Although she’s only in her young 20’s, Mayan El Sayed has slowly (but surely) become a rising star in Arabic cinema. The celeb starred in three different Egyptian series this Ramadan, specifically one where she played ‘Nour’ alongside Yousra’s ‘Maryam.’ Yep, big deal. 

We spoke to the actress about her career journey, dreams, experience while working with Yousra, and even how she deals with her mental health on a day-to-day basis. 

Scroll down to read all about Mayan… 

Cosmo ME: Have you always wanted to be an actress? 

Mayan El Sayed: It has been my dream since my childhood. When I was young, I used to act all the time at home, in front of my parents, wearing different colors and styles, and playing different roles along with my sisters. I was seizing any opportunity to be on stage in my school theater as well.

C: You worked with Yousra this Ramadan, what was that like?

M: On day one of the shooting with Yousra, I was keen on memorizing and practicing my role well before standing in front of her. However, this day, I felt very nervous and I was completely silent.

I learnt a lot from Yousra and we became friends later on. Actually, she is very humble, and she likes to have fun, laugh and talk to other people, so I loved acting with her, and all our scenes together came out to be very genuine, as I absolutely love her.

C: What was your favourite TV series to watch this Ramadan?

   

M: My top two TV shows are Newton’s Cradle and Harb Ahliya. Although I already have read their scripts, I felt so excited every day to know what will happen in the next episode. I also watched Hajma Murtada, and Al Ekhteyar 2.  

C: What was playing the role of Ahmed Ezz & Mona Zaki’s sister like?

 

M: Actually, I’m a big fan of Ahmed Ezz. I have watched all his work, so I was very excited about working with him. At first, I was a little bit nervous, but then it felt fun to be around him. He is very charismatic and funny and it was my pleasure working with him. So, playing the role of Ahmed Ezz’s sister was a piece of cake for me; it was very natural and fun experience

Likewise, it was my dream to work with Mona Zaki and I really loved working with her. She is very talented, hardworking, dedicated yet very natural and fun person. I got to see how she was playing her role well and skillfully. 

Actually, this year was my lucky year. I got to learn a lot from all of those whom I worked with. I learnt how to be humble, dedicated and how to be kind to everyone behind the camera. So, I’m glad that I got to work with 3 professional superstars and 3 great directors within the same season.

C: What advice would you give to young women who want to get into the film industry?

M: My advice is don’t listen to others if they want to bring you down, do what you have to do, and believe in yourself and your dreams even if they are humongous.

You have to seize every opportunity, do a lot of auditions and work on yourself by taking acting classes. If you would take me as an example, I have been to a lot of auditions and I believed that I’ll reach my dream one day. I still have dreams that others would think they are unachievable, but I believe in myself and I believe that one day I’ll achieve them all.

C: In a series about your life, who would you love to act as you?

I’d say one of my sisters. Either my youngest sister, Merriam, or my third sister, Mayes would be perfect for this role. I think they would be me in a heartbeat, as they know me very well. They’re even talented and love watching movies so they’d understand acting well!

C: You’re still so young and you’re already a rising star, how do you keep your mental health in check?

M: I believe mental health is a journey and one has to work on himself to maintain a good mental health. First step, you have to surround yourself with people who support you and truly love you. Second step, if you feel like you need therapy, go to therapy. 

I also tend to always express my feelings and emotions through writing, talking with others, or any other method, but I never keep them inside me. I try to avoid negative people and negative comments in my life. Sometimes, I do sports, go for a walk, go for a run or play with my dog, and basically, try to be myself and do what I feel like I want to do.

C: What are some struggles that you have faced in your career?

M: My struggles are internal. One of them is to overcome my fear and my unease and just focus on my role. Second one is not to seek approval and acceptance from the audience. It’s normal to find a few negative comments among the positive ones, and this has happened to me. So, the challenge is not to let these negative comments affect you.

C: What inspires you the most in your life?

M: Humanity. Those people in the street who feed animals and give them water, and those who help the elderly. This really inspires me to do my work and introduce something meaningful for them to watch.

What also inspires me a lot is watching beautiful performances by actors all over the world and watching a lot of movies and shows. I also get very inspired by the topics I want to tackle in my work, such as sexual harassment, animal rights and others.

C: How do you feel when young girls look up to you or wish they looked like you?

M: That makes me very happy. Actually, this inspires me to be a better version of myself, so those girls who love me would be better versions of themselves. I love meeting young girls and I like their unconditional and truthful love for me. I usually tell them don’t try to be like anyone, you’re unique and gorgeous the way you are.