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Reacher Season 4: Pencak silat and karambit highlight Agnez Mo’s role

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Indonesian singer Agnez Mo returns to acting in Prime Video’s fourth season of Reacher, playing Lila Hoth, an Indonesian woman searching for her biological father in Philadelphia.
  • Mo underwent three weeks of preparation and helped shape Indonesian dialogue, pencak silat and karambit use in the series.
  • The role marks her first major part in an American production after more than a decade focused largely on music.

Agnez Mo’s return to acting puts Indonesian martial arts and language into the action scenes of Reacher’s fourth season. She plays Lila Hoth, an Indonesian woman who travels to Philadelphia with her mother to find her biological father.

For Mo, the role follows more than a decade away from acting. The Indonesian singer began as a child star and later built an international music career, receiving more than 190 awards, according to TVLine. Her earlier screen work included the Indonesian television production Pernikahan Dini, several Indonesian shows and the Taiwanese drama The Hospital.

Mo prepared for the role over three weeks with acting coaches John, who travelled from New York to Los Angeles, and Jamie Aline. She also worked with the show’s creator on Lila’s history and character development. The part demanded more than conventional performance, including action work tied to Indonesian culture.

There is Indonesian dialogue involved; I helped the actors with their performances, guiding their speech, demonstrating the Karambit, and incorporating a bit of Pencak Silat.

— Agnez MoShe explained how she helped other actors and brought Indonesian cultural elements into the production.

A fight sequence features pencak silat, while the traditional Indonesian karambit appears as a weapon during a confrontation between Lila and several villains. Mo also assisted other actors playing Indonesian characters, helping them with their dialogue and demonstrating how to use the karambit. “There is Indonesian dialogue involved; I helped the actors with their performances, guiding their speech, demonstrating the Karambit, and incorporating a bit of Pencak Silat,” she said, according to detik.com.

Mo also performs a song in the American action production. “Actually, this is the first time I’ve sung in a US film that involves action,” she said. The project combines the two parts of her career while introducing Indonesian language and cultural elements to an international television audience.

Actually, this is the first time I’ve sung in a US film that involves action.

— Agnez MoShe described combining her music career with her return to acting.
About this summary

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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