Mohamed Karim on set of “A Day to Die”

In an exclusive interview with Egyptian actor Mohamed Karim, whose most recent film “A Day To Die” was released earlier this year, he opens up about the struggles of being recognised for your talents when you are from a minority, how he went from studying medicine to pursuing a career in acting, and his hopes for more Arab representation in Hollywood, especially in roles that defy stereotypes.

What motivated you to make such a drastic change in your career?

Mohamed Karim: “I come from a medicine background so it seemed like the ideal choice. Thankfully, I was never forced to go into medicine and my parents were supportive of my creative endeavors, I went into medicine because I enjoyed the subject. However, soon enough I knew I wanted to pursue acting and moved to LA. Once I moved to LA, I was able to realise that the film industry is very saturated, most of my friends were working as waiters and waitresses and were amazing actors, they were just waiting for their big break. As disheartening as that was, I didn’t want to give up on my dreams just yet. After a lot of consideration I took the risk to pursue acting in Egypt and planned to make the transition to Hollywood once that worked out.”

Mohamed Karim on set of “A Day to Die” with Bruce Willis

Do you think there is enough Arab representation in Hollywood? 

“No, definitely not! That was one of my motivations to prove to the Western media that there’s a lot of talented Arab actors, writers, producers etc. As an Arab actor, I had to pave my own road, to create my success which is a big problem because the whole process is very individualistic rather than having a collective of creatives to support you in the industry. One of the biggest downfalls is that the process involves huge risks, and not everyone is able to sustain themselves throughout, which leads to unfulfilling career paths. The unfamiliarity from being in your own country, where people recognise you as an established actor, to then starting from scratch is really tough. For everyone I presume, from Priyanka Chopra to Jackie Chan. However, I believe that in the past four years things have been looking up for me along with all minorities and nationalities. 2019 is when things started to look up for me, I was one of the four Egyptians to break into the industry. I got my big break with Nicholas Cage in ‘A Score to Settle’ and I was also a member of the SAG nominee committee, which meant a lot considering my background.”

Mohamed Karim on set of “A Day to Die”

In your recent film ‘A Day To Die’ you play the role of a detective, what’s your most memorable moment from the set?

“I have a lot of special moments especially with Bruce Willis, as someone who grew up watching Die Hard it was incredible to work beside him. The most significant moment for me was my character, as I wasn’t playing the stereotypical Arab and Muslim character called ‘Mohamed.’ I was very picky with my roles, which definitely made the process to acquire a the chance to be in a good movie a lot lengthier for me. I made sure I wasn’t partaking in insignificant roles to misrepresent Arabs and the whole community. Being able to embody a role with a positive persona and confronting the villain (Bruce Willis), rather than being one, definitely made the role very fulfilling.”

Mohamed Karim on set of “A Day to Die” with Bruce Willis

do you think that you’re changing the perception of Arabs in Hollywood?

“Definitely, I consider myself very lucky to be able to play such roles, and not get stuck into a stereotype. I believe that we should be judged based on our acting and skills, and I can only hope producers will notice that we can be the main characters and not just supporting characters. That would be amazing to witness in the industry.”