FANS can never get enough laughs from Razizan “Zizan” Abdul Razak, arguably Terengganu’s biggest movie star to date.
But the comedian also has a serious side. And the 33-year-old wants to show it by appearing as no-nonsense action heroes in future.
Baddies, he says, have proven to be just as popular as heroes.
And so, Zizan, whose next major project is Polis Evo 2 (the sequel to his hugely successful action comedy screened two years ago), will also love to play ruthless villains too.
“No, I’m not getting tired of comedy. I just want serious roles for a change,” said Zizan after a Press preview of his latest telemovie, Baby Bro!, at Golden Screen Cinemas in Mid Valley City, Kuala Lumpur recently.
“In fact, some of Hollywood’s funniest actors have made a successful transition from comedy to serious drama,” he added.
He cited Tom Hanks, who he called “superb” and “deserving of his first Oscar” playing a sick man in Philadelphia; the late Robin Williams as an inspiring teacher in Dead Poets’ Society; and Will Smith as a convincing Muhammad Ali in Ali>.
Zizan admitted to be a happy-go-lucky person off-screen.
“When I’m with my family, I’m basically a joker. I was even a prankster when I was much younger. However, when I’m in the company of strangers, I’m a lot more quiet and serious,” he said.
For Zizan, making the transition from funny to serious is not difficult — his fear is that fans may find him boring.
“This is my biggest worry,” he said.
Zizan’s new telemovie is a virtual role-switch which he sees as “good training” to prepare him for serious roles.
In Baby Bro!, Zizan and Shaheizy Sam play best friends who find a missing baby boy at their doorstep and become “foster fathers” to him while they look for his mother.
Zizan’s character, Sham the salesman, is the “straight guy” while Shaheizy’s character, Joe the taxi driver, is fast-talking and witty.
This is the exact opposite of their roles in Polis Evo, where Zizan is motor-mouthed while Shaheizy is straight-talking and disciplined.
“Our Polis Evo director, Ghaz Abu Bakar, returned to work with us for Baby Bro! He wanted me to be the more uptight hero for a change and I thank him for this.”
WISH LIST
What sort of serious heroes does Zizan want to play?
“Action heroes and historical characters are definitely on top of my wish list,” he said, adding that he was prepared for makeovers whenever he was cast in serious roles.
“I’ve learnt from actor and comedian Afdlin Shauki that looking different helps when I make the ‘leap of faith’ from funny to serious. If I look the same in serious and funny movies, viewers may not appreciate my serious roles.”
Zizan’s last blockbuster, Abang Long Fadil, saw him taking on the role of an ambiguous character who is part thief and part crime-fighter.
He also played a funny villain known as Zizang in Astro’s educational comedy series Oh My English!
“Abang Long Fadil and Zizang aren’t evil. They are individuals who do not follow society’s rules and thus get themselves into trouble.”
“They have given me some ‘baddie’ experience but I still must learn to be meaner than this!”