Still from Khalid Abdalla's play Nowhere. Photo: Manuel Vason
He's known for his roles in movies including The Kite Runner, Green Zone and United 93 - as well as playing Dodi Fayed in Netflix series The Crown. But Khalid Abdalla is also an activist - and it's that side of his life he'll be letting Kiwi audiences see next year as part of the Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts. Khalid was born in Glasgow to Egyptian parents, who fled repression in that country and raised their son in London.
After Cambridge he studied theatre in France, then the screen roles flooded in. But it was the Arab Spring in 2011 which helped inform Khalid's work Nowhere, that he'll perform here in March. Khalid spent time in Cairo's Tahrir Square at the height of the major protests. Earlier this year he was summoned for questioning by police over his part in a pro-Palestine protest. He joins Kathryn to explain how he balances acting and activism.
Khalid Abdalla will be performing Nowhere at Wellington's Tāwhiri Warehouse from the 4th to the 7th of March. He'll also be in conversation with Tainui Seasons at Māoriland Film Hub on March 7.
