Meet rising actor Mikey Ashkar

In a fast-paced world where young people will do just about anything for fame, rising actor Mikey Ashkar would rather be known and remembered for his talent and acting skills.

He wants to build a legacy instead of being an overnight celebrity.

“I’d like to be widely known for being a good actor. I don’t want to be known for the wrong reasons. I don’t want to be known for … maybe looks, or maybe some story or scandal. I’d like to be widely known because I’m good,” says Ashkar.

“My dream goal is to be a household name on as many continents as possible because I act well. I just want to act, I enjoy acting as much as I can. I want to keep nailing roles, I want to keep doing this (acting) properly.”

He plays the role of 18-year old Jason Williams, son of Joselyn Dumas’ character in political series Shampaign.

In Shampaign, Williams is handsome but underneath the sweet face lies a young man battling with a nasty rage. He has more questions than answers about his father. He’s also unhappy about his mother’s career choices, which is bringing him needless attention and airing their dirty linen in public. He goes after a girl who is older than him and works for his mother.

When Jason meets an equally challenging character in the MP’s daughter, his life begins to take a different turn, and the answers he seeks dangles in front of him. He confronts the truth that his mother has been protecting him from his entire life.

Discussions with “a few politician friends” helped Ashkar have a fair idea of the role he played before shooting started. It helped him nail his role as a first-timer in the production, and promises a better performance in the second season.

Production Executives at Sparrow Productions say Ashkar’s dedication to work and his talent is one to catapult him into mainstream appreciation and make him a fan favourite in the Ghanaian movie industry and across the world.

Ashkar wants to play alongside Majid Michel in a movie because “He is one to look up. He is one of the best if not the best actor out of Ghana in the last decade or so – so yeah, why not act alongside him to learn from him.”

He adds: “I don’t really see it myself to be honest but a lot of people from … especially when he was doing ‘Things We Do For Love’ back then have said that my role in Shampaign reminds them of him and that we bare some similarities so I think it will make some pretty good script if it comes to casting so yeah.”

Directed by Shirley Frimpong-Manso, Shampaign is a political drama series that follows the unruly lives of a young political campaign team who work tirelessly to make political history by getting a single mother, Naana Akua Quansah (played by Joselyn Dumas) elected as the first female president of the country whilst dealing with their personal demons. It was directed and produced by Shirley Frimpong-Manso.

Ashkar shares his experience working with Frimpong-Manso: “I heard that she was a very strict person before I started working with her. When I started working with her, I realised that yes it is true that she’s strict but I also learnt from working with her, getting to know her that she is also a very nice person and that if you are doing your job well, she will not be very strict,” He says.

“She just wants the job done well so she is strict when you are not doing your job well but I understand her. If she takes the time to write for you, you need to take time, study the role and act it properly. And I realised that once you do that she is happy with you but if you are not doing the job well, then the strictness will come definitely but she is a nice person overall.”

Mikey Ashkar is represented by TIC Ghana.