Al Mukadam plays Brady Dhawan across all three series of Hallmark drama The Way Home with Sadie Laflamme-Snow as his on-screen daughter Alice and Siddharth Sharma as Teen Brady, with Series 3 released earlier this year. In the short film Unfamily, Al worked with his The Way Home co-star Siddharth (who wrote and directed) where they played brothers Pal and Sukhi, and he was in the cast of feature film Home Free, with both projects premiering last year. For his regular role of Det. Taai Nazeer in Pretty Hard Cases, Al was nominated a number of times at the Canadian Screen Awards for his portrayal of the character, and in 2022, he was directed by the late Donald Shebib when he played Tom in thriller film Nightalk. Further projects for Al include playing Detective Aaron Finch in The Detail, Nelson Abrams in all episodes of Canadian sitcom Spun Out, Ray “Pronto” Brennan from 2003 to 2005 in Radio Free Roscoe, and he was in the 2002 Disney Channel Original Movie Get a Clue playing co-lead character Gabe opposite Lindsay Lohan as Lexy, Brenda Song as Jennifer and Bug Hall as Jack. Already this year, Al has played Neel in Ghosts for CBS/Paramount+, Jeremy Hardy in Doc and Tom Redlands in TV movie Hearts Around the Table: Jenna’s First Love. We spoke to Al about playing Brady Dhawan in Hallmark drama series The Way Home, his regular role of Det. Taai Nazeer in Pretty Hard Cases, working on thriller film Nightalk and his time as Detective Aaron Finch in The Detail.
In the Hallmark drama series The Way Home, you play Brady Dhawan across all three series, how would you describe the character and what is the show like to be part of?
For me, Brady is first and foremost a father. He’s Alice’s dad and that’s, I believe, his core and central raison d’être. And all the sometimes complicated things that come with that. Being a part of the show has been a great experience. And mirrored my own life as I had just become a father in real life when the show first started.
What is Brady like to play and how has it been developing the character over the years?
Brady, like all the characters on the show, is on a journey. When we first meet him, he is absolutely not where he’s at now. Playing the bumps along the way has been very rewarding and I’d even say I’ve learned about change and accepting it.
What was it like returning to set to film the recently-released Series 3, and why would you recommend watching The Way Home?
It is such a great group of people. From the top down. Behind and in front of the camera. Truly. So it’s such a pleasure to come back to hang out with my Way Home family.
Can you tell us about the short film Unfamily and feature film Home Free, both of which premiered last year, and what were both projects like to film?
Unfamily was a short film written and directed by Siddharth Sharma, who plays young Brady in The Way Home. We met and connected instantly and wanted to collaborate on something and then he went ahead and created that opportunity for us. Such a great experience. We played brothers in Unfamily. Home Free was a film also about family… starting to see a real pattern here. But happy for it. Family, however it looks, is so important.
What did you enjoy most about playing the regular role of Det. Taai Nazeer in Pretty Hard Cases and did you have a favourite storyline/episode to film?
That was such a great hang. Working with all the comedic geniuses on the show was so much fun. I just laughed all day. And also formed some lifelong friendships that I’m very grateful for.
How was it seeing the fan response to Pretty Hard Cases and being nominated at the Canadian Screen Awards for three consecutive years?
It’s always nice to be recognised by fans of your work but also your peers and your community. Gives a certain validation to the work.
In 2022, you starred as Tom in thriller film Nightalk, was there anything that drew you to the character and how was it telling the story?
That was an opportunity to work with legendary Canadian director Don Shebib. I value that experience tremendously and will never forget my time on set. It was also Don’s last film before he passed away. That time we spent and the work we did, I’ll always remember fondly.
What was it like filming for The Detail and getting into character as Detective Aaron Finch?
That was my first foray into the world of procedural detective shows… learned a lot from that experience on how it all comes together. I love that style and type of show.
How did you find the experience working on the Canadian sitcom Spun Out in the role of Nelson Abrams across all episodes?
Again, what a funny group of people to be around. And different kinds of funny with different styles… so much fun. Laughed a lot all day long.
What are some of your stand-out highlights from your time in the cast of Radio Free Roscoe as Ray “Pronto” Brennan from 2003 to 2005?
Such a great time I will always remember fondly.
What do you remember most from playing Gabe in the Disney Channel Original Movie Get a Clue?
Became fast friends with that cast and we hung out a lot. Great times.
You have been part of many other projects including Late Bloomer, Kodachrome, Second Jen, Miss Sloane, People Hold On and Angela Anaconda, can you tell us about some of your further highlights from your acting career so far?
That’s a lot of projects… all different… For me, it’s just about always moving forward. And learning. And being grateful.
Where does your love of acting come from and how did you originally get started in the industry?
I started when I was very young, it was an early passion of mine to be involved in this exciting world. All I do now is try to remind myself of that little kid who got so excited to go to work.
Do you have any favourite films and TV shows to watch?
Right now I’m watching Hacks and The Last of Us… Very different but I love both the comedy and the drama.
How do you like to spend your time away from acting?
With my family.
What are you hoping this year brings for you, and do you have any projects coming up that you can talk about?
Always looking forward to the next project that gets me excited and brings upon that passion that I felt as a kid.
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