KUALA LUMPUR: Actress and host, Che Puan Sarimah Ibrahim, 46, was willing to spend about RM50,000 of her own money to prepare a 'wardrobe', make-up equipment, and more to fully realise her character Qaidah in the recent TV3 drama series, Lelaki Itu.
Sarimah said she wanted to bring her onscreen role to life as best as possible as Qaidah was a very successful career woman who was rich and very independent.
"I had prepared most of the clothes myself. The 'wardrobe' department prepared clothes for certain scenes, but to fully inhabit Qaidah's character, I figured she was the type of woman who would be very showy with her attire.
"So, I had to show off in terms of clothing. If we want it to be right, we have to do it right.
"I spent an estimate of about RM50,000 for Qaidah, to get that look of a very rich and independent woman," she said in a recent Harian Metro report.
She added: "Many factors were involved in successfully bringing this character to life. In terms of appearance, gym sessions for fitness training, clothes, hair, inhabiting the role, the voice, getting enough sleep, discipline with time, making sure the skin looks fresh, perfect nails, and everything beautiful-looking."
"If it's listed down, then it's easy to realise. But if just by looking, people may think that it's easy and natural.
"However, that's the process to realise each character. For an upcoming drama, I've already started with preliminary preparations," she said.
Aside from Sarimah, Lelaki Itu stars Datuk Adi Putra, Fazura, Nabila Huda, Hannah Delisha, Aedy Ashraf, Nadia Brian and Sophia Al-Barakbah.
The series revolves around Syed Mirza, played by Adi, who is married to Sarimah's Qaidah, a rich and influential woman.
Although they have three daughters, their home life is not what they had hoped for and the family becomes increasingly divided.
Lelaki Itu is available for streaming on Tonton via www.tonton.com or through the app.