KUALA LUMPUR: Film, TV drama and theatre actor Tony Eusoff is known for his Malay roles, some are iconic like the late Tan Sri P. Ramlee in the 2013 musical production of the legendary entertainer.
But the Kuching-born actor, whose real name is Anthony Joseph Hermas Rajiman, is happy to represent East Malaysians in a new TV drama, Jibril.
“It’s not every day that an East Malaysian is portrayed on the big or small screen so I’m proud to take on this role,” said the dashing 41-year-old Bidayuh actor when met during a location shoot at D’Mass Villa in Hulu Langat yesterday.
He added: “I play Captain Jonathan Tuah Merawi, a police detective from Sarawak who has to solve a very perplexing murder. I then seek out the help of a lawyer with a spotless record of winning cases due to his uncanny ability to meticulously collate details in order to tackle these hard-to-solve mysteries. As the investigation deepens many other things come to light.”
According to Tony, the character was initially written as a Malay man, Captain Farid. “But when the director Megat Sharizal and producer Tuan Faisal cast me in the role, they decided to change it to a Sarawakian. So now I get to display my tattoos onscreen,” he said with a laugh.
He added: “It was all done naturally though. And I do hope that there will be more East Malaysian characters written for the screen.”
Tony said that he drew inspiration from his fellow Sarawakians. “Some of the former rangers in Sarawak are my relatives, so I had references to draw from in terms of the militaristic aspect of preparing for the role,” he said.
The 10-episode drama also stars Aeril Zafrel, Lisa Surihani and Sangeeta Krishnasamy.
“It’s a combination of a courtroom, thriller, mystery and investigative drama, with a clever storyline and layered characters,” said the in-demand actor, who has also worked on a slew of productions for this year that include Kopi, Projek Dapat Baby, Kekasih Elektrik, Kelip-Kelip Di Kota London and Cinta.
Jibril, which is expected to air in October, is one of three original TV dramas developed from a partnership between Media Prima TV Networks and the video service platform Viu.
The other two are Salon and The Bridge, which airs next month and November respectively. All shows will air on ntv7 and Viu on the same day.