KUALA LUMPUR: Actor Saharul Ridzwan, 33, may appear as a tough guy to most of his fans, but he actually had a longtime fear of being stuck in the deep, blue sea.
However, playing a tough member of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (APMM) in the coming film Coast Guard Malaysia: Ops Helang, compelled him to fight his fear, as his character ended up holding on to a plank in the midst of the Andaman Sea near Langkawi in one pivotal scene.
"I do swim in swimming pools and splash myself in cool waterfalls, but the sea has always been a 'monster' to me. However, the film's director, the late Pitt Hanif, convinced me to take up the challenge, and hang on to that piece of wood for an hour," said Saharul at the launch of Coast Guard's theme song Yes Sir at the Subang Maritime Air Station in Subang today.
Saharul held on to the plank nervously and prayed hard for his safety throughout the shoot.
"The nearest cameramen and first aid team were quite a distance away, on a boat. I closed my eyes for a few minutes, and kept thinking positively, reminding myself that Pitt knew what he was doing, and that I was stronger than I thought I was," he said.
Another "scary" scene Saharul had was to spend a few minutes in a smoky box.
"I'm a bit claustrophobic, but after facing the sea, I told myself it would not hurt much being in a box. However, the smoke which flowed into the box really got me gasping for breath!"
Saharul is the lead actor of Coast Guard, and plays Leftenan Hafiz who suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), but braves himself to lead a heroic APMM team tasked with rescuing a group of hostages who include his wife.
Coast Guard also stars Julia Farhana Marin, Adlin Aman Ramlie, Emma Maembong, Jay Iswazir Ismail, Sabri Yunus, Aziz M. Osman, Black, Hazama Azmi, Ayie Hushairi, Mustaqim Mohamad and Wanna Ali.
Saharul is also a businessman, who owns a halal health and beauty products company Qaabila Niaga.
He has been acting since 2012 in dramas such as Romi Cinta Julia, Hati Perempuan and Mr Bibik.
The RM14.5-million Coast Guard produced by Metrowealth and Arie Zaharie Production opens on Feb 2.