| 0s | Asian Network. She's styled like a |
| 3s | Bollywood actress. Like she's styled like |
| 5s | Deepika Padukone in Bajirao Mastani or |
| 8s | all of those kind of roles. I literally got - oh my gosh, I have to tell you a |
| 10s | funny story. I - Do you know |
| 12s | Nagada Sang Dhol? Yeah of course, from |
| 15s | |
| 24s | So like, I was showing - I was like playing it. I was on set, and it |
| 27s | was these like, you know, I had like an |
| 28s | American cast and crew, and so I'm |
| 30s | playing it and like because I love that |
| 31s | song so much. Yeah. And literally someone |
| 34s | was like, "Oh it's so beautiful, |
| 36s | Nay is that you?" I was just like, "Yeah, yeah, |
| 40s | no it is, it is," but I thought to myself, |
| 42s | "Gosh, you could be you could be compared |
| 44s | to worse people than Nagada." I was like, |
| 47s | "Well, I'll take that. She's pretty |
| 48s | beautiful." Was that a reference point at |
| 50s | all? Was Bollywood a reference point? I |
| 52s | think so, I think that because naturally |
| 54s | those things come together because of |
| 56s | how colorful it is and because of the |
| 58s | music element, but ultimately there were |
| 60s | so many different cultures that were - |
| 63s | were drawn upon for this movie, |
| 65s | whether it's to do with the costumes or |
| 67s | the sets, but I loved the fact that, yes |
| 70s | that kind of Bollywood - how things just |
| 73s | burst out of the screen, I think - and that |
| 75s | joyousness - I think that really comes |
| 77s | through in our movie. Every Asian girl I |
| 79s | know dreams of being Princess Jasmine. |
| 82s | Did you dream the same? Yes, of course, of |
| 85s | course. Absolutely. I mean Princess |
| 88s | Jasmine was my favorite princess because - |
| 91s | because of exactly what you just said. I |
| 93s | saw myself in her, you know, I could |
| 96s | relate to her, and yeah I think you do. |
| 98s | You take ownership over - over your |
| 100s | princess, don't you? It feels like this |
| 102s | Princess Jasmine is even more empowered |
| 104s | than the animated one. Is that because of |
| 106s | criticism that Disney Princesses have |
| 108s | faced over the years? You know, there's a |
| 109s | scene in Wreck-it Ralph 2 where all |
| 111s | these Disney Princesses - Oh my gosh, I love that scene. |
| 114s | |
| 116s | Do people assume all your problems got |
| 118s | solved because a big strong man showed |
| 120s | up? Yes! What is up with that? She is a princess! We're in 2019, and, you know, she is a |
| 127s | princess. That is the context in which |
| 129s | she lives. She actually is. She's royalty. |
| 131s | |
| 132s | that comes with all the opulence but |
| 134s | really it was - it was just about |
| 136s | humanizing her. It's not so much about, oh |
| 138s | she has to be strong and sassy and |
| 141s | whatever. It's like, no, she wants to be |
| 143s | the leader, you know, she has something to |
| 145s | give. She's intelligent. She's a |
| 147s | politician. She studied. And I think that |
| 150s | that's just so important for little |
| 152s | girls to just see - an - an active Disney |
| 156s | heroine just moving her - pushing forward |
| 158s | her own narrative. It feels like actors |
| 161s | of Egyptian heritage are having their |
| 163s | moment in Hollywood right now. You're |
| 164s | playing Aladdin, Rami Malek recently won |
| 167s | an Oscar for Bohemian Rhapsody. Does it |
| 169s | feel like a long time coming? I grew up |
| 171s | watching a lot of Egyptian cinema and we |
| 173s | have some prolific Egyptian directors |
| 176s | and musicians and actors, so there's a |
| 179s | lot of talent in Egypt and the Middle |
| 181s | East so, yeah, I think so. I think it's |
| 184s | time that we start, you know, viewing |
| 187s | those kinds of artists in a positive |
| 189s | |
| 190s | In fact, you said this is a really big |
| 191s | moment for Middle Eastearn casting as |
| 194s | well. What did you mean by that? |
| 195s | It is. I don't think it's just Middle |
| 197s | Eastern but, you know, people of color and |
| 199s | |
| 200s | you know, Naomi's half Indian and she |
| 203s | represents, you know, the huge country of |
| 206s | India and Asia and I just think that |
| 209s | hopefully this film resonates with |
| 211s | people and Hollywood can, you know, see |
| 214s | that even if you do make a film with |
| 217s | people of color as the leads, it can |
| 219s | still be successful and it can still |
| 221s | smash. Do you think we're still closer to |
| 223s | colorblind casting, though? Because of |
| 225s | course the way you looked helped you be |
| 228s | cast as Aladdin. I think now we're more |
| 230s | sensitive to that than ever. I think |
| 232s | we're a little bit away from colorblind |
| 234s | casting, but I think that's eventually |
| 236s | the goal. You've said that one of the key |
| 238s | themes of this film for you is about |
| 240s | finding yourself, finding your identity, |
| 242s | and that's something you say you've |
| 244s | struggled with in your own life. Yeah, I |
| 246s | think that's something that everyone |
| 248s | goes through and I don't think you ever |
| 249s | stop going through that, but when I |
| 252s | was a kid, you know, I looked different from |
| 254s | a lot of, you know, my colleagues, and - and |
| 257s | students that I went to high school with |
| 259s | and I ate different food and I spoke a |
| 261s | different language and I definitely felt |
| 263s | |
| 264s | sometimes, and Aladdin definitely goes |
| 267s | through that every day. Asian Network |
