Here are 7 Indonesian actors who played in Hollywood movies.
Usually from childhood, we often see the names / figures of Indonesian actors playing or playing in soap operas or Indonesian films as well. However, over time, Indonesian actors and actresses have begun to appear frequently in Hollywood films.
Of course this makes us as fellow Indonesians proud. Now of the many Indonesian actors who have played in Hollywood films, here are 7 names and figures of them.
1. Christine Hakim (Eat, Pray, Love)
The first Indonesian actor to star in a Hollywood movie is senior Indonesian actress Christine Hakim. Of course, we know Christine from the historical Indonesian movie, Tjoet Nja’ Dhien (1986) and her other iconic movies.
And when looking at her legendary figure and career, it’s no wonder that we are often curious why this actress from Jambi has never appeared in a Hollywood movie.
However, this curiosity was finally answered when Christine appeared in the movie Eat, Pray, Love (2010). In the movie she played a character named Wayan and acted with the legendary Hollywood actress, Julia Roberts (August Osage County).
Now when I wrote this article, Christine made Indonesia proud again. This is because the 66-year-old actress has just appeared in the game adaptation series, The Last of Us (2023).
Christine appeared in episode 2 of the series which aired on January 22, 2023. She plays a scientist named Ratna who first discovered the Cordyceps fungal infection.
2. Cinta Laura (The Ninth Passenger)
The next Indonesian actor to play in a Hollywood movie is an Indonesian actress who has always been famous for her very Caucasian speaking accent. With the fact that she is German and has a speaking accent like that, it’s no wonder that sooner or later, she also plays in western movies aka Hollywood.
Well Cinta’s big Hollywood movie debut was when she played a character named Nicole in the horror-thriller, The Ninth Passenger (2018).
3. Yoshi Sudarso (Bullet Train)
Maybe many of you already know that Yoshi Sudarso is one of the most popular Indonesian actors in Hollywood. This is because he played a blue Ranger named Koda in the Power Rangers Dino Charge series (2015-2016).
But did you realize that Yoshi played in a crazy action movie, Bullet Train (2022)? Yes in the movie, Yoshi plays the younger version of the character The Elder (Hiroyuki Sanada).
4. Yayan Ruhian (John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum)
This actor and martial arts master stole our attention when he appeared in the drama-action movie, The Raid (2011). He often collaborates with his fellow actor and martial artist, Cecep Arif Rahman.
Well both of them are also featured in the third movie of the hit action movie franchise, John Wick. And in this movie, he acted and also fought with John Wick, Keanu Reeves (Speed).
5. Ario Bayu (Java Heat)
The figure of Ario Bayu (Soekarno) for me is synonymous with an actor who really loves Indonesia, aka patriotic. Not because he only plays the first President of Indonesia, but we can see this image from the mannerisms and characteristics of the film projects he has played so far.
So it’s no surprise that he was then appointed to appear in this action movie that was released in 2013. In this movie, Bayu acted with Kellan Lutz (Twilight) and the actor who played Whiplash in the MCU, Mickey Rourke (Iron Man 2).
Besides that, what I like about Ario’s performance in this movie is that in one of his scenes, he eats a packet of Nasi Goreng from the brotherhood in his car. That’s how Indonesian it is!
6. Joe Taslim (Mortal Kombat)
I actually wanted to include The Raid co-star and Taslim’s best friend, Iko Uwais. But considering that this list contains only 7 actors and I want the content of this list to be really fresh and current, then I inevitably have to choose between the two.
And after much deliberation, I finally chose this actor. The reason, of course, is because of Taslim’s crazy Hollywood movie resume so far. Besides Fast and Furious 6 (2013), he also appeared in Star Trek Beyond (2016).
And of course for me personally, Mortal Kombat (2021) where he plays one of the favorite fighting characters of all fans of the game, Sub-Zero.
7. Maxime Bouttier (Ticket to Paradise)
Closing out this list of Indonesian actors who have starred in Hollywood movies is a young actor who is still really fresh, Maxime Bouttier (Bidadari Terakhir). Honestly, when I saw him in the trailer for Ticket to Paradise (2022), I thought he wasn’t Indonesian.
I thought of him as a man from Malaysia or even the Philippines, so I was surprised to learn that the actor, who turns 30 this April, is a son of the nation.
It turns out that he was born to a French father, Patrice Bouttier, but his mother is from Indonesia, Siti Pirwanti. Anyway, after acting since 2011 in various soap operas, FTVs, and of course Indonesian feature films, Maxime finally went international.
And Maxime’s international debut is through the movie Ticket to Paradise. In the movie he plays the character of a young man from Bali named Gede. Maxime in this movie acted with 2 legendary Hollywood actors, Julia Roberts (Steel Magnolias) and George Clooney (Gravity).
Okay guys. That was 7 Indonesian actors who played in Hollywood movies. Of the seven, which one is your favorite?
