MMA fighter turned actor Jet Fei selling durians to survive lockdown

Malaysian martial artist turned actor Jet Fei is one of the many film workers who have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

With filming activities halted due to the Full Movement Control Order (FMCO), the 32-year-old action star has been forced to find alternative ways to make a living.

Fei is currently living on a tight budget while working as a part-time salesperson selling Musang King and D24 durians via live video.

He also teaches virtual fitness classes and helps at his parents cili api and French beans farm during his free time.

Fei is a highly skilled and competitive martial arts champion who learnt his craft at a very young age.

He became a professional Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter at age 22, having been crowned the Malaysia Wushu Sanda champion and Malaysia MMA champion.

Before the lockdown, Fei was busy with a couple of film projects which started filming last year.

The first was a Malaysian Chinese drama, Shadows of Love (叠影迷情), directed by actor/director Chan Wai Cheong and produced by Red Storm Pictures Production. He was also the fight choreographer besides acting in the film.

He was also one of the featured actors in a China drama series called “The Ferryman: Legends of Nanyang” (灵魂摆渡之南洋传说), directed by a Chinese film director.

Filming for the project which started last year at Iskandar Malaysia Studio in Johor has been completed, with the series expected to be premiere this September on the iQiyi TV Channel (爱奇艺).

Fei was also involved as a motion actor in a gaming production by Larian Studios called “Baldur’s Gate 3” in early March this year before the full lockdown.

“I hope I could resume work to earn an income again,” said Fei, who is looking forward for the authorities to allow filming activities to resume in the Phase 2 of the FMCO.

“I hope Malaysian citizens and artists can and do work together to get through the pandemic, adhere to the SOP, get vaccinated early against Covid-19, and let the economy and lifestyle get back to normal.

“Hopefully, the government and Finas will allow artists and production staff who have completed two doses of the Covid-19 vaccine to get back to work, so we can earn our income to survive,” Fei said.