Arabs who make me wish I was…

Anything but Arab.

Arab actors are the number one reason people in hollywood can make terrorist movies. We might as well paint our faces black and tap dance off stage saying “yessa massa, right away massa” but it might get us further in life. One of the transgressors (besides DJ Khaled) is Sayed Badreya. Badreya has, over a number of years, played the role of terrorist in countless movies. It is true that he was the key part of AmericanEast which finally shows Arabs in a positive light (and yet again Tony Shalhoub plays every ethnicity except his own) and T for Terrorist, a short film exploring typecasting of Arab actors. Here are some examples of Badreya giving fuel to the fire:

The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story (1988) (TV) (as Elsayed Badreya)

“Seinfeld” …. Saddam (1 episode, 1994)

The Insider (1999) …. Hezbollah Head Gunman

Three Kings (1999) …. Iraqi Tank Major

Deterrence (1999) …. Omari

Homeland Security (2004) (TV) …. Jamaitja

“The West Wing” …. Fatah Official #1 (1 episode, 2004)

Soul Plane (2004) …. Middle Eastern Passenger

The Path to 9/11 (2006) (TV) …. Massoud Assassin

You Don’t Mess with the Zohan (2008)  …. Hamdi(terrorist)

Iron Man (2008)  …. Abu Bakar(terrorist)

The last two are the most troubling for me. The man has made a name for himself, his two movies have garnered him some recognition. Why would he then turn to two films in which he plays the stereotypical Arab Muslim terrorist bent on killing civilians and ravaging white women with his exotic and misunderstood ways. What good does it do for him to aid in the creation of these two movies? As I have stated before, I can understand wanting to use comedy to break down the walls of hatred and racism that is prevalent in the United States and Europe, but some things are simply detrimental to the overall view of people from the middle east. It could be worse I suppose, we could be blacklisted completely….

I don’t blame him for taking the roles early on in his career, the movies were going to be made with or without Arab actors to play the terrorists. But he is older now, where is his social responsibility? Especially after recent events and misguided wars. I was hoping he would step up and fill the void, but that has yet to be seen. I should be blaming Tony Shalhoub for not using his star power, but I don’t think anyone realized he was an Arab (sorry man).

The burly, bearded Egyptian-born actor has played an array of menacing characters in a 20-year Hollywood career. He’ll appear with Robert Downey Jr. in next year’s “Iron Man” as an Arab arms dealer who kidnaps the hero. In 2003, he and Issawi made a short film called “T for Terrorist” in which an Arab actor, frustrated with endless terrorist roles, takes over a movie set at gunpoint.

Badreya recalls when he first arrived in Hollywood in 1986. “I couldn’t work. I was too handsome,” he laughs. “So I put on some weight and grew a beard, and suddenly I was working every day and playing the angry Arab.”

Some of the younger Arab newcomers to Hollywood look down on Badreya’s career as one spent reinforcing stereotypes. Badreya, however, makes no apologies.

“I never played something that didn’t happen. We hijack airplanes, I play a hijacker,” he said. “I do my work. I’m not going to sit and cry about it.”

“What kind of a name is that?” the voice coach asked at the end of the lesson. The name on the check he’d been handed by his student didn’t match the young actor’s European-sounding stage name.

The actor hesitated. He was fairly new in town and leery of any missteps. “Umm, my grandfather was Middle Eastern,” he said.

The actor said the room temperature seemed to drop. The teacher took him aside and spoke urgently. “Look,” the teacher said, “I see big things for you, but if you tell people this, you will not work in this town.” Recently, the actor landed a prominent role in a big-studio film. But he still feels compelled to keep his heritage under wraps. Only his closest friends know his ethnicity; he tells others that his parents are Italian, French, anything but the truth.

“I’m really proud of who I am, but I’m constantly having to lie about it,” said the actor, who didn’t want to reveal his name for fear that he would be relegated to playing terrorists, the new Arab acting ghetto.