Maxime Bouttier Interview: Only observed Julia Roberts and George Clooney on 'Ticket To Paradise' sets

Indonesian actor Maxime Bouttier recently made his Hollywood debut in George Clooney and Julia Roberts's starrer 'Ticket To Paradise'. Just like any young star, he was more than excited to get the opportunity. During an exclusive chat with WION, Maxime Bouttier spoke about his Hollywood debut, working with Clooney and Roberts and more. Here are the excerpts.

Q: What was the experience like of making your Hollywood debut in a film starring Julia Roberts and George Clooney?

A: I was so excited when I got the call. When I got the audition call I had told my friends that I was auditioning for a George Clooney and Julia Roberts movie. They were really hoping that I get it and when I got it they were like “We knew you would get it, it's because of us you got it.” So they want me to say a 'thank you' to them. We were all happy and surprised. I feel really blessed.

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Q: What was some of the best advice you got from Julia Roberts and George Clooney?

I was just observing. The stuff that they were doing was so good you could take it in subconsciously. Hopefully, I will use them again in the future if I ever do another one. As far as advice goes, I didn’t dare to ask, I was so intimidated. I just became a sponge. Just taking everything in. But I guess there was this one time when George told me, in this scene, “You could do this” because he is a director as well, he kind of directed me a little bit, so yeah I think that would count as advice.

Q: ‘Ticket to Paradise’ doesn't look like a regular rom-com that Hollywood is famous for. How is it different?

I guess that's because the backdrop is Bali, so it's more like, people from America came to Bali. Kailtyn's character Lilly comes for a holiday to Bali and suddenly tells her parents that she is getting married to a Balinese guy. I think also because of Balinese culture, the custom, the tradition, that became a kind of soul-searching film in a subtle way. It is still a comedy film. My character Gede is a really wise person and that becomes a soul-searching moment for George's character when he meets Gede and Gede's family. I think that's why the movie does not just feel like a rom-com, it teaches family values, nature values, the tradition, there's a lot of that but subtly.

Q: How did ‘Ticket To Paradise’ come to you as an opportunity?

It came to me a while ago. Last year my manager told me that there is an opening for an Indonesian actor to play a Balinese character who knows English. I was fortunate to land in the audition. Getting the part also was really great. The director really helped me get the part. There was a lot of back and forth with the director, he really helped me to adapt.

Q: What were some of the things you learned as an actor?

Doing a full English-speaking movie was technically first for me, so I guess I learnt that. I act better while speaking in English because most of my friends speak English. So I felt more at ease acting in English rather than Indonesian.