Will Smith thinks the future looks bright for Mena Massoud.
Appearing on the red carpet at the “Spies in Disguise” premiere, Smith was asked by Variety about the recent revelation by his “Aladdin” co-star that he hasn’t been called for an audition since starring in the Disney live-action remake.
Offering encouragement, Smith said, “He is a spectacular actor, and he has nothing to worry about.”
Speaking to People at the premiere, Smith added, “The thing about this business, that is not unlike life, it’s hard by design.
“It’s like the universe, God, whatever you believe, designed it to be hard. So, if you’re having a hard time it’s because you’re supposed to,” he continued. “That difficulty is overcome by patience, commitment, dedication, endurance — so if you have a dream, you desperately have to be willing to work on it every single hour of the day with your deepest love and focus. You cannot get around having a hard time.”
In the original interview with the Daily Beast, Massoud said of his situation, “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.”
The Canadian actor added, “It’s wild to a lot of people. People have these ideas in their head. It’s like, I’m sitting here being like, okay, 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? … Can you just give me a chance?”
