‘Aladdin’ Star Struggles in Wake of Box Office Hit
Hollywood’s a finicky beast. It’s a world full of big waves and bigger busts. Star of Disney’s live-action Aladdin, Mena Massoud says he hasn’t had any luck in the wake of the $1 billion box office hit.
In a recent interview with The Daily Beast promoting his upcoming Hulu series Reprisal, Massoud says the success of the film’s had no impact on his career:
“I’m kind of tired of staying quiet about it. I want people to know that it’s not always dandelions and roses when you’re doing something like ‘Aladdin’.
‘He must have made millions. He must be getting all these offers’. It’s none of those things. I haven’t had a single audition since ‘Aladdin’ came out.
It’s wild to a lot of people. People have these ideas in their head. It’s like, I’m sitting here being like, OK, Aladdin just hit $1 billion. Can I at least get an audition?
Like I’m not expecting you to be like, here’s Batman. But can I just get in the room? Like, can you just give me a chance? So it’s not always what you think.”
Massoud landed the role in Reprisal immediately after Aladdin wrapped filming. The showrunner for Reprisal didn’t even know Disney had a live-action Aladdin in the pipeline when he cast Massoud.
Massoud says “those who think actors are all getting millions and living luxurious lives once they ‘make it’ – the truth is often quite different.”
