Mena Massoud hasn’t had an audition since his starring role in ‘Aladdin’.
The 28-year-old actor admitted people expect him to have made "millions" thanks to his work on the Disney blockbuster – which made more than $1 billion at the global box office – but he’s struggled to find work since the film came out and he’s expecting to continue to be "overlooked and underestimated" for some time.
He told The Daily Beast: "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.
"I feel like I’m going to be overlooked and underestimated for a long time because I am a young actor. I’m an up and comer in the sense that I’ve been doing this for 10 years, but to a lot of people, ‘Aladdin’s the first thing they’ve seen me in. So I think I’m going to be viewed that way for a long time. I’m going to have to work at chipping away at that."
Mena has a role in Hulu’s ‘Reprisal’ series but had it booked before ‘Aladdin’ and would love someone to give him a "chance" at another project.
He 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, ‘OK, Aladdin just hit $1 billion. Can I at least get an audition?’
"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? So, it’s not always what you think."
Mena Massoud had no auditions since Aladdin
