INTERVIEW: Aaron Aziz is feelin’ special

Aaron Aziz’s rise to fame was anything but an overnight success. The Singaporean actor, who is also well-known in Malaysia, has worked many odd-jobs to get to where he is now. And this is probably why E! Entertainment has chosen the 37-year-old actor as their first subject on their Asian E! Special.

Since winning Singapore’s Manhunt, Aaron has gone on to become one of the most sought-after South East Asian celebrities. He’s appeared in hit TV shows like Adam and Hawa, and films like KL Gangster and Ombak Rindu. But what is Aaron like behind closed doors? Well, we can’t tell you that – you’ll just have to watch the one-hour special. But we did get Aaron to dish all about his past and the experience of making his first E! Special in this interview!

Hello, Aaron! Thanks for meeting us today. Can you tell us a little bit more about E! Special: Aaron Aziz? 
This is something like E! True Hollywood Story. It’s an Asian version.  I heard that I was selected among some other Asian celebrities so, fortunately, I am also the first selected for the first episode. The show goes deep into the beginning, my childhood, how I started my career from Singapore and moving it up to Malaysia. I was quite taken aback, like, “Why me?” [Laughs] It’s very surprising for me and I am overwhelmed. I met Sharifah Amani the other night and the first thing she said was, ‘Wow! E!’

What was your initial reaction when you found out about it? Were you skeptical in any way?

I wasn’t skeptical. I told my wife and she was pretty excited also! It’s a big consolation. I was speechless. To other people, it’s quite a big thing and to me, it’s really a huge thing. When I met the producer, Steven, and he said that he had selected me. I was very humbled to know that.

Did you family and friends in Singapore congratulate you when they found out about it?
Not yet, but they hooked up with some of my childhood friends, colleagues and people in the industry in Singapore to interview them. They asked me if they can interview my mum and I was like, ‘No, no, no!’ I don’t tend to go in too deep, you know? [Laughs] My mum would tend to say the wrong things so I avoided her. So sorry, mum! We selectively chose who we knew could say the right things.  I didn’t want to embarrass myself in public.

Were you a little worried about what kind of topics, controversies and challenges they would talk about during the show?
I wasn’t too worried about what the people they were going to interview might say. I had a separate interview with just myself and Marion, and they really did their homework very well. They really did their research so there are quite a few sensitive questions, which has been asked before. It was nothing new so I didn’t respond in a way like, ‘Oh, I don’t know what to say’.  I managed to just keep it short and sweet.

Posted in: Artis Sana Sini