Grandma Magi sounds like a regular grandma. She wears pearls, a straw hat and a flower behind her ear. Now here's the twist: The matriarch of the family, she plays one quarter of the quirky, magical family in 'Cyril’s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition'. The six part TV series experiments with magician Cyril Takayama’s playful side when he takes his ‘family’, Grandma Magi, Uncle Richard and Cousin Tiny (all played by Cyril) for a quick island getaway. This week, we sit down with one of Cyril’s alter egos, Grandma Magi as she talks about her vacation in Hawaii, the contents of her handbag and Harry Potter.
Grandma Magi, how was your vacation in Hawaii?
My vacation was fantastic but it ended so quickly. I wish I could stay a little longer. When Cyril said he wanted to take me on a vacation, I immediately said Hawaii because it’s halfway between Asia and America. He tried to call the rest of the family to come but only Uncle Richard and Cyril’s cousin, Tiny made it.
Did you get to surf?
[Laughs] I don’t surf because I’m too old. But I do surf the internet.
We’re looking forward to 'Cyril’s Family Vacation'. Could you tell us a little bit about the series?
Well, Cyril said that he wanted to create a new kind of television special to tell a story in a different way. The programme is not like his previous specials and it’s like a reality programme. It’s so trendy nowadays. I told Cyril, 'No, I don’t want the cameras to be following me around'. But when I’m there, I didn’t even notice half the time because they were hiding in the bushes. So, I just went about my business in Hawaii. Cousin Tiny and Uncle Richard said it’s exactly the same for them.
Sounds like you had a lot of fun in Hawaii. How would you describe your ideal vacation?
I would spend more time with my family.
Do you get to spend a lot of time with Cyril?
Thanks to everyone in this world especially the Malaysian fans, Cyril is not close to me now because he is always busy with you guys.
Cyril as... Cyril
We apologise for hogging his time. Do you remember Cyril's first magic trick?
Cyril’s mother said that he did magic with his umbilical cord when he was not even born yet. He was very cute as a little boy. Now look at him, he just chases the ladies. But when he was little, he came to me and said, 'Nana, look what I can do!' and he did this trick where his thumb would come off and go back in.
If we were putting together a 'Grandma Magi Magic for Beginners kit', what would you put in it?
Let’s see, I would put in ‘How to change a frog into a prince’ and... [pauses] ‘How to change a prince into a frog’. It might come in handy these days. I would also put in ‘How to get ready in a flash of a second’. Yes, all ladies want to learn how to get ready quickly right?
How about a magic wand?
The magic wand plays a very important part in our careers. But when you’re in my age, you don’t need a magic wand anymore. You see, magic wands come in many forms. You have to disguise magic wands. It could be a twig, it could be a pen or it could be... [points at her umbrella]. I’m just saying.
Harry Potter has a magic wand. What do you think of him?
I find him very amusing.
Lastly, we always wonder what magicians carry in their pockets.
Well, I can tell you that there’s only one thing I would carry that is worth seeing and that is something I would carry no matter where I go. It’s a picture of my grandson. I’m so proud of Cyril and I’m thankful for all the fans that support him.
'Cyril's Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition' will premiere June 7, 9pm on AXN (Ch 701). For more info, see TV listing.
