Egyptian international stars, Malek, Massoud nominated for Teen Choice Awards

CAIRO – 28 June 2019: Egyptian-American star Rami Malek and Egyptian-Canadian star Mena Massoud and have been nominated for The Teen Choice Awards. The Awards will take place on 11 August.

Massoud is nominated for his role as Aladdin while Malek is nominated for the Choice Drama Movie Actor for his role as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody.
Malik, was born in Los Angeles in May 12, 1981, to Egyptian immigrant parents who are Saeed Malek and Nelly Abdel Malek.

His parents who are from Samalut city located at Minya governorate in Upper Egypt immigrated to US in the 1970s.

The journey of the Samalut origin guy from Upper Egypt to Golden Globe stage was both difficult and interesting.

The 38-year-old actor grabbed the award after tough competition with acclaimed stars who are Bradley Cooper for "A Star is Born," Willem Dafoe for "At Eternity's Gate", John David Washington for "BlacKkKlansman" and Lucas Hedges for "Boy Erased".


Malek has been nominated before for a Golden Globe for best actor for his performance in the TV series "Mr. Robot."

Malek's win, along with the ‘’ Bohemian Rhapsody’’ win of Best Motion Picture Drama, were the most tweeted-about incidents at the Golden Globe.

“Thank you to Freddie Mercury for giving me the joy of a lifetime," Malek said at the Golden Globe stage. "I love you, you beautiful man. This is for and because of you, gorgeous.” He added dedicating his great win to the legendary singer.

Malek elaborated that he drew personal connections with Mercury after depicting him.
“I tried to find the humanity in him,” he said during a press room speech after the film's win.

“I related it to him being an immigrant struggling to discover his identity," he added. "I tried to take everything he was struggling with, his complication, his chaos, his turmoil and this beauty inside of him. He lifted me up to be everything I could be in this film.”

Two of the Queen's members who are lead guitarist Brian May and lead drummer Roger Taylor approved and praised Malek performing Mercury’s role.

May previously announced that they wouldn't have been on board with the movie if it didn’t house the suitable cast.

Malek now has just became Hollywood's breakout star, the same as Sharif was after ‘’Doctor Zhivago’’ as if history is once again repeating itself.

Bohemian Rhapsody was actually what the Egyptian-American actor needed to make the shift from acclaimed actor to established movie star.

‘’Bohemian Rhapsody’’ also winning Best Drama, stabilised more Malek's outstanding performance in the movie that succeeded both critically and commercially, yielding over $700 million, making it the highest grossing biopic of all-time.

‘’Bohemian Rhapsody’’ movie makes an intense spotlight on Malek, who is as strongly private as Freddie Mercury.



He talked about the video in Vanity Fair saying "I just want to be aware of what people are doing in the moment. When someone films you automatically, it's a bit intrusive."

Malek has accounts on Twitter and Instagram, he doesn't post much and when he does, it's usually related to one of his films or political issues when it comes to Twitter.

There are just three photos on his Instagram account two with Stephen Colbert in 2016 and 2017, and the third with Ellen DeGeneres on November 2018. He has 1.7 million followers on his Instagram account, he's not following anyone.

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Malek said that he didn’t prefer to document his life on social media. "Something about it is not right and a bit unsettling" he stated describing his feeling towards social media.

Malek becoming the first non-white actor to take home the Emmy for Best Actor in a Drama Series in over 18 years in 2016 for his role in ‘’ Mr Robot’’.

After receiving the Emmy he said"I play a young man who I think is, like so many of us, profoundly alienated and the unfortunate thing is I don't know how many of us would want to hang out with a guy like Elliot."

He then said, "There's a little bit of Elliot in all of us."

His work on the drama was so impressive that even Robert Downey Jr. was praised him.
"Everyone should be studying this guy," Robert Downey Jr. said about Malek to GQ.
Malek eyes, which have been described as menacing and captivating are now his main signature.

"I never think about it. I just try to experience things and when I get riled up I know that they can do some pretty involuntary things, or get very menacing at times," he told GQ of his eyes. "Even my mom comments on it quite a bit, You don't look like my son anymore.' I think it's like they say: the eyes are windows to the soul’’ Malek added.

Given Malek's the golden chance to perform the role of the iconic entertainer Mercury was a responsibility he took very seriously.






"I was very cognizant of the work it was going to take to get anywhere close to becoming Freddy Mercury. I flew myself to London and put myself up and just got hammering away," Malek explained to E News his preparations for the role.

"Piano lessons and worked with a movement coach and singing lessons—everything I could possibly do. And then I watched copious amounts of Freddie Mercury performances’’ he added.

Malek is now dating his Bohemian Rhapsody co-star Lucy Boynton, who plays Mary Austin, Mercury's first fiancée.

Malek and Bonyton, 24, had never talked about their relationship in public until recently, with Malek confirmed their relation at the Palm Springs International Film Festival when he accepted the Breakthrough Performance Award.


The Upper Egyptian -American star Rami Malek has made it to the Oscars and received Best Actor award after his brilliant portrayal of Queen's main vocalist, the legendary Freddie Mercury, in "Bohemian Rhapsody" movie.

Malek's full acceptance speech

"I think about what it would have been like to tell little bubba Rami that one day this might happen to him, and I think his curly-haired little mind would be blown. That kid was struggling with his identity, trying to figure himself out.

"I think to anyone struggling with their identity and trying to discover their voice, listen: We made a film about a gay man, an immigrant who lived his life just unapologetically himself. And the fact that I'm celebrating him and this story with you tonight is the proof that we're longing for stories like this."

“I am the son of immigrants from Egypt, a first-generation American... and part of my story is being written right now. I could not be more grateful to each and every one of you, and everyone who believed in me for this moment. It’s something I will treasure for the rest of my life.” -Rami Malek's 2019 Oscars acceptance speech for "Best Actor," Bohemian Rhapsody.

Malek has won all the awards preceding the 91st Academy Awards: The Golden Globes, the BAFTAs and SAG, so we would have been frustrated if he didn’t win an Oscar.

Malek’s talent, determination, strong will and great ambitious to achieve his dreams whatever the obstacles made him the best actor in 2019.




Egyptian-American actor Rami Malek has been the center of attention of all Egyptians and Arabs since the release of the dark, mindboggling, and award-winning hit television series “Mr Robot.”

Malek was recognized as the Most Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series at the Emmy awards in 2016.

In 2017 a video of Malek speaking Arabic in an interview, talking about “Mr Robot” and the limited roles in Hollywood for Middle Easter actors went viral after it was shared by user Mohammad Nashy. While actors from the region are often asked to portray the roles of terrorists, the star status Malek has achieved stands out.

"Aladdin" starring Egyptian Canadian actor Mena Massoud achieved a booming success. The film’s worldwide box office revenues amounted to $724 million, which is more than three times its $183 million budget.

Massoud along with Will Smith and Naomi Scott promoted "Aladdin" which screened in Jordan on May 24. Massoud, Smith and Scott attended the premiere of the live-action remake of the 1992 classic "Aladdin" in London on May 9.

Massoud was chosen by director Guy Ritchie to play the title role of Aladdin.

Born in Egypt to Egyptian parents, and raised in Canada, Massoud worked hard to reach this opportunity. He prepared for his role by getting more into fitness. This is clear in the photos he added to his Instagram account, showing the tough training he went through at the gym.

“I grew up in a culturally different household; my parents saw certain things differently than other people. 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.Also, though at this point in my career, being a visible minority in this industry still affects me,’’ recounted Massoud in his interview with Defective Geeks.

Massoud participated in Amazon's "Jack Ryan" series, playing the role of John Krasinski. He participated as well in some successful shows like "Nikita", "Open Heart", and "Saving Hope".

Massoud recently joined the cast of the movie "Strange but True" starring alongside Amy Ryan, Greg Kinnear, Nick Robinson, Margaret Qualley and Connor Jessup.

"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," he continued.

"The competition may be less, some people would say, but the amount of work is less as well. However, I think the industry is growing more and more and starting to support actors of all cultural backgrounds," declared Massoud in his interview with Defective Geeks.

Massoud admitted that he was inspired by the great actor Robin Williams. “He was an incredibly well-rounded actor, but I grew up on his role in 'Mrs. Doubtfire.'"

Massoud talked about Williams in an interview with The Hudsucker, where he explained that his admiration to Williams pushed him to shift from The University of Toronto to an arts program at Ryerson University.

Massoud has starred in over eight movies so far: "What Happens Next", "Americanistan", "Let’s Rap", "Ordinary Days", "Masters in Crime", "Final Exam", "Aladdin" and "Strange But True".

"Aladdin" 's teaser only got the audience more excited for “A Whole New World” based on the catchy colors, special effects and snappiness of the remake of the 1992 animated film.

Aladdin’s tale itself was born and characterized by a European colonial view of Asia.

Aladdin had no known source before French writer Antoine Galland stuck it into his 18th-century translation of "1001 Nights", claiming to have heard it from a Syrian storyteller. The original story of Aladdin was set not in the Arabic world, but in China, and was gradually transformed into a Middle Eastern tale by storytellers.

Disney announced earlier that the movie includes new songs as well as re-recordings of the original songs written by Alan Menken and lyricists Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. The trailer also features snippets of the songs included in the original movie, including “Friend like me” and “A whole new world.”

Massoud previously posted a video on his official Facebook page in which he was speaking Arabic addressing his Arabic viewers, asking them to watch the movie. He expressed in the video how he is proud of being part of a Disney project.

The video revealed clearly how Massoud is proud of his Egyptian origins as he ended the video by repeatedly saying "Long live Egypt".