Quotes from Mena Massoud

I think Middle Eastern hair is very resilient.

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.

When we uplift artists who reflect diverse perspectives their stories not only tell us how people view others, but how they view themselves.

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 always view auditions as the first and last time I'll ever do a character, so that's how I like to see the joy in it. Assuming I don't ever book this, I get to play this character this one time and give it my all because I'll never play it again.

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.

Art is very subjective and having to put numbers on it seems counterintuitive.

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.

I grew up speaking Arabic at home.

I think the first time I watched 'Aladdin' was when I was still in Egypt, because I was born in Cairo.

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.

I grew up in Canada and I was 10 years old when 9/11 happened. And I think that really changed the landscape for Arabs around the world, obviously, but especially Arab actors, I think we started getting viewed a little different. Like, my whole experience just as a kid before 9/11 and after 9/11 was drastically different.

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.

A good learner learns from everything!

I grew up loving okra.