When ABC's Galavant premiered last year, the series quickly gained a cult following. The medieval comedy musical series eventually got a second season, which premiered last week.
Although each episode is only 30 minutes long, ABC airs two episodes every Sunday, so every week, fans get a full hour of guys like Timothy Omundson, Joshua Sasse and Vinnie Jones singing their hearts out about such varied topics as unrequited love, heroism and piracy.
This weekend's episode, though, introduces a new actor to Galavant's stage, Muzz Khan, who might just steal the show as Wormwood's assistant, a character whose bio calls him the "Pakistani lovechild of Kramer from Seinfeld and Daphne from Frasier."
Khan, a well-known DJ on the European circuit, will also co-star with Game of Thrones' Emilia Clarke in the film Me Before You, which releases later this year.
Tech Times spoke with Khan about his experiences with both projects. He began with a description of his character on Galavant.
"He's the assistant to the chief wedding planner — that's a spoiler alert right there — called 'Wormwood', played by the British acting legend that is Robert Lindsay!" said Khan. "In the audition breakdown, Barry was described as a 'stroppy intern.' During my audition, I played him semi-stroppy and a little bit dim and that's how he ended up. He struggles to get his house in order on most occasions and — quite literally — makes Wormwood lose the will to live. But he's a pure spirit and has a kind heart, which comes to the fore whenever he's not being told off by Wormwood!"
As expected, working on a wacky series like Galavant left its impact on Khan, not just because there's a lot of singing and dancing, but because it's also different from everything else on television.
"Working on Galavant has been one of the craziest jobs of my career," said Khan. "I mean, the show is so anarchic and really complex. Having to juggle the disciplines of regular screen acting with finely choreographed (and meticulously rehearsed) musical numbers complete with backing tracks and then obeying the laws of comedy after throwing in some improv, too. That's no mean feat, I tell 'ya."
Khan also credits his great experience working on the series to the show's cast and crew.
"From the producers and directors to the outrageously talented crew, everything that happened behind-the-scenes was a hoot," he said. "And the cast? Woah. From the word go, Tim Omundson was an absolute darling. Such a warm, encouraging and compassionate human being. In my ignorance, I had no idea who he was prior to this job, but he just came up to me and welcomed me into the fold and into the family. Likewise with Stan Townsend and Genevieve Allenbury. Those three are like the glue that hold us all together. And when you include Luke, Karen, Ben, Mallory, Vinnie and everyone else into the mix — you have all the hallmarks of a cast that are a joy to work with. Plenty of fun and laughs off-set as well as on. We worked together, we ate together, we partied together. The synergy is incredible."
Khan also talked about how he feels Galavant attracted such a rabid fan following since its premiere last year.
"The beauty about Galavant is there's nothing like it out there on television. Not in the U.S. and definitely not in Britain," said Khan. "Crucially, it doesn't take itself too seriously. So, as an audience member, you know it's a show you can just kick back and relax to. It's fun, side-splitting, easy viewing.
"It fuses Monty Python-esque humour with a medieval backdrop and keeps its tongue firmly in its cheek. And that sorta thing is alluring and seductive, man. Why wouldn't you wanna watch it?! I'm not surprised it has a massive cult following. For season two, we have some of the U.K.'s biggest talent involved as guest stars. When we eventually get it here in the U.K., things are gonna' pop!"
However, Khan's work also extends to the big screen in Me Before You, which also features some well-known actors. The movie is a film adaptation of the novel of the same name by JoJo Moyes.
"We have Emilia Clarke (from Game of Thrones), Sam Clafin (from The Hunger Games), Matt Lewis (from Harry Potter), Jenna Coleman (from Doctor Who) — actually, thinking about it, it kinda reads like a roll call of the biggest franchises in screen history, doesn't it?" said Khan. "My good friend Vanessa Kirby's in it, too. So, it was nice letting her know that I booked the job!
"I play Syed. In the book (and film), he's the guy who works at the job center and serves as Lou's (Emilia) career adviser. It's a role that's trimmed down a bit in the film, but still, what a joy to work with Emilia!"
Speaking of which, Khan admits that he was already a fan of Clarke's before ever working with her.
"Strictly between me and you — oooh, and the thousands reading this interview — I've always had a bit of a crush on Daenerys in Game of Thrones, so was a bit flustered when I'd learned that I'd got the part in Me Before You," he admitted. "But luckily for her and to save any doe-eyed embarrassment on my part, Emilia, thankfully, wasn't dressed in her G.O.T attire for this, so no flowing blonde wig or medieval get-up were present. It meant that I could — for once in my career — remain super-professional and get on with the job at hand!"
However, Khan teased that there's a chance he'll eventually make it on to Game of Thrones: he stated that the production behind the HBO series has contacted him several times. And it's also that he wouldn't mind working with Clarke again.
"And you know what? Emilia was a doll," he said. "She's so funny and charismatic. We had plenty of banter and jokes in between takes. And whenever the cameras stopped rolling! Really got on like a house on fire. She's one of a kind."
Don't miss Khan on Galavant Sunday nights on ABC.
