“X-Change” may have been a slow burner since its debut on 12th July, but the new premium Astro Originals series has been gaining stride with audiences thanks to its unique blend of action, crime, and romance genres with the spotlight centred on a teenager forced to take part in his family’s life of crime.
“X-Change” was initially shelved but Lemuel Ong saw potential in it and decided to rework the entire project from the ground up. At only 31 years old, Lemuel is the youngest showrunner in Astro to spearhead a TV series. In addition to being the creator of “X-Change”, he is also a producer and scriptwriter on this project.
Lemuel Ong is a trailblazer in his own right, paving the way for inclusivity and diversity in his storytelling. We had the pleasure of speaking to the KL-born talent about his career and how it unexpectedly led him to “X-Change”, working with director Norhanisham “Labu” Muhamad, the challenges faced during pre-production and shooting, plus why he resonates with these characters.
Congrats on the debut of “X-Change”. What was your reaction when watching the final version for the first time?
My editor was on set with me during production, so I always got to see bits and pieces as we progressed. But I remember when I sat in for our first editing session, watching Episode 1 in its entirety for the first time. It felt so surreal and fulfilling to see months of the team’s hard work coming to fruition, and I just knew that we had a very special story to tell through “X-Change”. I’m very grateful to work with my editor, Irwan Ahmad, who understood my vision and was so easy to work with – in fact, we spent less than a week finishing the offline edit of Episode 1.
Talk us through the genesis of “X-Change”.
The original concept for “X-Change” was by Maizura Ederis. 2 years ago, I was only assigned to supervise the project as an associate producer, but due to unforeseen circumstances, the project fell through. I thought it was a shame as the concept of an action drama had a lot of commercial potential, and I also resonated a lot with the protagonist who was facing an existential crisis, so I asked my boss if we could save the project. At first, I tried to look for another writer to take over the project, but no one was available to do it. Eventually, my boss convinced me to take over, despite my lack of experience.
Nevertheless, I knew I had to revamp the entire idea from scratch to make it fresh and appealing to our audiences, so I spent 2 months brainstorming with my producer, Natasha Azlan, looking for references and ideas. Finally, at the end of 2023, I came up with the backbone of the story, and the rest was history.
How did the title “X-Change” first come about? Were there any titles being considered before landing on this?
The title was from Maizura Ederis as well. At first, we were thinking of changing the title to something that was perhaps more self-explanatory. But after developing the story, I really took a liking to the title as it had many figurative meanings that reflected the themes of “X-Change”. I’ll not reveal my reasons for keeping the title, but I hope audiences would, in their own ways, come to their own interpretation of the title from watching the show.
How did you first pitch “X-Change” to Astro Shaw?
After 2 months of brainstorming with my producer, I finally pitched the idea to the Development & Production team of Astro Shaw, which is the team I currently work in. Fortunately, given my prior experience working with the team, I had a clear idea of what the team was looking for when it comes to the Astro Originals premium series brand. I remember pitching it virtually to the team – I was so nervous as it was my first time pitching my own idea to the team. But by the end of the pitch, I was surprised that the team responded so positively to it and were excited about the show.
How did you map out the storyline for 10 episodes?
Writing a 10-episode premium series was quite the challenge as my team is more accustomed to writing an 8-episode series. Unlike other dramas, in the premium series space, our aim is to offer a cinematic experience in each episode to our audiences. Even under the tutelage of someone as experienced as Alfie Palermo, the creator and showrunner of “One Cent Thief”, I still struggled a lot in the beginning. For a whole month of our brainstorming, we were stuck and had nothing on our boards.
Eventually, after doing lots of research and searching for references, I was inspired by shows like “Lupin” and decided to write the show in 2 distinct parts to help me break down the story. So audiences can expect a bit of a shift in the second half of the show as the series was designed as such. Nevertheless, the promise is still to offer audiences an exciting experience in each episode, so each episode of “X-Change” was written with at least 1 action sequence in mind.
What were the challenges in filming in 4 locations (Pahang, Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Negeri Sembilan) over the course of 3 months?
It was a struggle looking for locations that could meet our requirements for a small town noir meets western look. We also didn’t have the luxury of time. Typically, 3 months would be the shooting period for one 90-minute action film, so you can imagine our struggle shooting this 10-episode series in the same amount of time. Oftentimes we were searching for our next shooting location even when we were shooting, so we were often operating in panic mode without knowing where we’d shoot the next week. Thankfully, I had a great location team and assistant directors who helped to manage our schedules despite the logistics nightmare.
How did your experience in the TV mini-series “Gamers Mangkuk” help you in “X-Change”?
Prior to “X-Change”, I was mostly doing comedy genre shows with shows such as “Gamers Mangkuk”, and I never got the opportunity to write full scripts back then. But the experience of working with other writers definitely helped to give me the confidence to guide my instincts for what I wanted, and taught me a lot about how to lead my team of writers for “X-Change”.
What was the casting process like?
The casting process took a total of four months. It was a closed casting process for most of the characters, where we would invite selected actors to audition for the roles. They were given a casting script and I sat in to evaluate their performances, looking for who could really live into the character I designed. It was only for the leading role of Khalif that I eventually opened the casting process to the public as we struggled to find someone who fit the role. We sieved through hundreds of submissions until we found Arfie Shah.
What are the actors like behind-the-scenes?
What really impressed me about all the actors was the amount of dedication they showed day in, and day out. It didn’t matter if it was acting classes, stunt training, or wardrobe fitting, all of them were committed to their responsibilities, no matter if they were newcomers or veterans. None of them had any attitude problems but were very humble and down-to-earth, eager to do their best to bring their characters to life. I actually had many one-on-one chats with the actors where they shared how much they related to their characters, and as a scriptwriter, I really appreciated that.
Which character do you personally relate to the most?
While I definitely put my life experiences and values into all of the characters, I resonate with Khalif the most as someone who’s also an overthinking dreamer with strong ties to my family.
We love that “X-Change” explores the interracial love story of Khalif and Lilian.
With Astro Originals, we’re always committed to pushing boundaries and bringing Malaysian stories to the forefront. Given how our industry works, segregated by vernaculars, I had always wanted to bring more non-Malay talents into the Malay industry, which is why I created an interracial love story centring on two different families to create the opportunity to highlight our local talent. I also wanted to challenge myself to write a multilingual script, so I’m glad I got to do it through “X-Change”.
What about Arfie Shah and Joey Leong’s performances that sold the idea that they were perfect to step into the shoes of lead characters Khalif & Lilian?
I was definitely looking for sincerity in their performances. When it comes to a leading couple that has to overcome so many trials and tribulations in their relationship, I needed actors who could deliver a performance that was believable and heartfelt so that audiences could root for them. Both Arfie and Joey displayed a sincerity that not only felt authentic and raw but was also complementary in many ways.
Datuk Rosyam Nor is a veteran and well-respected actor in the industry. Was it intimidating working with him (especially at the start)?
Yeah, it definitely was. I remember having to convince him to take on the role in the first place – it took a few meetings to convince him as he is very particular about the roles he takes on. Thankfully he was excited to be a part of “X-Change” once he read the script. Over time, I got to know him as someone who is extremely professional and down-to-earth. Datuk Rosyam is someone who prioritises his craft and is committed to his character beyond anything. He doesn’t flaunt his experience and status but commits 100% to work with everyone around him (the crew and the cast) to deliver the best performance. So honestly it was an honour and pleasure to work with him throughout.
What was your biggest challenge?
My biggest challenge in creating “X-Change” was definitely taking on the helm as a showrunner. As the showrunner, not only did I have to write it, but I was also responsible for every creative decision-making, be it production design, editing choices, or even the original soundtrack. The entire show had to be completely and fully up to my decision-making, but who was I to call the shots as a newbie to the scene? I was terrified that no one would be willing to listen to what I had to say through “X-Change”, especially when in our industry, the concept of a showrunner is still quite foreign.
My fears were assuaged when we had the first script reading session with our heads of departments. Everyone responded so well to the story and was willing to journey alongside me to make “X-Change” a success. I’m most grateful to work with such a collaborative director as Labu, who completely respected my vision and was willing to work with me hand-in-hand.
Is there a Season 2 in the pipeline?
This is entirely dependent on the performance of Season 1, so I do hope audiences will continue to support “X-Change”.
“X-Change” is available to stream on Astro Premier (channel 110), Astro AEC (channel 306), On Demand, Astro GO, and sooka with a new episode released every Friday night.
