave the thumbs-up for the correct use of the Indonesian dialogue, which one said “sound[ed] natural”. The University of Indonesia retweeted a screenshot of the scene with its name on it.
But viewers were also quick to point out that the opening scene was shot in Canada and that the extras shown in the scene were not Indonesians. The show also featured vehicles with Balinese licence plates instead of Jakarta ones.
However, those were minor quibbles for the episode that drew in a record 5.7 million viewers in the United States, a 22 per cent jump from the first episode’s 4.7 million viewers – the largest viewership growth for a HBO original drama between its first and second episodes, according to Nielsen as cited by Variety.
This is not the first time Indonesia has been featured in a Hollywood movie or TV show. Oliver Stone’s 2012 film, Savages, was shot on Moyo Island in West Nusa Tenggara province, while 2015 action thriller Blackhat featured Jakarta as one of the locations where the protagonists hunt down the villain.
