M

ixing business with pleasure would not be good enough for celebrated magician Cyril without a sprinkle of magic.

With millions of viewers charmed by his shows, his entry into the world of magic was no easy ride for the 39-year-old son of a Japanese father, Moroccan-French mother and with a Hollywood upbringing.

But his belief in magic means he has no regrets. He said he would change nothing about himself, maybe only to experiment with a new look — a new hair cut, color or fashion image.

Recently arrived in Jakarta to promote his latest show, Cyril wished he could explore Indonesia more, especially Bali and Thousand Islands.

“I heard there’s a place called Thousand Islands in Indonesia — and not the salad dressing, but so far, I’ve only been to Jakarta. I would definitely like to revisit and explore the country.”

In his latest six-episode show, Cyril’s Family Vacation: Hawaii Edition on AXN channel, the magician, who considers his audience as his best teachers, presents magic in a wholly new way.

Through the characters of his family, he’s having lots of fun — his inner child being played out through his cousin Tiny, his mature side played out through his uncle Richard, and lastly, viewers also get to see him as the lovable Grandma Magi, who is the matriarch of the family.

“I knew I wanted to do magic from the first time I saw magic at the age of seven.  I remember to this day, the amazing effect seeing magic with my own eyes had on me as a kid.   

For me, I’ve just loved magic so much since my childhood that I continued to do what I love.

First of all, there are many talents I wish I had.

But if I had to choose just one to share, then I wish I had the ability to sing better.  I love singing but for now the only place you’ll ever hear me singing is in the shower!

I grew up on such a wide variety of music.  I love Bob Marley, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Justin Timberlake, rock, movie scores, jazz and more. As for movies, one of the films I rewatched recently that I love is the Shawshank Redemption with Tim Robbins.  Great flick!

On my days off, I like to spend time meeting up with friends and just going out.  It doesn’t matter what it is I do, as long as it’s with friends.  It really could be anything as long as it’s fun.

It could be a casual BBQ, or going to the movies. It could be going to the beach, fishing, or taking a trip. Although it’s my day off from doing magic, that’s also when I am most inspired to come up with new ideas for magic.  

My embarrassing moment was recently, when I got off the plane from Jakarta to Manila at 6 a.m. and saw a bunch of fans waiting with cameras.  I tried to compose myself and not look so tired and sleepy but as I got closer to them, they did not look at me.  

Turns out, they were excited at the other guys
I was sitting with in business class.  I had no idea who they were until I asked. Turns out I was sitting with the Backstreet Boys and didn’t know it. I was embarrassed to assume I had fans waiting for me! Lol

My best moments are when I realize my hard work has affected and made an impact on someone’s life.”   

— Stevie Emilia