For Mierul Aiman, 7 am can signal the beginning or end of a workday. While preparing for his first lead role, he began some mornings at the gym at that same hour. When he arrived for the Esquire Malaysia cover shoot, he had wrapped a night shoot at that same hour too. At just 28 years old, he is among Malaysia’s busiest young actors.
Fans first embraced Mierul in the Astro Originals series Projek: High Council (2023) as Fakhri. Since then, he has moved from supporting roles into leading man territory, recently fronting Tarung: Unforgiven (2026) as Hatta alongside fellow Esquire cover star Bront Palarae. Later this year, he will return to the High Council Universe in the prequel film Kudrat 1968, this time as Tengku Uda bin Tengku Ali.
Long before audiences recognised Mierul on screens, he sat where everyone else did, waiting for the film to begin. His earliest memory of the cinema was The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005). What stayed with him the most was that lasting sense of wonder.
“Cinema isn’t just about watching a movie,” he explains. “It’s like going to a funfair. You want to feel the whole thing. The vibes, the atmosphere, the energy, the experience.”
The first film that Mierul truly loved was Mel Gibson’s Apocalypto (2006). It introduced him to different cultures and ways of life beyond Malaysia, while also shaping the kind of actor he wanted to become.
“Apocalypto is the reason why I love action movies so much,” he says. “You have to explore the full range of your emotions. Sadness, happiness, fear, disappointment, and anger.”
Acting was not the obvious route. After SPM, Mierul continued with science but knew the clinical path didn’t suit him. “I’m not really good at memorising all those scientific terms,” he admits. “It was hard for me, maybe because I didn’t really have the passion for it.”
He completed a Foundation in Physical Science, followed by a four-year Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering at Universiti Selangor. Outside the classroom, Mierul had always looked for ways to express himself. At school, he competed in football, rugby and track and field.
At university, he kept playing rugby before modelling offered him a different outlet. “Fashion is a language, right?” he asks. “We carry our culture, religion, energy, mood, and where we come from through our fashion.”
After several years of modelling, acting felt like its natural progression. “Acting is like an upgraded version,” Mierul says. “We’re showing ourselves visually… through our eyes, breath, dialogue, tone, and nuance.” The camera remained, but the means of expression expanded.
In 2021, winning Hero Remaja fuelled his ambition further. “My only mission was to get a job,” he says. Mierul considered the first two or three years in the local film and TV industry as a training period, a chance to expand his emotional range and learn to see the set as a safe place.
Six months later, he landed his first major role in Projek: High Council. Its young cast had limited experience, but Mierul remembers a group willing to commit fully to the material. “The whole process was magical because it never felt like work,” he reflects. “When the director called action, we became completely different people. When he called cut, we went straight back to being ourselves.”
Kudrat 1968 now asks him to portray someone entirely new in the expanding Astro Shaw Cinematic Universe. The casting initially left him shocked, but curious. “It never crossed my mind that I would get the call to audition,” he explains. “It’s very rare to have an actor play different characters in the same universe.”
His own research led him to Hong Kong’s Young and Dangerous (1996–2000) film series, in which actors such as Jason Chu and Roy Cheung played multiple characters across the franchise.
Mierul understands why some fans find the decision odd. His answer arrives through a football metaphor, ironically during the 2026 FIFA World Cup: “It’s not about the name behind the jersey. It’s about the badge in front of the jersey.”
He speaks confidently about what the film will offer. “Everything is bigger,” Mierul says. “The scale is bigger, the writing is stronger, and the character development is amazing.”
He is especially proud of the new actors joining the prequel. “The cast poured their hearts and talent into this piece. It’s time to show Malaysia that we have strong, passionate actors who are ready to be soldiers in this art form,” Mierul says excitedly.
To him, his responsibility is to serve the world they share.
That sense of responsibility grew heavier with Tarung. Mierul plays Hatta, a former silat champion who enters an underground fighting ring because his sister, Aisha, needs costly medical care.
The intense fight choreography may supply the impact, but it’s Hatta’s tense and protective relationship with Aisha that gives the action film its pulse. Mierul moved me to tears during those quieter scenes at home, where guilt and duty register before he says anything.
“Hatta [is] the main character,” he says. “The weight on my shoulders felt really heavy. I tried to make [it] lighter through preparation, physical training, and balancing everything within two to three months.”
Director Razaisyam Rashid says he didn’t know if Mierul was the right fit for the part, at first. “I’d seen how he crushed his roles in past projects and thought, ‘Maybe dia kot Hatta,’” he explains.
But any doubts disappeared the moment rehearsals began. “His commitment was next-level,” says Razaisyam. “Mierul has this rare ability to convey really complex emotions without saying a single word. You just look at him, and you feel it.”
Mierul calls Razaisyam “passion personified”. Working closely with the director also exposed the young actor to the complex decisions behind an independent production, from analysing the market to planning its promotion.
“[Razaisyam] showed me that this industry is not just about art. It’s also about entrepreneurship and business,” he says. “To grow well as an actor, we need to understand both… films are the biggest business in this creative industry, right?”
Mierul’s preparation began months before filming. On some days, he trained at the gym for two hours, and then had four hours of acting classes between stunt training sessions.
“We analysed our characters and lines every single day with our sparring partner,” he explains. Acting coach Abang Wan (Khairunazwan Rodzy) helped him break down dialogue, rhythm and each character’s eccentricities.
The action rehearsals were led by one of the best stunt teams in Malaysia, Defenderz Action, and its founder, Ubai Amir. The training tested Mierul’s stamina until shortness of breath and muscle soreness became all too familiar feelings.
“Everything about our bodies was pushed to the limit,” he recalls. “But we also went through beautiful parts of that physical journey. The brotherhood and love.”
Defenderz’s studio was practically his second home. “I showered there, took ice baths there, and the thing I hate most… got ready there,” he confesses. “I was there almost every day until the first day of shooting, [but] it was all worth it.”
From Bront and Zul Ariffin to Aedy Ashraf and Amir Ahnaf, the cast gave him another form of training. “I got to be a sponge,” Mierul says. “I love being surrounded by talented people and skilful actors. [It was] a real dream come true.”
Action has become Mierul’s dominant genre, partly because it recalls the competitive rush of sports. He enjoys the physicality, but the emotional demands keep bringing him back.
“It gives me a way to express my masculine side,” he clarifies. “It makes me appreciate being a man… many different versions of masculinity exist in this world.”
His next dream role swaps the fighting ring with a running track. Sprinting clips on TikTok have revived his memories of competing during primary school. “It would be fun to play a track and field athlete in a competitive sports film,” he suggests. “They motivate people. They’re about determination, hard work, resilience, and optimism.”
Beyond Kudrat 1968, which is due to release in October, Mierul hints at another project that will introduce a new genre to his portfolio—but he stops short of providing more details.
Instead, his advice to emerging actors is direct. “Keep doing what you love the most,” he says. “Those of us who truly believe in ourselves will get there… as long as we’re sincere with our mission.”
Music has given Mierul another platform to experiment. When Sharul Kamal invited him to write and perform a verse on “Duit Raya”, the actor adapted thoughts from his journals into lyrics.
Now, a phone and a few sample beats from YouTube are enough to begin. “I’m really looking forward to having fun with music rather than treating it as work,” he clarifies. “I want to enjoy the process of making and releasing music.”
Journalling, meanwhile, remains part of his routine. So does reading non-fiction, magazines, and visual books (like art collections). Although he admits he rarely commits to one title. “I’m more of a mood reader,” he confesses. “I will read one book, stop halfway, then move on to another. When the mood comes back, I’ll continue the one that I didn’t finish.”
On a rare day off, Mierul prefers to have no schedule. He might visit a museum, browse a pasar karat, eat with family or meet his school friends.
“The best part is having no commitments,” he says. “I can breathe freely and let the day take me wherever my mind wants to go.”
But with his current schedule, there aren’t many days like this. Razaisyam’s assessment of the young actor is simple: “The guy genuinely works his heart off.”
Mierul describes the same impulse another way: “I became addicted to this life as an actor.”
Photography: Chuan Looi | Yipieyaya Studio
Creative Direction & Styling: Low Zhen Yang
Interview: Adrianna Haris
Art Direction: Amirul Arrifin
Producer: Ling Low
Grooming: Eranthe Loo
Photo Assistants: Bee Ang & Edison Liew | Yipieyaya Studio
Styling Assistants: Ezra Motijol & Felisya Elriani
Esquire Malaysia
©2026, Heart Media Pte Ltd
