PETALING JAYA, July 8 — “If it wasn’t for my kids, I don’t think I’d be doing this.”
Actor Datuk Aaron Aziz and doting father is the latest celebrity guest to make an appearance on Club Mickey Mouse, Disney Channel’s highest rating show this week.
Mostly known for his leading man roles, the hunky actor made an exception to be on the variety show thanks to his youngest daughter Dahlia Arissa, aged nine.
“I’m here because my daughter Dahlia watches the show, I wanted to be a part of something that she watches — I’d rather my kids watch Club Mickey Mouse instead of some rubbish on YouTube,” said Aaron.
Presented in English with some Bahasa Malaysia thrown in, Aaron said he hopes more Malay-speaking viewers will tune in to help with their language skills.
“I hope this kind of programme helps them brush up their English because it’s an international language but the show also has Malay here and there to make it more local,” he said.
He also said there needs to be more multiracial programmes like Club Mickey Mouse.
“Programmes should be mixed-race, not racially-segregated — if it’s mainstream, it has to be multiracial.”
Aaron praised the show’s use of multiracial hosts and that it was a good platform to showcase talents from this part of the world.
“Sadly if Hollywood wants an Asian kid, they’d probably go to Korea or Hong Kong and they tend to skip Malaysia or Singapore so it’s good to show off our homegrown talent that’s multiracial, that there’s no language or cultural barrier to educate viewers,” he said.
The father of three added that he grew up watching Mickey Mouse cartoons but not its equally iconic Mickey Mouse Club show until he and his wife welcomed their first child.
Aaron praised the show for employing local talents instead of foreign ones.
“To me, it’s a big responsibility for these guys, they’ve been doing a good job and that’s probably why they’re back for a third season.
“They could easily do this in Thailand or Philippines so it’s something to be proud of,” he said.
Having appeared in more than 20 films since his big screen debut in Evolusi KL Drift in 2008, Aaron was asked if the common notion that working with children and animals were the hardest in filmmaking.
“Working with animals is harder than children, if you are not a parent — if you are a parent, the minute you see kids, it’s a joy and it’s not going to be difficult.
“But if you view them as a nuisance, then they will be a nuisance all the way,” he explained.
After filming his segment with the Mouseketeers, the seasoned actor also spared a moment to give the budding entertainers some words of advice about the industry.
“Don’t change how you are right now, don’t let stardom get into your head.
“Education is still important, take it as a passion but explore what else you can do too,” he said.
Club Mickey Mouse Season 3 airs Fridays, 1pm on Disney Channel (Astro Ch 615) and is also available on Astro GO and On Demand.
