Life Style: Egyptian actor Essam Ferris is making his mark in Hollywood

LOS ANGELES: Egyptian actor Essam Ferris has made headway in his acting career in Hollywood over the past few years. 

Ferris was born in Alexandria, Egypt, and moved to the US after he finished college. He studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and landed his first role as a guest on the NBC television series “Community.” 

From there Ferris picked up other small parts and eventually landed a starring role in Netflix’s “Rogue Warfare” action franchise as the villainous supreme leader. 

When speaking to Arab News, Ferris indicated his excitement about having worked on the franchise and reaching a No. 1 spot earlier this year. 

“I woke up and I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “So, I immediately turned on the TV and I found No. 1 so I started jumping for joy at home like a monkey. So I was so happy and it was a very nice feeling. You know when hard work pays off and you see the results at the end, it’s an indescribable feeling.”

Soon Ferris will share the screen with Anne Hathaway and Jared Letto in a series set to be released in Spring 2022 on Apple TV+ called “WeCrashed.” 

The show is based on a true story about the rise and fall of a real-estate start-up called WeWork. 

“This company had made a big profit, around $46 billion. And from all that growth it dropped just like rollercoasters, to zero,” he said. “So they decided to tell the story of this company, and the company’s CEO was called Adam Neumann who was played by Jared Leto. And thank god I auditioned, and they liked it. And I will play the role of an Emirati billionaire, Khaldoun Khalifa Al-Mubarak, who is an existing real character, a big investor.”

When discussing what he hopes to see in his future, Ferris is keen to work in both Hollywood and the Middle East, specifically Saudi Arabia. 

Ferris said: “Saudi is a neighboring country just like any Arab country, and I am very happy for the progress that’s happening there. My siblings live there so they told me there are festivals and there is great media presence, so I would love to participate in a little production.”