Mena Massoud (Arabic: مينا مسعود; born 17 September 1991) is an Egyptian-born Canadian actor, 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 Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (2018), and as Ethan Hart in the Hulu series Reprisal (2019).
Life and career
Massoud was born in Cairo, Egypt, to Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christian parents. He has two older sisters. He and his family emigrated to Canada when he was three years old. When asked why his family left Egypt, Massoud stated, “we’re Coptic Christianand 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.”
Massoud grew up in Markham, Ontario, where he attended St. Brother André Catholic High School. He is a vegan. Massoud is an avid fan of his local basketball team, the Toronto Raptors of the NBA.
Massoud began acting in 2011, with guest appearances on the television series Nikita and Combat Hospital. 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. 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. For his performance, he received a Teen Choice Award nomination, and two National Film & TV Award nominations. In the same year, he was cast in the main role of Ethan Hart in the Hulu original series Reprisal. 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. In January 2021, Massoud was announced to play the male lead in Netflix’s feature film, The Royal Treatment.
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. 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”.
Hobby and Culture
Massoud is the founder of the book and community of Evolving Vegan.
Filmography
| 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 | Filming |
| 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 |
| 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 | |
| GQ Men of the Year Awards | Breakthrough Talent | Himself | Won | ||
| National Film & TV Awards | Best Actor | Aladdin | Nominated | ||
| Best Newcomer | Nominated |