From Winter Issue 64
Glass Man meets actor and rising star of cinema, Amir El-Masry, to discuss the joy of starring opposite Pierce Brosnan, the future of cinema and making your own luck
We all have a moment in our lives where the hand of fate intervenes and our path is changed forever. Such a moment happened for British-born, Egyptian-blooded Amir El-Masry while accompanying his father on a business trip when he was introduced to iconic Egyptian actor Omar Sharif (the impossibly handsome star of some of the biggest films of the 1960s). Sharif was supposed to attend a film premiere but sent El-Masry in his place. Chance conversations at the premiere lead to him being cast in a successful Egyptian film, Ramadan Mabrouk Abu El Alamein Hamouda, and subsequently being awarded Best Movie Debut at the 2009 Egyptian Cinema Oscar Festival.
He has since been recognised with a Scottish BAFTA for his role in Limbo, a poignant film released in 2020 portraying refugees stuck in the UK’s asylum processing system. In the same year he was named a Breakthrough Brit by BAFTA. Today El-Masry has a string of high-profile film and television roles to his name, including Star Wars and The Crown.
But it is 2026 that will see him showcase his most daring and all-encompassing role yet as he takes centre stage as legendary boxer ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed opposite Pierce Brosnan in the upcoming biopic Giant.
The film encompasses Hamed’s heart-warming coming of age set against the backdrop of racism in 1980s Britain, his meteoric rise to fame and ultimately the heart-breaking collapse in relationships that success can bring. The film is utterly captivating from start to finish and El-Masry commands the screen.
We connect with him in Egypt where he is filming his next project, before he heads to the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah for screenings of Giant, and another upcoming film, The Stories.
Photographer: Alex Rorison
Giant is a phenomenal film and a masterclass in what a biopic should be. How did you prepare for such a physically and emotionally demanding role?
Firstly, I’m so, so happy that you like the film. It makes all the hard work worthwhile when the film comes out and people like it. I had only four weeks to prepare and get in shape. It was quite a quick turnaround. So Rowan (Athale – Director of Giant) and I had a meeting in March last year and then about three weeks later I got the call and got straight into the gym. It was 12-hour sessions every day from 7am.
I had an incredible team to get me ready. I had Ian Streetz who is arguably, one of the best padsmen in the world. He’s Jason Momoa’s right-hand man. He choreographed all the fight sequences and put me in good stead. He’d wake me up at six and be like, “Come on, get your ass into the gym”. We’d do choreography in the morning, then strength and resistance training, a lot of cardio, an hour break, and then repeat again until the evening. And I had an amazing dialect coach who fine-tuned the accent and an amazing movement coach, Polly Bennett, who I’d worked with before in The Crown. She also trained Rami Malek in Bohemian Rhapsody.
And how did you take on his persona?
I was a massive fan of Naz (Naseem Hamed’s nickname) when I was growing up. I was obsessed with him. It was really rare to see someone from a similar background to me achieve so much in a predominantly white neighbourhood. To move past all the trials and tribulations that he faced growing up and be number one world champion. It was inspiring. It actually made me want be a boxer when I was a kid but I was so shy, and then ironically I became an actor. But in preparation for playing him I would study his fights religiously every day. I was tucked away in a hotel for five and a half weeks, just not watching or listening to anything but Naz.
Photographer: Alex Rorison
Pierce Brosnan delivered the performance of his career in this film. What was it like working with such an icon?
He is incredible. And it’s the cherry on top that he’s also an incredible human being as well. I could wax lyrical about him all day. He’s an incredibly generous actor, a great role model, someone who’s done it all and yet manages to stay humble in the midst of everything. He was so protective and he was giving me the same energy on my close up as he would on his, you know, he’d be crying off camera just so that he could elevate my performance when I was crying. So incredibly generous. And trust me, not everybody does that. And I think that just shows how much of a team player he is. I was very, very lucky to go on this journey with him. I would work with him again and again in a heartbeat.
It’s interesting because Pierce has gotten to the top and stayed so humble and so grateful. This is juxtaposed with Naz, who went the other way and seemed to let his ego get the better of him. Yet both are equally human reactions.
Naz was so young when he went to the top. I think it’s like a rebellion, isn’t it? I understand Naz’s perspective. I think a lot of people tried to tell him what to do. Also, he’s come from very humble beginnings, and so it’s not surprising to me that someone would want to go the extreme other way, because they feel like they’ve been so deprived of that growing up.
Photographer: Alex Rorison
You are now finding fame yourself. Have you thought about what resources you have to help you stay grounded?
Family, family, family. Also, a lot of my friends are not in the industry, so they keep my feet firmly on the ground. I brought my best friends from school and university to the London Film Festival premiere of Giant and they were just making fun of me the whole time. So I think that kind of keeps you in check. I appreciate every moment. But I also feel like I’ve still got a long way to go. So I’m under no illusion that I’ve got it made, it’s probably going to get harder now.
What is your favourite thing about filmmaking?
A couple of things. Firstly, to be in a position of privilege to tell stories about underrepresented groups, people who’ve come out the other end, like Naz. I recently did a film with Jonathan Pryce about the Uighur Muslim community, some of whom are being incarcerated in China. That’s hopefully coming out next year. To be in a position where we can shed light on these topics, I think the power of cinema is so potent, and we have licence to showcase things in a way that sometimes the media can’t because of the powers that be.
Back when I did Limbo, the way that story was told opened up a lot of doors for discussion, and helped so many people realise how responsible the UK Government is and tried to eradicate the idea that we’re letting too many people (migrants) in. In actual fact, it’s the complete opposite in comparison to other countries. I think that’s what I like about cinema. And I love working hard on something and then being able to share it with people that I don’t even know.
Photographer: Alex Rorison
You got into acting by a chance encounter with legendary actor Omar Sharif. You mentioned in a previous interview how he broke into the international scene when nobody else looked like him in cinema. This got me thinking, it’s been 50 years since he became the first Egyptian actor to have lead roles in Hollywood. You would think it would have opened more doors and that by now we’d have a lot more Middle Eastern actors, and actors of other nationalities, as Hollywood stars. But it hasn’t really happened. Do you feel like more diverse representation in cinema is getting better fast, or things are moving too slowly?
Good question. I’ve come to the conclusion that nobody owes you anything, that in order to get stuff done, you have to do it yourself and stop waiting for other people to give you that chance. Which is why I actually started a production company a couple months ago in the UK, to kickstart projects that not only I want to see myself in, but I want to see my peers in and people who are from similar backgrounds who feel misread, misrepresented or underrepresented.
I do feel that there are still moments where there is lazy decision making in film-making, where people just go for the easy way out. Not to name names but there are one or two filmmakers that assume that if they have a leading man who is from a different background to them, that it won’t make numbers in the box office, or it won’t get bums on seats. And Netflix has shown that you don’t even need someone to be well known in order to get the numbers.
Photographer: Alex Rorison
Or even for it to be in English.
Precisely that. I think there is progress. I think that for cinema there is a tug of war, so to speak, between financiers not willing to part ways with their cash unless they are given guarantees. But I’m actually seeing that problem across the board, not just with Mediterranean actors. It’s also with white, middle class actors now as well, who have done their fair share of work. It’s getting much harder to just even get projects green lit now, on a broader spectrum.
Why is that?
I think it’s the state of the world. The fact that not as many people are going to the cinema as they did back in the day. A film like Limbo, it would be so hard to get that film made now, even though it cost about two million pounds to make five years ago. There have been so, so many cuts in development and people want guarantees now that this film is going to make money.
Photographer: Alex Rorison
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given, and who gave it to you?
I’ve been given two, and they were both on the same day, one from Omar Sharif and one from my dad on the way to meeting Omar Sharif. My dad didn’t tell me that we were going to go meet him. He only said to me, “If you don’t ask, you don’t get. If you want to get things done, you have to ask the question, because the worst that’s going to happen is they say no.”
And Omar Sharif said to me, “You don’t get lucky. You make your own luck”. And both those mantras marry well with each other. That’s why I said at the beginning, nobody owes you anything. You have to go get it yourself. Because even if there are parts of this job that are based on who you know, you still have to be good at what you do in order to achieve it. So you have to not only be good at what you’re doing, you have to also feel like you’re the best at what you’re doing, and that they (the director) couldn’t even look left or right, they’re only going to see you. You have to know you’re the main choice for what you’re doing.
by Nicola Kavanagh
Giant is in cinemas from 9th January 2026
Photographer: Alex Rorison
Stylist: Kyle Scott Lawson
Groomer: Nadia Altinbas
Photography assistant: Pawel Pysz
Styling assistants: Aline Charlassier and Hannah Shaw
Talent: Amir El-Masry
Look 1: Montblanc envelope clutch document holder MONTBLANC, Jacket, shirt, trousers and tie PAUL SMITH, Shoes SANTONI
Look 2: Crossbody bag in sartorial leather MONTBLANC, Shirt AMI PARIS, Coat PAUL SMITH
Look 3: Writing traveler handbag MONTBLANC, Jacket and trousers GANT
Look 4: Reversible leather belt MONTBLANC, Jacket, cardigan, skirt and trousers FENDI
Look 5: Weekender bag 45 in corteccia sfumato leather MONTBLANC, Jacket and trousers FENG CHEN WANG, Shirt and tie PAUL SMITH
Look 6: Havana frame sunglasses MONTBLANC, Jumper HERMÈS