Actress Pevita Pearce on married life, staying curious and leaving room for imagination

“The glamorous parts that most people see are on the red carpet. But most of the time it’s long hours of shooting, challenging conditions, and hundreds of people all telling you what to do. It takes grit, resilience and discipline. I’ve never met an actor who was not disciplined.” For her role as Alana in the action-packed 2023 hit Sri Asih, Pearce spent two years in preparation, including developing a superhero-like physique.

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But confidence didn’t always come naturally, and in time Pearce has learned to balance being confident in her own skin with pushing her limits every so often.

“After 21 years of acting, there’s the risk of getting comfortable and not trying new things. There’s a risk of losing that drive, grit, and the ability to let your creativity run wild,” she says. “Confidence comes with time and experience. But I’ve realised that being competent is just as important as being confident. Confidence can trick you into arrogance, and I have been there. It’s part of growing up. Competence is about putting in work as an actor, doing my research, pushing boundaries and limits, facing my fears, and building relationships with creative people.”

In the past two years, Pearce has also developed her eye for storytelling, changing hats from an actress into a director’s role for a 2024 TV mini-series about the fascinating world of young gamers called The One, co-written with Indonesian director Eko Kristianto.

“During the pandemic I played a lot of mobile games and was on track to becoming a professional gamer,” she explains. “I would spend 12 hours a day gaming and only get to sleep at 6am. After a while I couldn’t see the end-goal of this. I gave myself three months to get serious about gaming or quit. At the end of three months, I went to Berlin for a world tournament.

“There, I met many new people and started writing stories about gamers from all the interesting facts I was learning about them–for instance many world champions are just 13 or 14 years old. I started writing down these stories surrounding the drama and tension of competition–and together with Eko, we pitched it to a studio.”

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As a result, the pair ended up producing and directing the series for streaming platform Vision Plus Indonesia, starring Julian Jacobs, Nasya Marcella, Emir Mahira, Wavi Zihan, Shakira Jasmine and Malaysian actress Anna Jobling.    

“It’s interesting—sometimes in life, it feels like there is no vision. You ask yourself, ‘Why am I doing this?’. But in the end, it goes full circle and all the dots are connected,” Pearce says. “If you give your best in anything and be present with an open mind, you never know what opportunity will bring you.”

For Pearce, 2024 was a big year of being open-minded, embracing the present, and starting new chapters. Her marriage to Malaysian entrepreneur and Habib Jewels scion Mirzan Meer comes at a unique point in her life where settling down and building roots is its own new and wonderful adventure.

“I am beyond lucky and grateful to have my husband’s support towards my acting passion,” she says. “It’s like this strong foundation that lets me be and do much more. I used to be hyper-independent, and now that we’re together, I’m learning to be part of a unit.”

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“Before, when someone asked me, ‘Where do you live?’ I would say I don’t know; between Jakarta, Bali, Kuala Lumpur and the UK, it’s hard to name one place.”

“Sometimes for work I travel to Paris or Korea and I love it. It can be a bit lonely sometimes, even though there are times when I love being alone. But being married has given me a better understanding of love and home—that home is a person and not just a place,” she says. 

While adapting to newlywed life, Pearce is also bracing herself for upcoming film projects this year all while juggling her entrepreneurial pursuits, from running her hospitality concept viiv Bali as well as her lifestyle cafe, The Living Room—a peaceful space that offers all-day breakfast, coffee and books to fuel a cosy community of day-dreamers and creatives like herself. 

“It’s so important to spend time with and really listen to yourself. In cities like Kuala Lumpur or even Jakarta, it’s all about goals, productivity, and rushing to achieve this or that,” says Pearce. “Things can be overwhelming. When you’re feeling low, it’s ok to take a break and start again tomorrow. Take a step back. Listen to your body. Learn how to love yourself before you love someone else.”

“Once in a while, get lost in your own imagination and be in touch with your inner child. Looking back, my childhood was full of imagination, creativity and strong roots—till today I am beyond lucky to have my family to keep me strong and to remind me every day that I am loved and I am enough in a world that constantly says I have to be more.”

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