KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 28 ― English actor Warren Brown first fell in love with Malaysia back in 2018 when he was shooting spy action drama Strike Back in Johor Baru.

The entire sixth season of the Cinemax series was shot in Malaysia with the then-Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios in Johor serving as the production base.

"I loved Malaysia.

"Malaysia was great, we got to travel and saw Kuala Lumpur, Penang and we were in Johor,” the actor said in a recent phone interview.

When Brown and his co-stars got the weekend off, they took the opportunity to travel around the country and its nearby destinations.

"Danny and I went off to Langkawi for a weekend, a lot of people went off to other islands and we also went to Hong Kong which is not too far away ― I had the best time on this job,” he said, referring to Daniel MacPherson who plays Wyatt in the series.

"Every year has been fantastic and I loved Malaysia, I loved the people ― I definitely would love to come back on holiday for sure.”

Brown still remembers the hot and humid Malaysian forest and the difficulties in getting the crew and equipment on location but said the challenges gave the series a sense of realism.

The 41-year-old says the season finale is the best season because the writers went all out with the script. ― Picture courtesy of HBO Asia

"It looked incredible on camera because we are actually in the jungle but also the temperature running around in all the gear.

"I also remember in Malaysia as soon as you got onto the set in the morning you’re dripping in sweat and that lasted the entire day but it all looked real and authentic and was fantastic,” the Dark Knight Rises actor said.

Playing the role of Sgt. Thomas ‘Mac’ McAllister in the Cinemax action-packed drama has brought the 41-year-old Cheshire native all over the world.

Apart from Malaysia, the series was also filmed in Jordan, Budapest, Croatia and Hong Kong.

Strike Back, which is now in its seventh and final season, follows the elite multinational Section 20 covert special ops team who take on extremely dangerous missions around the globe to bring down criminal and terrorist activity.

Brown and MacPherson’s co-stars include Alin Sumarwata (Neighbours), Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica), Varada Sethu (Now Your See Me 2) and new cast members Alec Secăreanu (God’s Own Country) and Ivana Miličević (Gotham).

Asked how he feels about the series coming to an end, the actor admitted he was overwhelmed with mixed emotions having forged solid friendships with his fellow actors.

"Aww man, obviously it’s sad in that respect because it is coming to an end.

"Over the few years on the show we’ve all gotten super tight and I’ve got really best friends from the show so that’s sad.

"It’s been a crazy three-year roller-coaster ride and I’m super grateful for that experience,” he said.

Brown flanked by co-stars MacPherson and Sumarwata in a scene from ‘Strike Back’. ― Picture courtesy of HBO Asia

The Luther actor who was in Los Angeles during the interview has no upcoming projects for now but said he was meeting his American agent and can’t wait to see what’s in store for him.

"Yes, it’s coming to an end but [I’m] super excited to see this season go down and what’s going to come next because I don’t know but that’s one of those unpredictable things about this industry which I’m excited about.”

He added that fans of the series can expect an explosive finale as the show’s writers went all out.

"Going into this season, in particular knowing it’s the last one, the writers can really push the boat out because we don’t need to leave it open for a potential other series so they really went to town and pushed the team to their limits more so than we ever have been before.

"I strongly believe because of that, this is the best season we’ve had for Strike Back for sure,” said Brown.

During the interview, Brown also spoke about how his background as a two-time Thai boxing world champion helped him with the show’s rigorous training.

"One thing is that Strike Back has been for all of us a job unlike anything else, I feel like if you can survive Strike Back, you can survive anything.

Strike Back airs Saturdays, 12pm on HBO Go and Cinemax (Astro Ch 412), with a same-day encore at 11pm on Cinemax.