AFTER years of being a Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, Andy Teh took a leap and decided to become an actor with his debut film, last year’s Sangkar, taking place in the world of illegal fights. The multi-talented Teh also also helped provide input when it came to specific fight scenes.
“I have been actively competing for years; the reason I choose this part (in Sangkar) was because I was given the opportunity, and I wanted to give acting a try.
“I found out that there are not many actors with a martial arts background. So I felt that this was something I could explore.”
Prior to acting in the film, Teh had done some modeling work, and had been featured in several advertisements.
“I started at age ten with taekwondo. I was small built and was bullied a lot in school. One day I found out there was taekwondo class in school. I gave it a try, and indirectly taekwondo helped me develop my self confidence.
“I was 11 years old when started entering competitions and at age 12 I was representing Selangor. I then started venturing into other martial arts such as muay thai.
“When I was 21, MMA came to Malaysia. It was new in Malaysia and I decided to take it up. The more I entered competitions, the more I loved it.”
There was a time when those practicing martial arts stayed true to one form, but with the popularity of MMA, more people were willing to learn different martial arts forms.
“From my point of view, those who take taekwondo are good with their legs, while those who learn boxing are good with their hands. Every kind of martial arts has their own strengths.
“So with MMA, you learn everything. They don’t care what martial arts background you had before you were in MMA, but once you are in you learn so many different martial arts.
“You learn how to use your hands, how to use your legs, how to slam a person to the floor and how to lock or submit a person. With MMA you have to learn a variety of disciplines. The more knowledge you have, the better you are.”
Teh runs four MMA academies, which are his main source of income.
“Being in films is my passion and something else I can do. I have my own management team in place for my academies. So when I have to go for shooting, I will get the right people to fill in for me while I am away.”
Teh’s next project after Sangkar was the Chinese martial arts web drama Never Compromise, shot for the streaming service Sohu.tv, and released late last year.
“The roles I am getting are non-speaking roles but it is good that I am working with production companies from China as I am learning new things. The way they work and the exposure they have is of a different world.”
With restrictions currently eased for non-essential industries such as film productions, Teh – who has signed on to Titanium Productions Sdn Bhd – has a few other film projects in the pipeline.
Sangkar 2 is supposedly in development, and Teh is looking forward to that.
“I am actually quite keen to choreograph a fight scene. I think I have the knowledge and skill for that. But right now, I am concentrating on building my own reputation as a martial artist.”
Sharing the most important thing he has learned since taking up martial arts, Teh said: “Honestly I always tell my students, martial arts is not about kicking and punching. It is a way of life, it is the values that you learn.
“I have students who are aged between three to 70 in my academies. Some come for fitness, some want to learn the discipline. The most important thing you learn in martial arts is self discipline and respect. That is the message I pass to my students.”
