Vlogging, emceeing and her children keep Daphne Iking in shape these days. She tells Shuib Taib about a possible role in a new film
Tv host and actress Daphne Iking is thrilled to have been offered a role in a movie. She says that if everything works out, she may have to revisit her roots.
“I haven’t signed anything yet and I don’t want to jinx it but I am excited about this offer because it has something to do with my Kadazan-Dusun roots. If that happens, I will have to brush up on it,” she explains.
Asked if it has anything to do with Mount Kinabalu and the legends surrounding it, Iking says: “All I can say is that the movie will touch on history and it’s going to be epic. We have a great director and I hope it will materialise.”
Iking’s first taste of acting was a supporting role in 8TV’s dramedy series, KL Lights, 10 years ago. That was followed by a supporting role in telemovie Adik, in 2007. Aside from a minor role in Singaporean drama District 9 Pilot, Iking played a con-woman in Belukar, a Malaysian indie film released in 2010 alongside Bront Palarae, Chew Kin Wah, Danny X-Factor and Azhar Sulaiman.
She was also cast in the local comedy film, My Spy, in 2010.
SURPRISE BUNDLE OF JOY
At the recent soft launch of Dayang, which carried exclusive hijab and shawls, Iking, who emceed the event, was accompanied by her husband-manager Azmi Abdul Rahman and 3-month-old Isidore Daniel, the latest addition to the family.
Indeed, the birth of Isidore had surprised many, including the former host of ntv7’s Bella herself.
“Since Bella ended, I still emcee at events but Isidore was not part of the plan, at least not for my husband. I was on contraceptives, so when we found out I was pregnant, we were really shocked. The thing was, I had already confirmed many jobs and because I didn’t want to alarm my clients, we didn’t tell anyone, save for our families and one or two close friends,” explains Iking, adding that she had always wanted a boy.
She adds that from her experiences during her first and second pregnancy, some clients cancelled even though she didn’t put on a lot of weight.
Her close friends like the celepets (short for “Celebrity with Pet Project”) (Atilia Haron, Sazzy Falak, Yasmin Hani, Serena C, Dynas Mokhtar and Aishah Sinclair) were also unaware of the good news initially.
“Here’s a funny story. Atilia came to me when I was pregnant with a worried look and asked if I had a tumour in my tummy!” says Iking, who managed to hide her pregnancy until delivery day!
In fact, Iking was hosting an event attended by US President Barack Obama during the US-Asean Summit when she was more than eight months pregnant.
She said: “It’s all thanks to designers like Melinda Looi and Radzuan Radziwill, who made me fluffy attires that covered my stomach, so no one noticed!”
TAMING THE TECH
Iking, who has started her own PR and media engagement training for corporate clients, has also picked up a new hobby: Vlogging.
She says she has always been interested in working behind the scenes and in polishing her skills. So she started her own Daphne Iking vlogs, which can be found on YouTube.
“Once I got the hang of the technology, it was a piece of cake. Now I’m hooked on vlogging. That and YouTube seem to be the platform to sell your content,” she says.
“I had always been a production person and seeing my husband’s camera equipment lying around the house, a thought quickly crossed my mind. What if he is no longer around? Like, what if he goes first? What am I going to do with all the equipment? Well, he told me that since I was a student of broadcast journalism, I might as well familiarise myself with it.”