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Playing out her life on celluloid, whether it is as an Acehnese rebel, the mother of street children or even a prostitute , Christine Hakim has a strength that runs counter to her glamor queen reputation
t is noon when Christine Hakim makes an entrance on the staircase of a hotel on Bali Island. The weather is balmy and the air has a faint smell of salt. Hakim wears a batik shirt with a cloud pattern and a jade-green lizard-skin tote bag slung over her shoulder. Her signature streak of green hair is barely noticeable when pulled tightly back. Hakim runs into Trade Minister Mari Elka Pangestu, who has just addressed a conference, at the reception desk. The press immediately swarm around them. Mbak Christine! the photographers and journalists call out. Hakim answers questions with good humor and the poise that comes from being in the public eye for more than three decades. There is still no one in the film industry who can rival her, whispers a journalist. Since Hakim launched her acting career in Teguh Karyas Cinta Pertama (First Love) in 1973, barely an unkind word has been written about her in the media. It is not hard to see why. As I age, my maternal side develops. I treat them like they are my children, even the older journalists, Hakim says. I jest with them, pretending to be difficult. They in turn try to coax me, as a child would coax their mother for a treat, to give them an interview, she adds with a wink. After the press conference, Hakim heads for the airport. The appearance of her very famous face the vermilion lips, the warm eyes under darkened lashes, the beauty spot causes many people to do a double take. Besides being a screen icon, Hakim was the first Indonesian to be invited to sit on the jury of the prestigious Cannes International Film Festival and she also graced the cover of TIME magazine as one of their Asian heroes of 2004 for her contributions to film and society. Yet it is with a deep sigh that she sums up her life in the limelight in one word: heavy. It was my never my intention to end up this way. I just wanted to be a good person, she says, referring to her humanitarian work.
When I am in trouble and help comes my way, it is an incredible feeling. Because I have felt that, I want others to feel the same.
Christine Hakim
stall in Bali. She politely refuses a stewardesss offer of utensils. Her down-to-earth attitude sitting in economy, eating rice with her hands appears to puzzle the other passengers, who watch her constantly. Acting is a profession, just like any other. Life does not only encompass acting, Hakim says. The gist of life is not there [in film] but comes back to my existence as a human being. There is no difference between one person and another. We all have pluses and minuses. I do not feel I am better than anyone else. Arriving at Jakartas Soekarno-Hatta airport, Hakim sails through immigration, past a sea of officials smiles. The kindness of others makes my life easier, but it has also become a burden for me. People are nice to me because they appreciate, respect and believe in me. In that sense, I have to tread carefully so as to not disappoint anyone. The arrival hall is almost empty aside from a film crew on break. Their camera and
Gran Torino, Clint Eastwoods second directing project this fall, is his first work as an actor since 2004s Million Dollar Baby, which won the Oscar for Best Picture. AP Photo/Chris Pizzello
Eastwood, an actor with presence to burn and who snarls dialogue like a cornered wolf, brings his one-of-a-kind aura back to the screen