By Atira Khalisha Nor Adnan
PUTRAJAYA, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- Popularity may catapult an actor to fame overnight, but talent and work discipline ultimately determine whether they can remain relevant in the entertainment industry over the long term.
Actress Nad Zainal said recognition and fan attention alone were insufficient if performers failed to maintain professional work ethics, particularly on the filming set.
Nad, whose real name is Farah Nadia Zainal Abidin, said popularity could fade at any time, while talent backed by strong discipline could provide the foundation for a sustainable acting career.
“What matters is that we, as actors, understand the importance of discipline on set. We must not let popularity bring us down because it can disappear just like that. It is talent that allows us to remain relevant and sustain our careers,” she told reporters on the sidelines of the Seri Angkasa Awards 2026 (ASA2026) recently.
Commenting on claims that newcomers were more interested in pursuing popularity than honing their acting skills, Nad said it would be unfair to generalise, as many young performers possessed natural talent.
She said the experiences of both herself and her husband, actor Ungku Ismail, when they first entered the industry showed that every actor had a different path to developing their abilities.
“Ungku did not attend acting classes like I did, but I believe he is talented. There are also other actors who have never attended acting classes but are equally talented,” she said.
The Best Actress in a Drama winner at the 2018 Screen Awards acknowledged that popularity and fan support continued to play an important role in an entertainer’s career.
However, she said receiving recognition from professional juries in the best acting categories brought a different kind of satisfaction, as performers were assessed based on the quality of their work.
“I have won in a popularity category before, so I would not dismiss its importance. But how wonderful it would be to have our talent assessed by professional judges. Fans are important, but professional recognition is what every actor aspires to,” said Nad, who also won the Popular Female TV Actress award at the 2014 Berita Harian Popular Star Awards.
Nad was previously nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a TV Drama at ASA2026 for the telemovie Dosa Tak Terampun. The award went to Elizad Sharifuddin for Detik Waktu, broadcast on TV Okey.
She also achieved another milestone when she received her first-ever nomination for Best Actress at the 35th Malaysian Film Festival (FFM 35) for the film Denu, after nearly two decades in the acting industry.
In the category, Nad is competing against four other nominees: Mimi Lana for Polong, Sasha Abedul for Malam Terlarang, Aida Amron for Badak and Fish Liew for Pavane For An Infant.
-- BERNAMA