CATCH Mouseketeer Gabriel Noel Pountney and his six all-Malaysian cast members – Dheena Menon Jayadeep, Erissa Puteri Hashim, Ahmad Faiz Najib, Mohd Wafiy Ilhan Johan, Ellya Keesha, and head Mouseketeer Charis Ow – on the hit children’s series Disney’s Club Mickey Mouse.
The show is now in its third season, with its first episode featuring celebrity guest Maya Karin.
Sixteen-year-old Gabriel, a Mouseketeer since season one, is known as the goofball of the group, and says it’s only natural because it’s “just my personality”, and that he is just playing himself.
“I like to make sure everyone’s happy [and] seeing people laugh makes me laugh, so goofball it is,” he says with a laugh.
However, the avid gamer (Super Smash Bros, in particular) adds that he isn’t the only goofy one, as fellow Mouseketeer Wafiy “is also a goofball”.
Now in his third season , Gabriel says that being on the show has helped him hone his skills as an entertainer.
Having started out doing commercials at age two, Gabriel says growing up in front of cameras has allowed him to hone his skills and, at the same time, bring out his fun personality.
“I slowly became more confident, and now, the mouth won’t stop lah!”
As a child, Gabriel would watch animated movies and wonder who were the voices behind the characters.
“And then I found out that Woody [from Toy Story] is voiced by a real guy – Tom Hanks! Like wow, these are real people.”
He added: “So I wanted to be that person [who] could be in front of the camera [or] behind the mic, and still be able to influence millions of people.”
And naturally, Gabriel auditioned to be a Mouseketeer by singing the iconic song You’ve Got a Friend in Me from Toy Story.
Club Mickey Mouse is the first show which tested his ability as a host, singer, dancer, and actor, all at once.
For Gabriel, being able to work “in a wonderful environment where everyone was so supportive,” didn’t feel like a job at all.
He said: “It feels like hanging out with my friends, like I’m hanging out with the audience.
“I’ve improved in my singing, acting, dancing, especially my dancing [which] has improved a lot. I’ve also learned to be more chill with the audience.”
Since Club Mickey Mouse involves a lot of spontaneity, it goes without saying that having the right chemistry with other Mouseketeers is a big deal.
And if it weren’t already apparent through their interactions onscreen or on their Instagram accounts, the Mousekeeters are also good friends in real life, and as the seasons progressed, Gabriel says their friendship has only gotten stronger.
“If we look like a family onscreen, it’s because we are a family off-screen. We hang out together, we go out [during] our off-time, and we spend a lot of time with each other.
“I think we were already meant to be together as a family.”
When he’s not acting or performing, Gabriel still considers other aspects of the industry fun.
The self-professed “gamer guy”, who also likes to read, recently began working as part of the production crew of local YouTube channel called TheSaladShow.
He said: “I think it’s important as an entertainer that you know what goes on behind the scenes as well as what goes on in front of the camera, because the crew are the people who make us look good.
“They’re the ones who make us look amazing on TV, so I wanted to know how that feels”, he said, adding that if he weren’t an actor, he would probably still end up “within the entertainment industry” working as one of the crew, or maybe even becoming a director.
Gabriel also believes that people shouldn’t be afraid to take risks.
“There are moments in your life where you’re worried and you don’t know if you should take the leap, but you gotta do it,” he said.
“If you have the chance, take it. If you have the opportunity, do it. Because that’s what life is about, you have to take risks, and ... [it’s] okay to be scared but just know that mistakes help you to become better as you grow up.”
Club Mickey Mouse airs every Friday at 1pm on the Disney Channel (Astro channel 615).
