Quotes of All Topics . Occasions . Authors
I have two older sisters.
I grew up speaking Arabic at home.
I'm pretty good at going incognito.
A good learner learns from everything!
You never know how things will work out.
I think Middle Eastern hair is very resilient.
Guy Ritchie likes to ground things in realism.
I get really quiet when I'm nervous. I don't freak out.
I put in my time, I worked hard and I followed my dreams.
I was in AP chemistry in high school, and I really liked it.
My parents saw certain things differently than other people.
I've always envisioned working with the best directors in the world.
We've got to be able to get to a point where we represent everybody equally.
Art is very subjective and having to put numbers on it seems counterintuitive.
There is such a peace out in the middle of the desert. There's nothing like it.
My wish would be for positive representation and more diversity coming from Hollywood.
We've got to celebrate all diverse artists and actors and 'Aladdin' does that really well.
I can't change what casting directors do or what producers do. I can only change what I do.
We're trying to give back to artists of colour and make the journey for them a little easier.
I think the first time I watched 'Aladdin' was when I was still in Egypt, because I was born in Cairo.
When we represent all cultures with sensitivity and truth, we foster a society that supports all people.
Actions speak louder than words, and the best way to set an example is to just go out and do a good job.
I love my parents and we have a terrific relationship. They have been very supportive of my career choice.
I want people to know that it's not always dandelions and roses when you're doing something like 'Aladdin.'
How often do we get to go to the biggest cinemas in the world and see diverse actors make up the majority of the cast?
All I want for my career is I want to work with the best directors and I want to be treated like a Caucasian man would be.
I try to support all the women in my life. So absolutely, Aladdin tries to do that as well, and rightfully - rightfully so.
My parents knew about the story of Aladdin far before the animation film. It's a folk tale that is very prevalent in Egypt.
I'm trying to be a voice for the North African Arab community. We've got to continue to fight for our place in the industry.
We immigrated when I was 3 1/2 years old, to Toronto. But I'm still very, very close to my culture and - back home in Egypt.
Canada's a small market. I think sometimes we do too much of supporting American stories in Hollywood and not enough supporting our own.
I think since 'Aladdin' my expectations for things releasing and what they're going to do in my career, I've had to really pull them back.
Aladdin' was one of the few things that I watched as a kid where I was like, 'Oh, that guy looks like me and has a similar culture to mine.'
When we uplift artists who reflect diverse perspectives their stories not only tell us how people view others, but how they view themselves.
I can't compete for roles that require me to be Caucasian or African American, even if those characters really connect with me and intrigue me.
Growing up, I didn't see anybody with my skin color or my background. I didn't know it was possible to have a Middle Eastern actor in a lead role.
I went through it in high school. It's like, 'Who am I? Am I good enough? Is my background good enough? I know I'm different, but do I have a voice?'
I grew up not really seeing a lot of leads in the industry that weren't like - and I look up to these people - but like Ryan Gosling and Christian Bale.
I don't like the word 'vegan' on its own, and the reason I started Evolving Vegan, is because the people associated with that word can be very militant.
I grew up on Abdul Halim Hafez and Esmail Yassine, a great comedic actor. I think Adel Imam also changed and revolutionised the game and comedy in Egypt.
My first professional gig was on a show called 'Nikita,' and I played Al Qaeda No. 2. At that time I had to take those roles because I just wanted to get my foot in the door.
I think it's time we start chipping away at the stereotypes in Hollywood about the Middle East, and the Arab World, because it's one of the most beautiful regions in the world.
I would wish we would get to a place of colour-blind casting, where it didn't matter what colour skin you are, where you came from, anybody could play anybody and we didn't judge it.
A lot of the Egyptian community is made up of doctors, pharmacists and engineers. All throughout high school I took sciences, but eventually I chose to pursue what I truly want to do.
I went to theater school in Toronto for four years and grew up around actors, and things like headshots could cost you from $500 to $1,000. That can be a big deal for a struggling artist.
As artists we have an extraordinary and rare privilege to tell the stories of our people, our land, our culture. They grip us, tear us apart, and put us back together. We are our stories.
I shocked my parents with a lot of things, whether it was becoming an actor or when I was dating someone outside the Egyptian community or when I moved away from home before getting married.
In fact, in the original folk tale, Aladdin was actually of Chinese descent. So what we wanted to do with this was represent as many different cultures from that part of the world as possible.
I was very different than everybody else growing up. I spoke a different language at home, I ate different food, and I looked different. So I could always relate to Aladdin in that way, being the outcast.
I went to schools that had a significantly large Caucasian population and I feel very fortunate because I was able to compare that perspective with my family's. It allowed me to create a wider world view on things.