AFTER five years since since his last TV drama outing, award-winning actor Shaheizy Sam is thrilled to be back on the small screen.
"Not only am I excited to be back in TV dramas, this programme has also given me the opportunity to work with a young cast," says the 39-year-old father of two.
Shaheizy who previously played action heroes, now plays a father in the six-episode series Take CTRL, says: "It isn't a bad thing at all playing a father but it is a whole new (on-screen) experience for me."
Take CTRL is an original local family comedy series by Astro, in collaboration with Graph Studios, helmed by director Derrik Yaw.
It also marks as Astro's first original and non-animation for TA-DAA!, a channel which showcases animated programmes dedicated for younger viewers.
"Together with TIME Internet, we are excited to present this high-quality original series which offers an epic gaming adventure, plot twists, positive life lessons and ultimately what being part of a family means.
"We hope viewers will enjoy the first of our original series, and we look forward to working with local content creators on more original ideas that Malaysian families can relate to," says Astro's head of Kids Business, Farah Fauzana.
Yaw adds: "I hope that this show can change some of the stereotypes that local audiences have towards local TV series.
"We have great local family stories to tell, with very relatable family conflicts and relationships. We need more honest storytelling especially for teenage TV series.
"Expect lots of great acting from an amazing cast, great storytelling with lots of clever and not-so-clever comedy, and lots of fun for the entire family," he shares.
Taking control
The series revolves around siblings, Sky (played by Faiz Najib) and Ramunah (Sry Khairudin), whose biggest complaint in life is their controlling parents — Papa (Shaheizy) and Mama (Hana Nadira) — until they stumble upon a mind-control video game.
Both children then get a taste of what it feels like to do a role switch and be in the driver's seat.
The show also presents a unique concept, allowing viewers to explore two worlds, between reality and the virtual world, which is infused with gaming elements to which young audiences can relate.
At the same time the show hopes adult viewers will be able to empathise with the struggles of Papa and Mama who try to balance being the fun parents versus the strict disciplinarians who do not understand their kids' obsession with their gadgets and gaming habits.
The series is also the first local production to utilise "Unreal Engine." an advanced real-time 3D creation technology.
First-time jitters
Initially for Hana Nadira, acting alongside her favourite actor, gave her the jitters.
Hana plays the wife of Shaheizy's character.
"Acting for a TV drama for the first time is enough to make me nervous. On top of that, having to act with your idol who makes it even more terrifying!" shares Hana, 36, with a smile.
Hana who has been a stage actress for sometime, playing Mama marks her first big role for TV.
"This is also my first time playing the role of an adult. My previous roles were playing teens," recounts Hana, who later managed to calm herself down when she realised how warm and accommodating Shaheizy were.
"So, from Day One, everything went on smoothly for all of us, a lot of was due to Shaheizy's professionalism and friendliness," she adds.
Similarly for Sry, whose full name is Sry Khairun Aini Khairudin, Take CTRL marks her acting debut.
A talent for commercials, she landed the role Ramunah after Yaw asked her to come for the casting.
"I actually went to cast for another role, but somehow was asked to audition for this role too, which is a bigger role," says the 23-year-old social media influencer.
Besides busy creating content for her TikTok account, which has more than 115,000 followers, Sry is also a full-time employee of a multi-national company in the city.
The acting newbie is extremely grateful that her employer is supportive of her acting work.
"It's an exciting time for me to explore this whole new experience. I'm ready for more opportunities," says Sry who looks to award-winning actress Maya Karin for inspiration.
"It'd be great if one day I'd be able to work on a project with Maya."
Meanwhile, for 20-year-old Faiz Najib, being in front of the camera is nothing new.
The Johorean was one of the talents for kids variety show Kelab Mickey Mouse from 2017 to 2020.
"I was in show with six others and it was fun," shares Faiz who finds his stint on the kids show has helped put him at ease at acting.
"This is my first time acting, not counting my four years in Kelab Mickey Mouse.
"So I hope audiences will enjoy watching Sky and his gang in this comedy series."
Faiz who is signed as a talent under KGE Studios will soon release his debut single titled Di Matamu, a song which he wrote and composed together with Muazam Faiz.
Others in the cast of the bi-lingual series include Gabriel Pountney, Rika Adrina, Marianne Tan, Farid Azmeir, Phoon Chi Ho, and Prakash Daniel. There are also special cameos by popular local content creators, Jenn Chia and Jin Lim (Jinnyboy).
Take CTRL premieres tomorrow at 9pm on TA-DAA! (Ch 612), Astro GO or On Demand.