While working as a model, mostly for commercials, Malek Marcus McCrone started to feel the job was getting a bit stagnant.
Wanting to rebrand himself and looking to build a lasting career, he turned to acting.
“Acting felt like the best option because there are so many different roles you can play throughout your life.
“Modelling has a shorter shelf life, especially once you reach your 30s,” says Malek, who turns 32 in September.
But acting didn’t come naturally to the Selangor-born actor of mixed Canadian and Malay descent.
Laughing, he recalls how, when he first started, he was so bad that he felt “even wood would’ve been less wooden than me”.
“In the first three years, I struggled because I delivered my dialogue almost like a newsreader – very monotonous.
“I didn’t know how to truly feel the emotions behind the words,” says Malek, who made his acting debut in Astro Ria drama Satukan Rasa (2019).
A turning point came when he joined the cast of the 146-episode drama Hati Yang Dikhianati (2021).
With the filming on-going for a year and a half, the drama proved to be a great training ground for him.
“After a year, the production started giving my character more scenes because they could see the improvement.”
The momentum continued when he landed Astro Originals’ First Wives (2025), a production he describes as “a game changer”.
“It was a premium production with a film-like approach, and that experience showed me what acting could really be,” he says of the series, which also stars Mimi Lana.
If his 20s were spent honing his craft through training, learning from mistakes, he hopes his 30s will bring bigger projects and more challenging roles.
That ambition is already becoming reality.
In the critically acclaimed Astro series Good Boys Go To Heaven (GBGTH), he plays a thug haunted by a traumatic childhood.
“Without a doubt, GBGTH is the most challenging role and the biggest project I’ve worked on so far.
“It wasn’t easy at first because the director couldn’t quite see the character during script readings. Two weeks before filming, I worked closely with our acting coach, Abang Wan (Khairunazwan Rodzy), and gradually found the character.
“By the time we started shooting on location, everything finally fell into place,” he says.
Presently, Malek is preparing to film his next project, a drama series for TV3.
But unlike when he first started, he is approaching the project with far more confidence.
“Before, I was always anxious because I didn’t want to disappoint people or fail. Ironically, I realised the more you worry about failing, the more likely you are to stumble.
“Now I trust myself more and feel like I can play around with different choices without overthinking everything,” says Malek who represented the country as a national cyclist when he was a teenager.
Away from acting, Malek divides his time between modelling, caring for his two younger siblings and training for a 100km ultra trail race.
He credits his mum, the late Professor Dr Aishah Adam – a distinguished scholar and a former dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) – for instilling in him his work ethic and perseverance that continue to shape both his career and personal life.
“She was my biggest mentor. She came from very humble beginnings, worked incredibly hard and raised my siblings and me as both our mother and father for 20 years.
“She was also the Dean at UiTM while running the household and caring for my sister, who has Down syndrome. Through her dedication, my sister grew into someone who can communicate like a normal person.
"Watching my mum quietly shoulder all those responsibilities without complaining became my blueprint for life.
“She just kept working, and that’s the example I try to follow every day,” he says.
Off screen, Malek says his greatest growth has been personal as much as professional.
In this interview with StarTrends, the actor speaks candidly about his meticulous approach to preparing for roles, the discipline he developed as a competitive cyclist and how family responsibilities have made him a more emotionally vulnerable actor.
The Q&A has been edited for clarity and brevity.
If I receive a script about a month before filming, I spend that time mostly keeping to myself.
I don’t go out much because I’m trying to understand the character’s mental state – whether they’re introverted, extroverted or a loner – and get into their rhythm.
I study the script, rehearse alone with cameras recording myself from different angles and experiment with different deliveries.
I also practise my lines while driving.
Traffic is actually the best place because you’re alone. You can try different emotions and intonations without feeling self-conscious.
Whenever I discover something that feels authentic, I lock it away in my mind so I can bring it back during filming.
Another thing that helps is running.
I do a lot of long-distance running, especially ultra trail running. It keeps me mentally focused and, surprisingly, it really helps me memorise scripts.
It’s become an important part of my preparation as an actor, as well as helping me stay fit.
Discipline.
I competed in track cycling from the age of 14 until 19, representing Selangor before joining the National Youth Development Team and eventually cycling for Malaysia.
Competing at a high level taught me attention to detail, hard work and discipline.
If you want to win an Asian Cycling Championship gold medal, you simply have to put in the work. There’s no shortcut.
That mindset still guides everything I do today. Success doesn’t happen overnight. It comes from consistently putting in the effort over a long period of time.
Yes, I would love to take on that challenge.
Whether it’s building muscle, gaining weight or changing my appearance, I’d embrace the challenge.
I really admire the commitment Hollywood actors put into physical transformations.
I think acting is about fully committing to the character.
The only thing I’d probably say no to is cosmetic procedures like Botox or plastic surgery.
Everything else – hair, facial hair or body transformation – I’m open to.
Losing my mum was incredibly painful, but it also changed my life in a positive way.
Taking care of my siblings, especially my sister, has grounded me even more.
I get to be her best friend, spend time with her and see the world through her eyes. It’s really wonderful because you can become a kid around her.
I don’t regret taking on that responsibility. I embrace it wholeheartedly.
It’s made me much more compassionate towards people with disabilities.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that they simply want friendship. They want someone to talk to and connect with.
Whenever I meet someone with a disability, I immediately think of my sister, and I naturally want to help however I can.
With these huge shifts in my life, I think I’m much more emotionally vulnerable now when it comes to acting.
When a scene requires deep emotions or multiple emotional layers, I don’t have to force it anymore.
Whenever I need to access those feelings, I think about my mum or my sister, and the emotions come naturally.
First Wives is available on Astro On Demand. Good Boys Go To Heaven is available on Astro on Demand & Netflix.
