Mena Massoud

Mena Massoud (Arabic: مينا مسعود‎; born 17 September 1991) is an Egyptian-born Canadian actor,[3] comedian and singer known for starring as the title character in the Disney fantasy film Aladdin (2019). He also starred as Jared Malik in the Canadian drama series Open Heart (2015), Tarek Kassar in the Amazon Prime series Jack Ryan (2018), and as Ethan Hart in the Hulu series Reprisal (2019).

Mena Massoud
مینا مسعود
Massoud in 2019
Born (1991-09-17) 17 September 1991[1]
Cairo, Egypt
NationalityEgyptian-Canadian
CitizenshipCanada
Alma materRyerson University[2]
Occupation
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • singer
Years active2011–present
Notable work
Aladdin (2019 film)
AwardsFull list

Life and career

Massoud was born in Cairo, Egypt, to Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christian parents. He has two older sisters.[4] He and his family emigrated to Canada when he was three years old.[5] When asked why his family left Egypt, Massoud stated, "we're Coptic Christian and my parents just felt like things were getting a little too dangerous when I was growing up in Egypt. They wanted to create a better life for their family so they decided to emigrate to Canada."[6]

Massoud grew up in Markham, Ontario,[1] where he attended St. Brother André Catholic High School.[6][7] He is a vegan.[8] Massoud is an avid fan of his local basketball team, the Toronto Raptors of the NBA.[9]

Massoud began acting in 2011, with guest appearances on the television series Nikita and Combat Hospital.[10] In 2015, he was cast as Jared Malik in the Canadian-drama series Open Heart, which was cancelled after one season. In 2017, he starred as Ollie Santos in the film Ordinary Days.[11] In 2018, he had a recurring role as Tarek Kassar in the Amazon Prime original series Jack Ryan.

Massoud in 2019

In 2019, Massoud portrayed the titular character in Disney's fantasy-adventure film Aladdin, which is a live-action adaption of the animated film of the same name.[1] For his performance, he received a Teen Choice Award nomination, and two National Film & TV Award nominations.[12][13] In the same year, he was cast in the main role of Ethan Hart in the Hulu original series Reprisal.[14] Also in 2019, he appeared as Chaz in the thriller film Strange but True, and starred as Kamal in the drama film Run This Town.[15] In January 2021, Massoud was announced to play the male lead in Netflix's feature film, The Royal Treatment.[16]

Artistry

Massoud is a huge admirer of Egyptian comedy movies, in an interview with the BBC, he stated how his Egyptian heritage has inspired him as a comedian, stating: "I grew up watching Egyptian comedy films by the great Egyptian comedians such as Ismail Yassine and Adel Emam.[17] The way they entertain the audience with not only their words but with their body language and facial expressions is totally different from that of the actors here. I played a lot of comedy roles in American productions. My role in Aladdin is also a comedy role. I believe I play comedy roles with a different taste that I learned from our own Egyptian cinema and this makes it appealing in a different way".[18]

Filmography
Film
Year Title Role Notes
2011 What Happens Next Jad
2014 Americanistan Mohammed Ali
2015 Let's Rap John
2017 Ordinary Days Ollie Santos
2017 Final Exam Zaid
2018 Masters in Crime Majid
2019 Aladdin Aladdin
2019 Strange but True Chaz
2019 Merging with the Infinite Charlie Smith
2020 Run This Town Kamal
2020 Lamya's Poem Rumi (voice)
TBA The Royal Treatment Prince Thomas Pre-production[16]
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2011 Nikita Al Qaeda No. 2 1 episode
2011 Poser Bretten Thomason Recurring
2011 Combat Hospital Salman Zawab 1 episode
2011 The 99 Hafiz the Preserver / Dave / Saad Main role
2012 Cut to the Chase Jason Recurring role
2012 King Malik Atassi 1 episode
2015 Open Heart Jared Malik Main role
2017 Saving Hope Justin Srinivasan 1 episode
2018 Jack Ryan Tarek Kassar Recurring (Season 1)
2019 Reprisal Ethan Hart Main role
2021 9-1-1: Lone Star Salim 1 episode
Video games
Year Title Role
2016 Watch Dogs 2 Various voices

Awards and nominations
Year Awards Category Nominated work Result Ref
2019 Teen Choice Awards Choice Sci-Fi/Fantasy Movie Actor Aladdin Nominated [12]
GQ Men of the Year Awards Breakthrough Talent Himself Won [19]
National Film & TV Awards Best Actor Aladdin Nominated [13]
Best Newcomer Nominated

References
  1. "7 Things You Need to Know About Aladdin's Mena Massoud". E!. July 15, 2017. Retrieved July 16, 2017.
  2. https://theeyeopener.com/2017/07/ryerson-alumnus-mena-massoud-cast-as-disneys-aladdin/
  3. Omar, Eslam (May 29, 2019). "Aladdin's Egyptian actor Mena Massoud under fire over interview with Israeli outlet". Ahram Online. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  4. "Mena Massoud on the making of 'Aladdin', starring opposite Will Smith", ABC News, May 24, 2019, retrieved June 25, 2019
  5. "Aladdin Breakout Star Mena Massoud: 'People Who Look Like Me Struggle to Get Roles'". People. May 24, 2019. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
  6. "Mena Massoud On Being 'Aladdin'", NPR, May 26, 2019, retrieved July 1, 2019
  7. "'I followed my dream': Canadian Aladdin star Mena Massoud's magic carpet ride to stardom", CBC News, May 24, 2019, retrieved June 25, 2019
  8. "Disney's Vegan 'Aladdin' Actor Mena Massoud Launches Plant-Based Food Travel Show 'Evolving Vegan'", LIVEKINDLY, October 8, 2018, retrieved June 25, 2019
  9. Massoud, Mena [@MenaMassoud] (May 13, 2019). "Kawhi is an absolute beast!! I will use my magic carpet to go bring him back if he decides to leave this summer. Think there's too much love in that locker room. Let's go RAPTORS!! #WeTheNorth" (Tweet). Retrieved January 8, 2021 – via Twitter.
  10. "Who is Mena Massoud? Meet Disney's new Aladdin". Entertainment Weekly. July 15, 2017. Retrieved June 25, 2019.
  11. Barrett, Brandon. "Ordinary Days, three different ways at WFF Dec. 2". Pique. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  12. Moreau, Jordan (June 19, 2019). "'Avengers: Endgame,' 'Riverdale,' 'Aladdin' Top 2019 Teen Choice Award Nominations". Variety. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  13. Wakeling, Naomi (October 21, 2019). "Nominations for the 2nd annual National Film & TV Awards are announced". National Film Academy. Archived from the original on October 22, 2019. Retrieved February 20, 2020.
  14. Petski, Denise (August 8, 2018). "Mena Massoud Joins Hulu's Femme Fatale Pilot 'Reprisal' From Warren Littlefield & A+E Studios". Deadline. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  15. N'Duka, Amanda (March 26, 2018). "Ben Platt, Nina Dobrev, Mena Massoud & Damian Lewis To Star In 'Run This Town'". Deadline. Retrieved May 7, 2020.
  16. N'Duka, Amanda (January 25, 2021). "'Austin & Ally' Alum Laura Marano & 'Aladdin's Mena Massoud Get 'The Royal Treatment' From Netflix". Deadline. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  17. "مينا مسعود، بطل فيلم علاء الدين: استلهمت الاداء الكوميدي من عادل امام", BBC News
  18. A present-day Aladdin: Mena Massoud, a new Egyptian star in international cinema
  19. "Mena Massoud is GQ's Breakthrough Talent". GQ. October 6, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
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