KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 21 — Malaysian action film star Zul Ariffin won’t be slowing down on adrenaline-packed films anytime soon.
The 39-year-old, known for his roles in a number of Malaysian blockbusters including 2024’s Sheriff: Narko Integriti, said that he will continue doing action films despite sustaining multiple injuries throughout his 17-year career.
The versatile actor, who has also taken on roles in horror and comedy films, is also not overlooking the fact that he will be entering his 40s soon, which means staying in shape is his utmost priority.
“I’m now at the age where I need to take care of my health.
“I’ve sustained quite a number of injuries while shooting previously, and a lot of those films are action (films), which require me to get very physical, and there are a lot of injuries that I didn’t disclose before… such as on my shoulders and my lower back, so I need to be careful as well,” Zul said.
He said that among his biggest motivations to keep doing action movies was his younger generation of fans who grew up watching him on the silver screen.
“That’s the thing that I can’t let go of the most, because these kids grew up with my movies, and they recognised me and would go ‘hey, it’s Sheriff’.
“They are the ones who’ll keep asking when my next film is coming out, and I don’t want to let them down, you know.
“So, yes, I won’t be stopping now, especially when everything is going well, and people still want my service and I’m very grateful for that,” Zul said.
He added that aside from staying in shape, his 2025 personal goals is to do as many films as he can.
Zul is expected to have a busy slate this year, with confirmed roles in several high-profile upcoming projects, including Adrian Teh’s untitled film, Infinitus Productions’ survival thriller Wantugo, as well as the highly anticipated sequel to Sheriff: Narko Integriti.
Sheriff is back in town… soon?
Zul also shared insights and his thoughts on the much-anticipated Sheriff 2, in which he will reprise his role as the corrupt cop hunter Sheriffuddin, who now leads a new team following the events of the first film.
Sheriff 2 will once again be directed by Syafiq Yusof, and according to Zul, the production stage of the film is expected to begin just a few months after Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year.
“For that project, I’m eager to find out who will be in the next film, because we know a lot of characters didn’t make it past the first film, so I really want to know who is going to be in the next lineup.
“I myself am excited, just imagine what the audiences would feel,” he said.
Zul himself is excited to find out the next assemble of cast for the highly anticipated Sheriff 2. — Picture by Sayuti Zainuddin
Zul also pointed out that the Sheriff role wasn’t an easy one for him to pull off and it is considered as one of his most challenging characters that he has to play.
“I need to tune my role with (the mood of) the whole film, especially when the film is intense and suspenseful.
“I need to… ‘disturb’ the audiences through my lines and body language so that it becomes fun for you to watch the role and will make you want to follow the role ever more.
“So, that’s what I’m looking for with the character, but it’s not going to be easy, especially now that we are going to do a second one. We need to catch up,” he said.
Sheriff: Narko Integriti grossed a whopping RM63 million at the box office in 2024, making it the highest grossing local film last year.
The film also dethroned 2023’s buddy cop blockbuster Polis Evo 3, becoming the second-highest-grossing Malaysian film of all time. It remains RM30 million behind Syamsul Yusof’s 2022 epic Mat Kilau, which holds the top spot.
