You're not actually being a good actor all the time. But people refer to me as a good actor because they read it someplace, not because they've made up their own mind. So I'm very lucky!

I wish everybody was just ethnically ambiguous. It would make life a lot easier.

There's enough of a willingness in the West to do sympathetic movies about Arab roles.

You really expose yourself when you try and go to up the volume and up the size of your performance.

Something most people don't know about me is that I never grew up.

I'm one of the luckiest Arab actors on the planet, because I've done, I think, two of the finest Arab roles that have been out in mainstream cinema for a very long time.

I love sci-fi, computer games. I love any escapes. Give me them all.

For me, it's painful to make a movie. It's not my normal rhythm.

When people have invested their identities into clichés, the only counter argument they have is 'being offended'.

Then it suddenly and theatrically began to clean itself in the way cats do when they want you to know what a big deal you aren't.

If the religious system does not correspond to the prevalent social character, if it conflicts with the social practice of life, it is only an ideology.

If you ever find you're the most talented person in the room, you need to find another room.

There are, I think, three countries left in the world where I can go and I'm not as well-known as I am here. I'm a pretty big star, folks - I don't have to tell you. Superstar, I guess you could say.

I want to make these films that I think other people would be scared to do. I don't think anyone can go off and make a rock opera. I think it's a very specific niche.

You know I like that fight and I'm confident of walking away with two super-middleweight titles

Years later we were watching 90210 [with my sister].

For character, to prepare for the inevitable I recommend selections from [Ralph Waldo] Emerson. His writings have done for me far more than all other reading.

What is true, is true only for one time and only for one place.