‘I’M HAPPY TO BE HOSTING’
Shying away from acting, Elfira Loy finds comfort in hosting television shows, writes BIBI NURSHUHADA RAMLI
ALTHOUGH she has starred in numerous television dramas and telefilms since 2008, actress Elfira Loy is hardly seen in them nowadays, preferring instead to do hosting jobs.
“I did appear in one or two telefilms last year but acting is exhausting and I don’t enjoy it like I used to,” said the actress-host.
She said: “Hosting, on the other hand, is more convenient. The programme won’t involve other artistes, so I get to decide how much filming we do at one time.”
Elfira is hosting the informative programme, Ramadan 101, which premiered on Monday and airs weekdays at 7pm on TV9.
Some of the other shows she has hosted are Astro’s Bella’s Extreme Roadtrip, TV1’s #RinduKampung and TV9’s Mad Market.
The 23-year-old has also been busy giving motivational talks, running her cafe, Love Me Seven Days, and managing her fashion line, EL by Elfira Loy.
“I do get acting offers but there are other things that I have to prioritise my time with.
“I miss it but it’s not possible for me to accept such offers right now,” she said during an interview at the launch of TV3 and TV9’s Raya Ramadan campaign at Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur recently.
However, Elfira said she was willing to do it if she was offered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“For now, I’m happy doing what I am doing and I don’t regret it,” she added.
Meanwhile, Elfira, whose full name is Nurul Elfira Loy Ahmad Sabri, is one of five ambassadors for the Raya Ramadan campaign this year.
The 20-episode Ramadan 101, which she co-hosts with Ustaz Elyas Ismail, aims to strengthen viewers’ knowledge of the history of Islam and practices during Ramadan.
Elfira said she was worried initially since the job came with the responsibility of providing audiences with the right information on Islam. The time constraints was another challenge.
“One day, we shot five episodes and in between, we only had an hour to do research and memorise our content,” she said.
But she explained that Elyas was helpful and relieved some of her stress by working on the research work together.
“He wanted me to truly understand what I’d be presenting instead of just blindly following a script.”
On the show, Elfira conveys most of the content while Elyas elaborates on it and shares some hadith.
She said the whole experience was eye-opening and rewarding for her as she had gained a lot of knowledge, and added that: “I’m proud that we managed to pull it off.”
This does not mean that Elfira will only focus on religious content from now on, though.
“I prefer a balance of multiple genres to enhance my versatility,” she said.
This marks Elfira’s second time as the channels’ Raya Ramadan campaign ambassador, the first being in 2015.
“Now, my Ramadan and Hari Raya will be more enjoyable and fulfilling since I get to celebrate it with the public through many of the campaign’s activities.”