Fleeing Assad, Syrian actor finds new hope for his dreams in Hollywood

Having acted alongside Nicole Kidman and Tom Hanks, Jihad Abdo hopes to finally fulfill his Hollywood dreams - five years after escaping from the clutches of Syrian strongman Bashar Al Assad, Omar Al Muqdad reports

A handout photo of Syrian actor Jihad Abdo, or Jay Abdo, who struggled to get back into acting after fleeing to the US due to the civil war in his homeland. Photo by Fadia Afashe

WASHINGTON DC // Syrian American actor Jihad Abdo could easily identify with Kareem – the refugee he played in the recent short film Bon Voyage.

Displaced, afraid for his future and having to work odd jobs when he first arrived in the US in 2011, Jihad – or Jay, as he calls himself now – slipped easily into the role of the main character in the Swiss film about migrants struggling to cross the Mediterranean to Europe.

Bon Voyage was released in June and went on to win six awards, but Abdo's return to stardom has not been easy.

Now 54, Abdo was already a famous actor in Syria before the civil war broke out more than five years ago.

Back then, he could barely walk a few blocks in Damascus without being stopped by fans for a picture or an autograph. All that changed when he stood up against Syrian strongman president Bashar Al Assad.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal in 2011, while he was visiting Lebanon, he accused the Assad regime of committing atrocities against peaceful protesters. Upon his return to Damascus, he was harrassed by the regime and received threats from them.

"They asked me once to participate in a rally to praise the president and declare that there are conspiracies against him and [that] there were foreign hands messing with our country, but I refused, despite knowing the risk I was taking," Abdo told The National.

The government-run television networks cancelled all his roles in the TV shows he was working on.

“They are in every business in the country. They will go after you everywhere you go,” he explained. “Being a famous actor gave me a lot of immunity, but even that has a limit with the regime.”

In October that year, he decided to flee to the US for his own safety, reuniting with his wife Fadia Afashe who was in Minnesota at that time working on her master’s degree.

“I knew at that point I have to leave Syria. I thought it would be for a short period until things settle down, but it seems that the situation there is getting more complicated than ever,” he said.

“I don’t think we are going back anytime soon.”

Despite his decades of acting experience in Syria, including roles in 20 plays, 40 films and a 1,000-episode Syrian soap opera that has been watched by millions across the Middle East – Abdo found himself with no work in the US.

“All my history and experience were irrelevant in Hollywood,” Abdo said, “what really mattered for them is what credit I have here in America, and how many episodes of American shows I have worked in.”

He had no choice but to look for work elsewhere. He ended up delivering pizza and flowers, and also worked as a taxi driver for a while.

“At the beginning, I was always afraid that people might recognise me, a star working as a cab driver,” Abdo said. “But then my dignity and my family were more important than that. I needed to work and pay my bills and my rent and support my family.”

The couple eventually moved to Los Angeles where Abdo began seeking work in the film industry.

Even though he speaks fluent English and three other languages, it was difficult to get a role in an American film or show.

His first name was also not well received in Hollywood.

“Every time I told someone my name, their eyes would open wide in shock and it would be followed by an unpleasant question: ‘Oh! Your name is Jihad?’ I had to change it to Jay”, he said.

But Abdo did not give up. He started to get himself parts in low-budget movies and sometimes worked as an extra without pay, just to get a demo reel and clock up some experience.

The turning point came two years after he arrived in the US, when famed director Werner Herzog was looking for a male character to work alongside Nicole Kidman in a key part in Queen of the Desert.

“They were actually looking for a big name to play the role,” said Abdo, “but someone mentioned my name in front of the director and showed him a demo reel of my work.”

The director loved what he saw and asked to meet him. Abdo got the role.

“When Werner told me: ‘Welcome aboard’, it was the most joyful moment of my life. It was like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel and the gates are finally opened for me.”

The film premiered at the Berlinale in 2015 and although it has been screened internationally, including in the UAE, it did not have distribution in the US until this month, when IFC Films announced it had acquired the rights and would release it next spring.

His next big break came this year when he won a part in the overlooked Tom Hanks expatriate-in-Saudi Arabia comedy Hologram for a King. He also acted an episode of Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.

“I loved working with Hanks! He’s a great guy and a wonderful person and I’m forever grateful to have had this amazing chance to work with him,” Abdo said.

Today, Abdo has set his sights on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

Despite a rough start, he is optimistic about the future and confident that his Hollywood dream is within reach – as long as he never loses faith in himself.