Pretty surprising in this day and age of so much content being made that you'd think a star of a recent billion dollar Disney movie wouldn't at least get an audition for anything.
Thoughts?
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Aladdin star Mena Massoud: 'I haven't had a single audition since film was released'
- Thread starter litebrite
- Start date
Pretty surprising in this day and age of so much content being made that you'd think a star of a recent billion dollar Disney movie wouldn't at least get an audition for anything.
Thoughts?
You would think he'd at least be getting in the room but he's also the star of a billion dollar movie that nobody will care about very soon, if they even still do. It didn't make a billion dollars because he's a great actor. It made a billion dollars because it's Disney formulaic crap.
Sadly, this doesn't surprise me at all. Hollywood only pays lip service to diversity just like every other corporation.
Rami Malek and Riz Ahmed have done well but it is pretty hard to find someone from the Middle East or who is a Muslim securing big role in the Entertainment industry.
My man needs to go out and start hustling. He can't expect as a minority actor for the phones to start ringing just because he starred in a billion dollar Disney film.
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Mahershala Ali has been doing well and he's Muslim, but he's also Black.
Aladdin was a Disney/Will Smith film not a Mena Massoud film. Yes it must be disheartening that he's not reaped benefits of its success but with all respect I can't imagine many people went to see the film because he was in it.
Unfortunately there's still a huge amount of work to be done to give minority groups a fair crack of the whip regardless of the marketing behind a film.
Unfortunately there's still a huge amount of work to be done to give minority groups a fair crack of the whip regardless of the marketing behind a film.
Hollywood doesn't give a shit about diversity. There was no way around hiring middle-eastern actors for Aladdin, but they have no problem otherwise shoving those groups back out the door once they hit their diversity quota.
Yeah, he wasn't the highlight of this movie unfortunately. Will Smith and Princess Jasmine definitely stole the show, and Mena's performance was somewhat low impact compared to theirs. Great movie anyway!
And he also complained about getting opportunities until recently. This isn't anything new.
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Jasmine, really? Other than that super out of place musical number during the palace scene, I'd put her on the level of Aladdin's actor. Will Smith was the only person who surprised me, especially having to be compared to Robin Williams
Tbf plenty of 1 billion dollar movies had star whose career didn't take off. Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harry potter sorry forgot his name, etc. not saying his wont. Also unfortunately most roles 95% i would say are still written with caucasian in mind because most writers are caucasian. I wish more colored folks would get a chance to have their writing Turned to movies.
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The industry is much different today with the massive amount of content getting made for theaters, TV, and streaming.
Interesting, it sounds like he might have turned down one of the major roles on Brooklyn 99. At least he seems like he's having fun on Corporate.
Yeah . . . I don't think that's what is happening here. Think of all the bland white guys they try to put over, time and time again.
I was wondering if that was the role he was talking about.
Daniel Radcliffe is in a lot of movies and on a lot of theatre productions.
Just because he's not in popcorn movies like a new Harry Potter or this forum's sacred cow of Feige, doesn't mean he doesn't get work.
And him not being a leading man has probably more to do with him being very short. You can fake Tom Cruise or Al Pacino 5'7" but not with Radcliffe's 5'4" or whatever.
I enjoyed his performance in the film a lot. But in any case, I guess this just highlights the lack of diversity for certain roles within Hollywood. It isn't like he suits the look of terrorist 10,351, so I guess it's harder for them to find a role for him.
Guy's not rich... in fact, most actors are not. They are often paid small amounts, at scale, and residuals aren't what they used to be.
You shouldn't feel bad for rich people, but you're a bit misguided to think that he's rich.
It says a lot that people talk about how he didn't steal the movie with his performance or anything, but they don't say the same about mediocre white actors.
What indicates that he's rich? You think he's negotiating 7-figure deals for his Aladdin role?
Most working actors do not make that much money.
Today I learned $2 million net worth isn't rich.
I'm fully aware those things tend to be off. ( ͡ಠ ͜ʖ ͡ಠ)
POC actor: "I don't get calls, maybe Hollywood is kinda racist?"
era: "well you got 2 million dollars lol shut up"
🙄
era: "well you got 2 million dollars lol shut up"
🙄
Is there some loophole where we don't have to care about minority representation and opportunity because they might happen to be what we consider rich?
I haven't seen the movie and don't even know who this is, but seemed a strange comment.
🙄 My post was geared at the fact that people are saying $2 million dollars isn't considered rich.
My viewpoint on the actual topic - I thought he was bad in the movie. Everyone's performance in the film except Smith's was on the level of Disney Channel original movie. That said, it's insane he's not getting auditions though. Like others have stated, tons of white actors who are much worse get work all the time. This guy was in a film that grossed a billion, he should at least be getting roles just to ride on the fact people have seen him in that movie. At the very least, The Hallmark channel should be hiring him.
A billion dollar movie where you weren't the biggest star or even had a breakout performance isn't going to cause them to break your door down for offers. Doubly so for poc. He needs an agent that's out there selling him and he needs to be out there husling too. I would argue that he'll have work twice as hard at it now.
Edit: Sometimes it feels like success if a burden on poc.
Edit: Sometimes it feels like success if a burden on poc.
Rami Malek is the kind of brown dude who looks ambiguous enough to pass off as a white character if the show/movie needs it (Mr Robot for example where his Dad and sister are white). But if story needs it, he can be a brown dude like in Bohemian Rhapsody. Actors like him don't have the same issues as someone who's a lot less ambiguous looking and clearly brown like Massoud. It also helps that Malek had a breakout role in Mr. Robot and is a bonafide actor, Massoud hasn't really had a breakout role (But then Jai Courtney is still getting roles, so obviously talent isn't important).
Then again we have actors who are like Riz Ahmed, who obviously can't pass off as a white character, getting roles. But the dude has been around for a while now and only recently started to appear more frequently, and he isn't getting leading roles or even significant roles like Malek.
He can get roles but he'll need to try for it harder along with an agent that pushes hard, it's unfair but that's the reality of being a brown man in Hollywood.
Then again we have actors who are like Riz Ahmed, who obviously can't pass off as a white character, getting roles. But the dude has been around for a while now and only recently started to appear more frequently, and he isn't getting leading roles or even significant roles like Malek.
He can get roles but he'll need to try for it harder along with an agent that pushes hard, it's unfair but that's the reality of being a brown man in Hollywood.
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So are you OK with athletes getting racial slurs thrown at them because they're rich?
Doesn't take away from his point though, he got the role before Aladdin came out. He hasn't gotten any auditions since.
Acting doesn't lend itself well to job security as you might imagine. If he's got a gig on TV that's great, but he'll do what, a few months of shooting and then what?
This reminds me of when Bobby Lee saw Steven Yeun at an audition.
Yeun has been getting roles in indie and South Korea stuff though, so at least he has that.
Yeun has been getting roles in indie and South Korea stuff though, so at least he has that.