Mena Mansour Massoud (Arabic: مينا منصور مسعود; born September 17, 1991) is an Egyptian Canadian actor known for starring as the title character in the Disney fantasy film Aladdin (2019).

What is Mena Massoud ethnicity?

Mena Mansour Massoud was born on September 17, 1991 in Cairo to Egyptian Coptic Orthodox Christian parents Gorgit and Mansour Massoud. He has two elder sisters, Marian and Margaret. He and his family moved to Canada when he was three years old. When asked why his family left Egypt, Massoud stated, "I was born there.

Is Mena Massoud African?

The Egyptian-born Canadian actor had only been in Hollywood for a short time before he landed the dream job, as well as impressive television roles in Amazon Prime's Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and Hulu's Reprisal.

What is the origin of Mena Massoud?

Mena was born in Cairo, Egypt on September 17, 1991 and raised in Markham, Ontario, Canada.

Is Mena Massoud British?

Mena Massoud is a Canadian actor born in Cairo, Egypt on September 17, 1991. He moved to Markham, Ontario with his family, where he was raised and attended St. Brother André Catholic High School. Mena's big break came when he was cast in the title role in 2019's live-action remake of Aladdin.

Mena Massoud on Being Egyptian & Canadian, His First Pet & New Show

Is Aladdin Indian or Arabic?

The original Aladdin story was actually set in China. Aladdin is one of the stories compiled in The Thousand and One Nights — a collection of Middle Eastern and Indian folk tales, however, it did not appear in the original Arabic text.

What ethnicity is Aladdin?

And he's no foreigner abroad either: he's a native Chinese boy, not an Arabian youth who's ended up in China. (Nor is he an orphan: in the earliest versions of the story, Aladdin is not an orphaned street urchin but a lazy boy living at home with his mother.)

Is Aladdin North African?

In the earliest versions of the story, Aladdin is Chinese. He's also not an orphaned street urchin but a lazy boy living at home with his mother. All the characters in the tale are also Chinese apart from the wicked magician who is from North Africa.

Is the cast of Aladdin Arabic?

Mena Massoud (Aladdin) is Egyptian, Nasim Pedrad (Jasmine's handmaiden) and Navid Negahban (the Sultan) are Iranian and Marwan Kenzari (Jafar) is Tunisian. Interestingly though, Naomi Scott (Jasmine) is a British actress whose mom is Ugandan with Indian decent, neither of which are Middle Eastern.

Was Aladdin Middle Eastern?

In fact, records show that the folktale on which Disney's Aladdin is based is originally set in China, and later mixed with a story set in Persia as told by a Syrian woman, then translated and added to 1001 Arabian Nights by a French man, adding to the layers of cultural conflation and Orientalism at play.

Why is Mena Massoud vegan?

The Los Angeles-based actor began a plant-based diet in 2015 after he and his two best friends and roommates in Toronto learned about the effects of animal products on health and the environment. They encouraged each other, and Massoud began by cutting out eggs, red meat, chicken and other animal-derived foods.

What race is Jasmine from Aladdin actress?

But casting Princess Jasmine is not without controversy. Naomi Scott, the British actor who plays the iconic royal, is of mixed English and Indian descent.

Are the people in Aladdin Indian?

While the voice cast of the 1992 movie was entirely white, the live-action film boasts a diverse cast. Mena Massoud, who plays Aladdin, was born in Cairo, Naomi Scott (Jasmine) is of Anglo-Indian descent, Numan Acar (Hakim) is Turkish, and Nasim Pedrad (Dalia) and Navid Negahban (The Sultan) are Iranian.

Does Mena Massoud have curly hair?

Mena's hair is naturally curly. That means that if you have naturally curly hair like his, you'll need to invest some time in straightening your hair first, before you can achieve this look.

Is Aladdin Indian or Pakistani?

Galland's Aladdin story is explicitly set in China, but the world it describes doesn't seem to match up with the real place. “The characters live in a society defined by Muslim practices,” says Horta.

Is Aladdin Indian or Iraqi?

3. Aladdin doesn't come from Agrabah. In the both Galland's text and Richard Burton's popular 1885 English translation, Aladdin lives “in a city of the cities in China.” Illustrations of the tales from the Victorian era depict the story and its characters as Chinese.

Is Aladdin Indian or Moroccan?

So it may come as a surprise to many to learn that Aladdin and his princess might actually be Chinese. In the original story, Aladdin is born to a poor tailor in “the capital of one of China's vast and wealthy kingdoms”.

Is Princess Jasmine Arab or Indian?

Princess Jasmine, a fictional character from Disney's animated film "Aladdin," is not explicitly identified as Indian in the movie. Instead, she is depicted as a resident of the fictional city of Agrabah, which is often seen as a blend of Middle Eastern and South Asian cultures and influences.

Is Aladdin culturally accurate?

8 Aladdin's Portrayal Of The Middle East Is Inaccurate

The film has been criticized for having a European view of the Middle East instead of an accurate portrayal of the region. Critics have also said Aladdin doesn't accurately portray the Middle East or Northern African culture, which is where Aladdin takes place.

What country is Aladdin meant to be?

Aladdin is an impoverished young ne'er-do-well, dwelling in "one of the cities of China".

Is there a Mexican Disney princess?

Disney reveals first Hispanic princess, Princess Elena of Avalor.

Is Jasmine's mom Indian?

She comes from the South Asian-inspired Kingdom of Sherabad, which Jafar wanted to conquer to expand Agrabah. She also is mentioned to have been the victim of murder, which caused her husband to keep their daughter inside the palace for protection.

Who is Aladdin's girlfriend?

Jasmine is a fictional character who appears in Walt Disney Pictures' animated film Aladdin (1992).