After his career breakthrough in the titular role of the 2019 live-action remake of Aladdin, Mena Massoud is learning to say no. Appearing on Saturday’s opening day of the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair, the Egyptian-Canadian actor recalled that, despite the growing profile and critical acclaim earned from his role in the blockbuster – partly shot in Jordan and starring alongside Will Smith – he is still being offered roles that exacerbate harmful stereotypes of the region.
“My first ever paid role in America was playing Al-Qaeda Number Two. But I had just graduated from theatre school – I didn’t know any better. I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m going to do it.’ I wasn’t at a stage where I could say no to things,” he recalls.
“More recently, there was a show being developed with a character that portrayed the Middle East negatively, and I told my agents, ‘I’m not auditioning for it. I don’t even want to see it. And quite honestly, I can’t believe productions are still telling stories like this.'”
It's partly for this reason that Massoud co-founded Press Play Productions in 2021, with offices in Dubai and Los Angeles.
All projects under the banner, he says, will feature globally resonant and multicultural stories, aiming to create the kinds of chances he lacked at the outset of his career nearly 15 years ago. The company has already co-produced two seasons of Massoud’s food travel series Evolving Vegan (based on his cookbook) as well as the coming Egyptian thriller, In Broad Daylight.
"I think the reason I started producing is because there just aren't enough opportunities in Hollywood for people who look like me and you. I believe the only way we make real change is if the people with knowledge of the industry start producing," he says. "There are executives in Hollywood who want to tell these kinds of stories, but they just don't know how, and I think it's up to us to take that responsibility and show it to the world."
When it comes to In Broad Daylight, it is also an opportunity for the region to see Massoud in a different light. Set for release later this year, Massoud’s first full Arabic-language film has him playing the role of Hamza, a globe-trotting con artist on the run from authorities. With a supporting cast that includes screen veterans Bayoumi Fouad and Shereen Reda, and directed by Kareem Sorour – who helmed both seasons of the Ramadan drama series Kalabsh – Massoud describes his first foray into the Egyptian film industry as revealing.
"What I loved about working in Egypt is that they let you do a little bit more than in Hollywood. In Aladdin, I didn't get to do a lot of my own stunts because of insurance purposes," he says. "In Egypt ... I got to perform more of my own stunts, and that was an amazing part of working there. It's very different, but I think it's liberating as well. I understand why artists are so artistic in the Middle East – because it is a little bit more free.
“You can get bound up by the technicalities a lot more in Hollywood. There's so much structure to everything, and that can bind an actor, whereas I felt a little more freedom in Egypt – maybe a little bit too much freedom sometimes – but it works to your advantage."
Massoud reveals another passion project he hopes to get off the ground - a TV series based on figures from the golden era of Egyptian music and film, such as crooner and actor Abdel Halim Hafez.
"Each episode focuses on a different character from that time," he said. "You would do an episode on Abdel Halim, and at the end of that episode, you would meet another figure and follow their journey in the next one. I think we have such a rich tapestry to tap into, and we have the means to do it now because technology has really levelled the playing field between Hollywood and other emerging industries."
Born in Cairo before emigrating to Canada with his family at the age of three, Massoud says the potential series would serve as a form of tribute to his parents, with whom he grew up watching these films – an experience that first sparked his love for acting.
"I really fell in love with acting through Egyptian cinema and TV because that's what my parents watched,” he says. “They weren't watching American TV – that came later for me. But I fell in love with Egyptian cinema, and it was always my dream to come back and act alongside these incredible artists.”
While they are fully behind his burgeoning acting career, Massoud says it took some time for his mother to come to terms with his veganism. "She made this dinner once with these Egyptian dishes – qawareh (bone marrow) and feta with meat – and I remember telling her I couldn't eat any of it," he says. "She cried because I only ate the rice. But she's an amazing cook, and she went on to contribute to the Evolving Vegan book with great recipes like koshari. It meant a lot to get her involved there."
The Abu Dhabi International Book Fair is running at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre until May 5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Company%20Profile
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Top Hundred overseas picks
London Spirit: Kieron Pollard, Riley Meredith
Welsh Fire: Adam Zampa, David Miller, Naseem Shah
Manchester Originals: Andre Russell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sean Abbott
Northern Superchargers: Dwayne Bravo, Wahab Riaz
Oval Invincibles: Sunil Narine, Rilee Rossouw
Trent Rockets: Colin Munro
Birmingham Phoenix: Matthew Wade, Kane Richardson
Southern Brave: Quinton de Kock
More on Quran memorisation:
FIXTURES
Thu Mar 15 – West Indies v Afghanistan, UAE v Scotland
Fri Mar 16 – Ireland v Zimbabwe
Sun Mar 18 – Ireland v Scotland
Mon Mar 19 – West Indies v Zimbabwe
Tue Mar 20 – UAE v Afghanistan
Wed Mar 21 – West Indies v Scotland
Thu Mar 22 – UAE v Zimbabwe
Fri Mar 23 – Ireland v Afghanistan
The top two teams qualify for the World Cup
Classification matches
The top-placed side out of Papua New Guinea, Hong Kong or Nepal will be granted one-day international status. UAE and Scotland have already won ODI status, having qualified for the Super Six.
Thu Mar 15 – Netherlands v Hong Kong, PNG v Nepal
Sat Mar 17 – 7th-8th place playoff, 9th-10th place playoff
SPEC%20SHEET
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EProcessor%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Apple%20M2%2C%208-core%20CPU%2C%20up%20to%2010-core%20CPU%2C%2016-core%20Neural%20Engine%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDisplay%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2013.6-inch%20Liquid%20Retina%2C%202560%20x%201664%2C%20224ppi%2C%20500%20nits%2C%20True%20Tone%2C%20wide%20colour%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EMemory%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%2F16%2F24GB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStorage%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20256%2F512GB%20%2F%201%2F2TB%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EI%2FO%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Thunderbolt%203%20(2)%2C%203.5mm%20audio%2C%20Touch%20ID%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EConnectivity%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wi-Fi%206%2C%20Bluetooth%205.0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2052.6Wh%20lithium-polymer%2C%20up%20to%2018%20hours%2C%20MagSafe%20charging%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECamera%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201080p%20FaceTime%20HD%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EVideo%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Support%20for%20Apple%20ProRes%2C%20HDR%20with%20Dolby%20Vision%2C%20HDR10%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAudio%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204-speaker%20system%2C%20wide%20stereo%2C%20support%20for%20Dolby%20Atmos%2C%20Spatial%20Audio%20and%20dynamic%20head%20tracking%20(with%20AirPods)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EColours%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Silver%2C%20space%20grey%2C%20starlight%2C%20midnight%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIn%20the%20box%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20MacBook%20Air%2C%2030W%20or%2035W%20dual-port%20power%20adapter%2C%20USB-C-to-MagSafe%20cable%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh4%2C999%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
The specs
Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km
Results
6pm: Dubai Trophy – Conditions (TB) $100,000 (Turf) 1,200m
Winner: Silent Speech, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby
(trainer)
6.35pm: Jumeirah Derby Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (T)
1,800m
Winner: Island Falcon, Frankie Dettori, Saeed bin Suroor
7.10pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Dirt)
1,400m
Winner: Rawy, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.45pm: Al Rashidiya – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Desert Fire, Hector Crouch, Saeed bin Suroor
8.20pm: Al Fahidi Fort – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Naval Crown, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
8.55pm: Dubawi Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Al Tariq, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watsons
9.30pm: Aliyah – Rated Conditions (TB) $80,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Dubai Icon, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor
