In this year’s release of the ITVX comedy series G’wed, Zak Douglas plays Mo, and he attended the premiere event in Liverpool alongside his fellow lead cast members. Zak plays Jamil Al-Rashid in The Good Ship Murder, having filmed on location in Malta as well as for five weeks at sea on a cruise ship, working with Shayne Ward as Jack Grayling and Catherine Tyldesley as Kate Woods, and it has just been announced that the show will be filming two further series and a Christmas special. Across both series of The Larkins, Zak played Dudley, and amongst his guest roles, he has played Tony Castillo in Vera and Kit McKellen in Ridley. Having stage experience, Zak played Lamar (Little Bit) Johnson on tour in Crongton Knights, and he started his acting career at Central Youth Theatre in Wolverhampton, where he now teaches. We chatted to Zak about playing Mo in G’wed, filming as Jamil Al-Rashid for The Good Ship Murder and touring with Crongton Knights as Lamar (Little Bit) Johnson.
You play Mo in the new ITVX comedy series G’wed, can you tell us about the show and how was it reading the scripts for the first time?
I enjoyed reading the script, Danny Kenny is a brilliant writer and mixes important topics and issues in with humour so effortlessly.
How would you describe Mo and what is he like to play?
Cheeky, curious and loyal. It’s been fun going back to school to play such a great character. It was also interesting playing a young person that is still working out what’s right and what’s wrong, while still working out who they are as a person.
How did you feel finding out you’d booked the role and what was it like meeting your fellow lead cast members?
The audition process took five months and by that point I had already fallen in love with this character and the script. So to hear I got the role I was over the moon.
What are some of your favourite highlights from filming Series 1 and being on set?
Highlights were the whole experience, it went so quick because we all enjoyed it so much and came together like a real family. Being on set was great as everyone on and off camera loved the show so much, and excitement was in the air even on hard days.
What was it like attending the recent premiere event and how does it feel now G’wed has been released?
It was so nice to be back in Liverpool for the premiere, the cast and crew love any opportunity to see each other again. So to see everyone’s hard work come together was amazing. Now the show is out we have all been blown away by people’s response. Most of us get messages each day from people asking for a Season 2. G’wed has really become a show for the people and we love that!
Was there anything that drew you to the role of Jamil Al-Rashid in The Good Ship Murder and can you tell us about your character?
Being mixed heritage Moroccan and Jamaican, Jamil was the first character ever that I was able to explore my Moroccan roots through work. The character really reminds me of a young version of my dad so I was super excited to bring Jamil to screen. Jamil is the typical best friend character – funny, caring and always there when Jack needs him.
How was it filming on location and getting into character as Jamil?
It was beautiful filming in Malta and such an experience filming all the ship scenes on a real cruise ship at sea for five weeks. I’m very grateful to get these experiences as I know they don’t come around often.
What did you enjoy most about working alongside Shayne Ward, Catherine Tyldesley and the rest of the cast?
Shayne and Cath are the best leads you could ask for, they are so hard-working, collaborative and also care so much about the whole team.
You had guest roles in Series 12 of Vera as Tony Castillo and Ridley as Kit McKellen, how were these to film?
These were a dream to film, especially being alongside such amazing actors like Brenda (Blethyn) and Adrian (Dunbar). I learnt every day on set and saw what it takes to have longevity in this line of work.
What was it like being part of The Larkins and playing Dudley across both series?
The Larkins was great, like one big family that get together each summer and had a great time filming such a beautiful show for all the family.
On stage, you played Lamar (Little Bit) Johnson in Crongton Knights, what was it like touring with the production and performing in the show?
Crongton Knights tour was such a challenging show for me as a performer and we created an original soundtrack for the show and performed it live every show a cappella, and as someone that just does acting and doesn’t have a musical bone in their body it was hard, but I was surrounded by the best cast anyone could ask for, including the late Marcel White, who I am so glad I met and got to see what a talented and amazing person he was before we lost him way too soon. I learnt so many new skills and how to create a show from scratch, so the show is a massive part of my journey.
How did you get into acting and was it something you always wanted to do?
Growing up, acting wasn’t a subject that was ever encouraged in school and presented as an achievable career path. So it wasn’t until I reached 17/18 and realised that football wasn’t going to happen for me as a career that I discovered acting and was encouraged to join my local youth theatre Central Youth Theatre in Wolverhampton. Being a part of my youth theatre showed me all the brilliant creative talent I had in my little city and from there I’ve been determined to be an example that we can all become something Wolverhampton is proud of.
What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?
I love anything fantasy! The idea of creating worlds where anything can happen is a big reason that I love acting as within the creative world we can be whatever we want with no limits.
How do you like to spend your time away from acting?
I enjoy coming back and teaching at Central Youth Theatre and hopefully bringing through the next generation of talent from the West Midlands. I also love cooking and seeing family and friends. And I still love watching football even though I couldn’t make it as a footballer.
Do you have any projects coming up that you can tell us about and what are you hoping this year brings for you?
Fingers crossed for future seasons of the shows I am currently a part of. Hopfully people keep watching G’wed and The Good Ship Murder and we are able to do further seasons.
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