Marsha Milan has come a long way since Akademi Fantasia. Now, she gets animated in Frozen.
HAVING arrived late for our appointment – for which she and her manager apologised profusely – there was little time left to prepare Marsha Milan Londoh for the planned photo session. But, as it turned out, she needed little direction – all that was required was to inform her of the shots we wanted and she started striking different poses immediately, allowing the photographer to wrap up quickly.
This very quality of knowing what is wanted of her is one of the things that has gotten Marsha noticed by directors like Osman Ali and Erma Fatima. Osman has cast Marsha in three of his projects so far – a minor role in the film Cun! gave way to the role of an antagonist in a 26-episode drama serial Bicara Hati and a supporting role in last year's feature, Juwanita.
Her latest 'role' is as Princess Elsa in the Bahasa Malaysia version of Frozen.
According to Osman, Marsha's talent was especially impressive in Bicara Hati.
He said: "I enjoyed working with her as she was very committed to her role. She would run what she intended to do in a scene by me and I would guide her accordingly. She's adept at playing different types of emotions – serious, funny, melancholic and psychotic. She made her character in Bicara Hati someone the audience loved to hate."
Osman first spotted the actress, who turns 28 on Dec 6, when she appeared as one of the contestants in Akademi Fantasia (AF) back in 2005. "I liked how she carried herself on that show. And it was apparent that she is talented," said the director.
It was this reality show that opened doors for Marsha. However, Marsha recalled the only reason she was even at the audition for Akademi Fantasia was because she was accompanying a friend who wanted to take part. Marsha said with a laugh: "It ended up with me getting in the show, but not him."
Marsha came out third runner up – Mawi was crowned champion that season – and her life has changed forever.
"My mother wanted me to go to India to further my studies and not participate in Akademi Fantasia. But I was adamant in finding out my chances on AF ... and I am still here."
Marsha is still keen to continue her studies but it has to be some time in the future as she is just too busy with her career now.
Also, she figured: "I was supposed to study music, but I thought since I am already in the industry, I have an advantage over other students."
At the moment, she is polishing up on her composing skills so she can write her own songs for an album which she hopes to complete next year.
Born in Michigan, the United States – where her parents were studying (the family moved back to Tamparuli, Sabah, a few months after she was born) – Marsha grew up singing in her town's church.
Having developed a love for singing and playing the piano, she was surprised to find out she loved acting too.
Multifaceted: Well-known directors like Osman Ali and Erma Fatima like working with talented Sabahan, Marsha Milan Londoh, because she is dedicated to her craft.
Acting was something she discovered when she was signed up with Astro's production company after Akademi Fantasia (AF top winners are contractually committed to the broadcasting company in the first few years of their career).
"There were some modelling gigs too, but I realised I am too short to be a fashion model," she said, not sounding too disappointed.
It was during this period with Astro that she started on voice acting. Her first voice acting job was for the Bahasa Malaysia version of High School Musical (2006).
Fast forward to the present, Marsha is now cast as the voice of Princess Elsa in Frozen.
"This one is different because she's a Disney princess," Marsha said, drawing a comparison between her role in High School Musical and Frozen.
"I feel honoured as I always wanted to be part of Disney (animated films). And to play a princess, it's great!" she enthused, adding that some of her favourite Disney films include Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs, Little Mermaid, Beauty And The Beast and Cinderella.
"Usually I look at the scripts when choosing a project because I do not want to play the same role over and over again. But for this Disney project, I didn't even ask to look at the script. I said yes immediately because Disney is something that everyone loves."
Frozen revolves around two sisters, Princess Elsa (Marsha) and Princess Anna (Liyana Jasmay), who truly love each other. Elsa, however, is a little different – she has the powers to create snow and ice with just a touch, something that delights her sister to no end.
But on the day she is appointed the queen, Elsa accidentally unleashes her power leaving her kingdom in a perpetual state of winter. Fearing she would do more harm than good to her family and subjects, Elsa runs away to live in isolation. Not about to give up on her sister, Anna decides to look for Elsa and bring her home.
Marsha said: "Elsa is the Snow Queen, but she is not evil. She is just stuck in a place where she has no one. The film has more to do with the love of two sisters who would do anything for each than a conventional love story."
In the English version, the voice of Elsa is provided by Broadway actress Idina Menzel. So, for the dubbed version, it was crucial the voice came from someone who could sing and act.
Elsa has four numbers in the film, including one theme song named Bebaskan (Let It Go). To sing these songs, Marsha had to ensure she conveyed emotions like anger, boldness, happiness and sadness.
But there was a slight snag. On the day Marsha entered the recording studio to record the songs, she had just came back from the dentist.
"I had just removed my wisdom tooth. So I was singing when my mouth was swollen and I was in pain. It was a struggle, but knowing it's for a Disney film, it was all worth it."
As our interview ended, Marsha's fans who were waiting patiently nearby requested for a photo with the actress. Not surprisingly, she struck lovely poses for them.
> Frozen, both the English and Bahasa Malaysia versions, opens in cinemas nationwide on Nov 28.
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