She brings with her a wealth of experience and undying passion to the film industry. An actress blessed with talent and ageless beauty, she is one living legend whose works inspire many.

Widyawati shows her punctuality that day as she arrives in HighEnd’s studio half an hour before the scheduled time. Her real-life character seems not much different from her onscreen persona; she is calm and earnest. Her motherly tenderness is well-honed within her.

Way back in 1971, she made an entry into the film industry with Pengantin Remaja (Teenage Bride).  It was the film that introduced her talent to the world—which also brought her and late husband Sophan Sophiaan together. And It’s seems like the universe conspired to make him her husband. “Before Pengantin Remaja, I turned down the role in Dan Bunga-bunga Berguguran just because I don’t feel like taking it, while my husband was actually an extra in it. But then director Tim Umboh and my mother asked me to go for it; and I met him. I think it’s meant to be that way,” she recalls with a smile.

It’s no overstatement to say that the two actors are the all-time favorite couple, both on and off screen. They always looked solid, away from rumors. Actor cum politician Sophan Sophiaan, as she recalls, was a disciplined man. “He was firm. If he said no, that means a no. But that’s not without a reason—he held on the value of honesty, so there’s no pretense and there’s nothing to hide,” she continues, “And I learn a lot from him.”

With a career span of more than 40 years, she surely has witnessed the changes and developments in the film industry. “The advance of technology enables us the actors to save much time, as we can see our acting right away through a monitor,” she explains. She also notices that today’s amount of film crew members is much bigger it almost took her by surprise. She remembers that moment when it took only her, her husband, a producer, director and makeup artist to produce a film. Regardless of that, she shows her appreciation to today’s actors for their efforts. “I appreciate their willingness to be better, to do their best,” she praises. She also hopes that today’s filmmakers will not forget their identity, and that they never forget where they belong to, as she encourages, “Do not ever forget our own history. Appreciate those who had strived for the nation. Appreciate their struggle.”