EP 18 | Creative Forces: Mico Saad's Dynamic Hollywood Journey

In this inspiring episode of Up and Comers of Hollywood, host Marie Finch interviews Mico Saad, a multifaceted TV host, Golden Globes jury member, award-winning actor, and filmmaker. Mico shares his incredible journey from being a professional dancer and actor in Egypt to facing numerous challenges as he pursued his dreams in Hollywood. Learn about his passion for the arts, his various roles in the film industry, and his unique approach to life and career. Hear Mico's motivational insights about the importance of enjoying the journey, embracing multicultural experiences, and continuously showing up. Don't miss this uplifting conversation about overcoming obstacles and making a mark in the entertainment world.
Mico Saad became the lead TV host of TEN Hollywood, a media documentary about Hollywood, which aired on TEN TV for two seasons, and the third is in the making, where he interviewed Mario Kassar and Rami Romani. Mico has alternated between the U. K. and U. S., working alongside Ricky Gervais, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and other notable actors. He has produced a few short films in Hollywood, and was recognized with a Best Actor Award and Best Short Film Award by the Action on Film International Film Festival for Al Masri Life, which he wrote, directed, and starred in alongside prominent Hollywood Egyptian American actor Syed Badreah.

Mico Saad's IMDB Page: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm7770934/
Mico's Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/micosaad/reels/
#tentelevision #upandcomersofhollywood #tvhost #micosaad
#mariefinch #hollywood

Transcript

 

Spotlight on Mico Saad

Today, we have a special uplifting segment with Mico Saad, a TV host, TV personality, Golden Globes jury member, and award winning actor, filmmaker, multilingual theater performer. He became the lead TV host of 10 Hollywood, a media documentary about Hollywood, which aired on 10 TV for two seasons, and the third is in the making, where he interviewed Mario Kassar and Rami Romani. 

Since then, he has alternated between the U. K. and U. S., working alongside Ricky Gervais, Sir Anthony Hopkins, and other notable actors. He has produced a few short films in Hollywood, and was recognized with a Best Actor Award and Best Short Film Award by the Action on Film International Film Festival for Al Masri Life, which he wrote, directed, and starred in alongside prominent Hollywood Egyptian American actor Syed Badreah.

Check out his inspirational interview with him. with Marie Finch. Welcome back to up and comers of Hollywood. And my special guest today is Miso Saad. Hi, Marie. How are you? I'm very happy to be here. Thank you for having me. I am so excited that you're here. 

Mico's Early Career and Inspirations

Now you are an actor host of 10 Hollywood. And I've been seeing your videos, but you do a lot of other things.

To be honest, a lot of people ask me, what do I do exactly? And it's always me. I'm an artist. I have the heart of an artist. I like to express myself as an artist. There is always a message or was a story. And there is always something in my heart that I want to share with the people. How do I share it if I'm a host, an actor or filmmaker, making a film or a dancer, whatever kind of like way to express myself within the art, that's why I am.

So whenever anyone asks me, I don't put any label apart from one label. I call myself an artist and that's it. And you really are an artist. We met on set and you were so inspirational to me. And you too, as well, because we were playing journalists for Curb Your Enthusiasm. And that's when you said you should really think about reporting or getting into hosting.

You planted the seed for me. I didn't know that. Well, then I saw your Instagram and you are interviewing Angela Jolie and Jennifer Lopez and so many other big actors. Before we get into what you do for our audience, tell me your journey. How did you get to Los Angeles? Oh wow, what a great question. I'm already getting goosebumps because what I'm about to say really made my life worth talking about to others and to myself to remind myself of the journey.

I always say to everyone, enjoy the journey. I trust my journey. It's all about the journey, not the destination. Some people always say, I will be happy when I make it as an actor. I will be happy when I make it as this. Some people get their happiness by buying a new car, achieving a new position, by getting in to buy a jewelry, whatever.

I realized that everything in life, it's about buying something or getting something to make you happy. So I decided to be happy and everything else can come later. And based on me putting, like, effort in being happy, which is very, very important to be happy, I realized that the first thing of me being happy is enjoying my journey and I enjoy every part and it made the whole journey wonderful with all it's up and down.

I believe in the journey too. I think the journey is where it's at. 

Journey from Egypt to the UK

You weren't born here. No, I wasn't. I was born in Alexandria in Egypt and, uh, where the Library of Alexandria, the most famous one and where Cleopatra also from Cleopatra from Alexandria, Alexander the Great. That was his favorite Alexandria considering there was 13 Alexandria around the world.

I didn't ask to be Egyptian. I just got lucky. Why? Because when you're born in a country that has 7, 000 years of civilization and history and science and  It's such a pleasure because you were born in a rich culture. Egypt is the Hollywood of the Arabs. Egypt been creating movies and TV show and entertainment business for over a hundred years.

So the whole Arab world, if you want to get famous, if you want to be around the people making this, you go to Egypt. I was born there. It's my language, it's my mother tongue, it's all of this, which is give me enough to take from because I was watching all of this growing up. It made me want to be an artist straight away.

It's like you're born in Hollywood. I started my journey as a dancer because I loved Michael Jackson so much when I was little. At the age of five, I started moonwalking in my bedroom. And my mom was going crazy because the music was always so loud. I started wanting to be like Michael Jackson. So I started dancing and acting at the age of five.

I joined the school play and all of this. And I became a professional dancer since, since the age of six years old, I joined the ballet group and the folkloric dance in Egypt, where I'm from. I continued this as a dancer and an actor in the theater till the age of 16. I joined the biggest dance troupe in the Middle East called Reda Troupe.

I learned theater in there, which is wonderful because theater give you a lot of knowledge about acting. Lights, people, spaces, movement, voice projection, there's so much into it. Theater is the mother of all arts for me. You will meet everybody on stage. That was the first half of my journey. I traveled to Denmark and Sweden to represent Egypt as a dancer and an actor.

At the age of 16, I decided that I want a bigger challenge and a bigger market. So I moved to the UK. London where I started my acting journey professionally there. I appeared in small shows and small stuff. I started making a name for myself and it was wonderful to come from Egypt and go to England.

People write from the right to the left and people write from the left to the right and they are completely different. In Egypt we drive on the right, in England they drive on the left and it was kind of like amazing and refreshing. I was so lucky to see the both world at the same time because it makes you a better actor, a better artist and a better human being.

If you understand the Brits, the Americans, the Arabs, the Asians, it makes you a better artist for sure. That is an amazing journey, Miko, and you're right, just being so multi cultured like that and being exposed to that, you learn so much about the different arts and all those countries, right? Yeah, for sure.

They have different music and an American director who have the knowledge of other cultures Countries makes him a better director than another American director who doesn't know anything about the other countries. That's why Hollywood made so many mistakes. That makes sense because there's so many different cultures, even within the United States.

Transition to Hollywood

So when did you come to Los Angeles? So after I decided to move to the UK, I went to school for acting, hosting, voice. So I continued there. I joined a dance group where we toured the whole UK and then and after that I got the chance to host my own TV show, which is about food and travel. So I used to travel around the world and taste different food.

That's how lucky I was. I'm very lucky. I'm jealous. I did around 250 episodes around the world. Eating different food with different people at different times. And it was one of the most amazing time in my life because I get to meet different human beings from around the world and educate myself with different culture on the different people.

Who's like a 70 years old man from Portugal, 30 years old women from Spain. And I kept learning along the journey, meeting all of those people, which was fantastic. And I learned so much about me, about cultures, about production. About cinematography traveling around the world. So I learned a lot, which I did for around 12 years, did food.

And then after this travel, and then I did a photography. So all of those were different TV shows that I did. It made me way more open minded than I thought I would ever be, which is great. Because when you see other cultures, it's different. You understand that we are all human beings. The only difference is that you were born in a different place and I was born in a different place.

It's all the same place. At some point after I did this for 11, 12 years in Europe and everywhere, I decided England was too small for me. I decided that I needed a bigger place. I was tired of being in a cold weather all my life. I love London so much. London is home always and forever. But for the industry purposes and for the weather, I decided to leave the country.

I decided that I had enough and now it's Hollywood time. I always wanted to act in Hollywood. So now it's time to go. All of a sudden I decided that I'm going to Hollywood. I came, I moved here and I moved in a journalist visa. So I couldn't work here. I can work here, but I cannot earn from here. And this is what makes the journey.

Like, you know, it gives you a little bit where you have to work hard. You have to figure out, you have to find spot in Hollywood. And the best thing about Hollywood, no matter, and I'm saying this to everybody, no matter who you are or what you have accomplished, when you come to Hollywood, you have to earn your place.

You have to pay your dues. And you have to make yourself known and find your spot in Hollywood because everybody has a spot. If they like your story, they will do your film. There is a spot for you. Come find it. 

Navigating Challenges in Hollywood

When I moved to the U. S. after a couple of months, really things went upside down and Corona happened.

I came two months before Corona. After coming here and then all of a sudden get stuck in America and not being able to go anywhere. And, like, I'm about to die. I was so happy because I got stuck in L. A. I could be stuck in the U. K. or in Europe where they didn't let people out. So you have to get permission to get out.

But me being in L. A., I used to go to Malibu Beach, all the open spaces where there's nobody, the mountain, the hikes, and I was so happy to be stuck here. I wasn't happy for my career progress, but I was very happy for being here, not in a crowded city like London, New York, or France, where all the people are in the same place here, LA, it's a little spread out.

So that's why we're lucky. I could imagine it probably helped you learn Los Angeles during that time, because there was no traffic.  To be honest, you don't learn. About Los Angeles without the traffic,  you kind of like the traffic, it's a big part of LA, you know, LA without its traffic. It's not even LA.

It's fake. Yeah, that's true. I guess I never thought about that in a positive manner like that. Do you know the freeway? 405? Yes. Do you know why they call it 405? No. Because you spend four or five hours. Oh,  that's a bad joke. But it's true. No, I like that joke. Oh, I haven't heard that one yet. I'm pretty new here too, Los Angeles.

When did you come? Northern California during a pandemic. I did the same thing. I hiked. I did everything. I went to the beach. There was hardly no one out there. It was really pretty cool. It was amazing to, for L. A. to recover  because L. A. is kind of a place where a lot of people come from around the world to make L.

A. home,  all right? And then that results to a lot of people come here and, uh, will become overcrowded. And, um, the nature doesn't recover, nothing recover, and the people here who don't, who come here and it takes them a little bit of time to reach their goals, some of them actually are a little bit unfortunate that they get to be homeless.

And then it kind of add in the environment and things here have just needed that break. We didn't, but the environment did. And it was amazing. Let's talk about what you're doing now in Los Angeles. When I came to LA, I said, okay, I'm here now. I am an actor. I want to work here. And I'm here now. Let's work.

So obviously I came with a visa, a journalist visa. So then I had to change it to an actor visa. I'll be able to work in the United States. I cannot tell you, I've been here for four and a half years. And those four and a half years, I couldn't work as much as I wanted to work. Why? Because of COVID, then inflation.

And then strike. So the last four and a half years, LA suffered so much. We had so many events happen in the black lives matter movement, inflation, the strike where no one was working for a while. So that really put the industry in hold for a lot of things and Corona COVID too.  Me and you would choose the worst time in American history to move to LA, but this is the journey.

You move and you make it.  It's you know what they say like it's all life It's about the car  that you've been dealt deal with it So, you know it we don't control what we get but we control what we do with it Exactly. 

Discovering a Passion for Producing

So I decided when I came here while I am waiting I said, okay now how am I gonna work?

How am I gonna get in a Hollywood movie without having the visa? So I said like, Oh my goodness, it looks like, um, at least two or three years for me to get settled and be in a Hollywood movie.  So I started producing and acting and making my own movies. I made around 15 short films. I won award as an actor, as a director, as a, as a writer, as a filmmaker.

In different film festivals. I didn't believe that could win. And when my name was called, I was in complete shock. I love what I do. And I do it with a really good mood. I put so much love into my stuff, but I didn't expect to win. That was a shock for me. And I'm saying this because I want to tell everyone, if you don't think you're going to win,  you're mistaken, there's a chance.

And you might win. Just go for it. Do your part to make the film and go with the film to a festival. Go for it. Winning is going to happen. It's important for us to believe in ourselves. It's important for us to do whatever we can because life don't give you everything you'd like you want, but it definitely give you everything you need.

What I say to my friends all the time,  I say in your journey,  you don't have to know all the steps from point A to point Z. Just have to know A and B. Exactly. And B is going to take you to C. For example, I wanted to be a host. God put Maria in front of me. She helped me there. I didn't know that I was going to meet Maria and I didn't know this was going to happen.

So you just have to go. So you made 15 short films during the pandemic, you said. How did you fund those? Okay, so here is the thing. I'll tell you my secret.  First of all, we are in LA. What does that mean? It means your barista is an actor. Your Uber driver is a director. The person who handles your stuff in the supermarket is also a writer.

So, the other one in Starbucks coffee, whatever, all those guys are cameramen. Everybody in LA is an artist. Okay? And they all want to make it.  And they all want to tell a story, but it can only happen when we all come together. That's why I cannot emphasize On being together, when people come together, they can achieve because they lift each other up.

If I don't feel good today and I have Maria and I have few other people, I have chance for my mood to be lifted, but if I'm alone, I'm staying down unless I'm very strong. So I collaborated with a lot of people and funded whatever I could. I asked for a lot of favors. I said, Hey man, I know you have a house.

Can I use your house for two days? I'm good with people. I love people so much. People are my passion. When I talk to people, they see my passion. I had friends who have cars, houses, and if I need to hire a studio, I hire a studio. And I just kept doing stuff. And, and also  when you, when I come to LA, I just came to be an actor and that is all, nothing else.

When I came here, I came to be an actor only, but life throws stuff at you. I said, okay, now I'm not going to wait for somebody to give me a chance. I want to create my own. That's why I started making those movies because then it made me feel okay. I, Oh, I like this. Okay. That's what I like. I don't like to be a writer because it takes a lot of my time.

But I really enjoyed the process. So it kind of made me understand who I am as a filmmaker, because I know how to direct,  but I don't want to be a director because director, it can be doing the film from two to 10 to 20 years working on one film.  I said, that's not me and too much details. No. Then I said, okay, maybe like I'm an editor.

I can edit, but I don't want to sit on my computer and edit for hours and have to watch all of this footage and stuff. So I said, okay, no writer. No director and no  editor. What am I gonna be? I'm already an actor. But what am I gonna be as a storyteller? Then I realized my passion is producing. I love producing very much.

Because as a producer, eh, you can work in five films on the same year. Which is amazing unlike the director, you know, and when the film when best film is the producer's prize So and also as a producer I get to choose the idea  choose the people who's gonna work on idea  Work with everyone else and in the same time as well create chance for others  and and that's when I said, okay, that's nice So there  is a lot of stuff.

I'm not just talking about myself. I'm saying it for anyone who's hearing us Please listen to what I'm saying If you don't know your passion,  that's not a problem at all. Um, I don't know what I want, but I know exactly what I don't want. And that's important. Start there. If you don't know what you want, go and do all of them till you find which one do you actually want?

So I did all of the film maker roles and over the 15 films I've done everything and I realized the only thing I enjoyed apart from acting was the producing because you put everything together and you're involved from the beginning to an end and That's why I produced those 15 short films. I totally agree with you because I did the same thing.

I dove into everything, theater and making my own short films and learning how to do everything. And what it did teach me is what I don't want to do. I don't mind doing it if I have a passion to get this project a certain way, but I know I can do it, but I'd rather hand that off to someone else who enjoys it.

So I think that's great that you have to continuously try and volunteer and just be on sets and just.  Go and try it. You don't know what you like until you're doing it. 

Creating 10 Hollywood

Now you're a host for 10 Hollywood and it's blowing up. I see that on social media and I'm so proud of you. And like I said, all the actors and the high caliber of  talent that you're interviewing, tell us about that journey.

As soon as I came here as well,  I was doing the films, I thought, okay, I got to do films because I have to create my own chance. While I am waiting, I'm also a host. And I've been doing this for 12 years while I'm waiting. Let me make another show. So I made this show called 10 Hollywood. As soon as I started, I didn't wait.

I made 10 Hollywood and 10 Hollywood was the first two season was about interviewing the Arabs who came to Hollywood and accomplished something big. 

Inspiring Arab Filmmakers

And I will bring them and I will talk to them to inspire other Arab actors and filmmakers in 22 different countries in the Middle East to inspire them.

I said, like, you see that person? He made it. He came from the Arab world. They made it here. 

Interviewing Hollywood Legends

Some of the names that I interviewed was Mario Kassar. Mario Kassar is the producer of, um, are you ready?  Yes. Ah, Rambo, Terminator, L. A. Story, Stargate. Okay. No, there's much more Chaplin. There is way more. This guy's one of the goats. 

Of producer of all time. One of the greatest of all time producers. He's the only one who managed to have Arnold and Stallone  doing films for him at the same time. Late seventies, beginning of eighties, I interviewed him. And actually Mario is one of my main inspiration to become a producer. I shadowed Mario for two years.

Uh, we become friends and I went with him to Egypt to do a show about ancient Egyptian with him. So anyway, this, so I kept interviewing other people, the guy who made the Rami show, the guy who was like, so different kind of Arabs who will achieve the M I M G top models. There is a lot, but then I moved in and I did international stores.

Cairo to Hollywood

Now when I finished there, so in the third, I did a couple of other shows called Cairo to Hollywood. And I interviewed there after 10 Hollywood, I did Cairo to Hollywood. I re renewed 10 Hollywood three. 

Unique Interview Style

With the channel,  it's an Egyptian channel and I interviewed so many people, which is amazing because so many big names, I learned a lot from them and I had so much fun interviewing them because when I interview people, I don't interview them like journalists, I interview them like a human being.

I love your interviews, by the way. Thank you. I don't do it as a profession. I don't take myself seriously. I take the guests seriously, but I don't take me seriously. I talk to them like I act as a fan, which is wrong  in the journalist type. It's wrong to act like a fan. And I act like a fan. I say, if Stephanie was here on my place, why would she ask Kate Winslet?

You know, why would she ask Amy Adams? And I will do that. I just enjoy and have fun. And it's about the journey. I was honored to interview Ron Howard, Eddie Redman, Janelle Monáe, Nicolas Cage. The director of glass onion and also Zac Efron so many names I can give you Kate Winslet JLo Jesse Eisenberg  Kieran Cochran  and a few others Gerald Jerome.

I can name a few Ryan Reynolds,  I love him so much. She's amazing human being inside and out and as an artist Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Karla Sofia Gascón, Edgar Ramirez. I can still roll a lot of names. You have interviewed so many great talent. The best in Hollywood. And I'm so proud of you. Thank you so much.

So your show, you said it's international. So now I'm more of an international, it's still a show in Egypt, but I do international cast, international stars. So where can our audience watch your show?  Obviously,  if they want to watch me alone. They can always go to Mikusad, um, my YouTube channel or my social medias, like it's all Mikusad, M I C O S A A D for the social medias, or if they want to see me alone, and if you want to see me in, like, in an English language,  so you go to those.

But, uh, my show broadcast in the Middle East on a NileSat and HotBird satellite. The channel called 10 TV, the show called 10 Hollywood. They can watch it, but it's going to have some Arabic intro and also some Arabic subtitles. So if you are an English speaker, go to my YouTube. If you are an Arabic speaker, go to the TV station.

I didn't know if it was on any other channel. It is. But it's an Arabic channel. Yeah. I think that's great. 

Golden Globes Journey

Now, how did you become involved with the Golden Globes? Oh, and this is one of my favorite topics. I love the Golden Globes so much.  So the Golden Globe, it's called the Hollywood Foreign Press, and it's about foreign press.

And I am a foreign press. So how was I able to be one of the judges and the jury members in the Golden Globe by being a foreign press and by also interviewing and making work that was broadcasted because there is requirement. So I have done the BAFTA. The Oscars, um, and a few other interviews prior to going to the Golden Globe.

So when they saw me and covering the Oscar, covering the BAFTA, covering all of those big, important event, then I had a chance where to be in. I got in around maybe four years ago. It's been one of the most wonderful experience in my life. Because of one thing and one thing alone,  I get to watch around 400 films a year, sometimes more. 

It's fantastic to watch all of those, because I learn so much from watching so many movies. Listening to so many cues and aids from the directors, from the makers, and also, uh, get to see all the movies beforehand, three, four weeks before it's released. It's fantastic. You get to see it. You get to understand.

And also I get to interview the cast of those movies, which is wonderful because I have so many questions because most of them are, I'm passionate about cinematography and other stuff in the filmmaking. I don't just talk about acting. And it's been amazing to be with the best of the best. It's an honor for me to be able to judge the best of the best.

You know, like they are the best in the world, like the one in Hollywood. They are the best people in the world in their craft. So for me.  To be able to judge their work. It's such an honor.  It is. Gosh. That is amazing. So you get your judge. Mm hmm. Mm hmm. You do this every year. Yeah. I get to vote with other voters of the whole voting body of the Golden Globe.

We vote on who wins the Golden Globe and whoever win the Golden Globe automatically, usually I don't know they win or not, they get nominated for the Oscars or stuff like this because The Golden Globe, it's the start is the first show in the award season. So we start the award season in January 5th and like after this Emmys, Grammys, Oscar and all rolls on.

So when you start this,  you're the first one. So everyone like, wow. Okay. And the best thing about the Golden Globe as well in the Oscars, there is like kind of, there's 9, 000 members and only judge films. So in the Oscar you only see like film stars and the Emmys only judge TV So when it's the Emmy only see TV stars the Golden Globe is the one and only that does film and TV So like this we have on the red carpet the stars from the movie and the TV and it's a wonderful night It's a wonderful day to be in  Wow, your journey is amazing.

Acting Career Highlights

Are you currently acting right now? Yeah, I am acting. I always have my career going parallel. I'm a producer, I'm an actor, and a TV host. They don't stop. So, I'm at four, like TV host, producer, actor, and a filmmaker. All the time. Depending on what project I have. As an actor, I've been acting in independent films. 

So, I've done a lot of them. Around twelve feature films. Only three were out. That's amazing. The other few films are in post production. They should be out soon. I did a character very close to my heart. I just played the master Farad Mohammed, which is the guy who found the  nation of Islam in America, which is his successor was Elijah Mohammed after this Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, and all of those people who were from the nation at that time.

Which I wasn't aware of. But when I was offered the role I did my research to portray this guy who had never been portrayed in any movie or anything in the American history of television and films. It was an honor for me to play a character  no one played it before. And the only thing I have of the character is picture and some people talking about it.

That's all. Never heard his voice. I don't know how he sound. I don't know how he walks. I  But I know what he said, and that was, uh, amazing, it fueled me to make, uh, this character. I love it. The film is in festivals now. It's a short film. This one is in festival, and it's going to turn into a series. I'm very excited about this.

What's the name of it? The Savior. The Savior. Yeah. Okay, I will take a look at that. Yeah. I want to see that as well. It's, it's definitely amazing. I, I look completely different there, which is great.  Regarding acting, I really like to do stuff that strips me of real life. Like a character actor? Yeah. My dream career is a mix between Johnny Depp,  Adam Sandler, and Jim Carrey all mixed together.

That's eclectic. That's interesting. You have so much energy, Miko. I love your excitement and how you dove in and used your strengths coming from another country and bringing that over here and hosting and to take it back to your country. I just think that is fabulous. You took advantage of an opportunity and met a need that wasn't there.

More people thought like that. Like, what are the needs out there that people, I like this. Maybe other people would like it too. I just love that. I just love that you're diving in. And I would. Think that doing all this helps you as an actor, seeing these actors in films that you have to vote on, it's in you, you know, for sure, like acting, like the industry or whatever I'm doing, it took me to a lot of places.

I was in a feature film. By Bailey Coby and the film is adaptation of a book and this book was one of the top ten of Oprah Winfrey It's called God is an astronaut. Sorry. I'm Destroying it. But yeah, God is an astronaut It's a movie that we shot in the middle of the pandemic  was about to come soon This film took me to NASA in Alabama A dream come true.

I love space. I love everything about this. To go there on one of NASA center and just check everything, the control room, how they eat and be part of it and shoot a movie there, a dream come true. I want, I just want to chime in on what you just said. Yeah. Jump in there. You don't know what's going to happen.

Just give yourself there one day, like the puzzle gonna fit. Just keep working. Just keep working. Keep at it and open yourself up to everything. Now, do you have an agent here in Los Angeles? Yeah, throughout those four years, I was able to build a brand and bit by bit work in different areas for improvement.

I just got a new agent a little while ago, and I'm very happy with him. He's amazing. His name is Peter. Yeah. Hey, Peter. Peter is wonderful agent. And I'm very excited about our new partnership. I didn't have an agent for a while because sometimes when you're an actor here and you have the O 1 visa, then half of the studios need you to have a green card.

That delayed my access a little bit. So basically, I wasn't allowed to even enter the room to audition because I didn't have a green card. Luckily, I just got my green card a year and a half ago and I'm now ready. Congratulations on that. Thank you so much. I got it as an artist and this is fantastic for me that come here and I had to go through three different visas over the course of three and a half years.

But I managed to get the green card as an artist, and that was one of the most proudest thing I've done in my life. That is wonderful. Now, what did you think of Los Angeles before you got here? What was your perception of Los Angeles? For me,  I came to LA to shoot my previous show before moving here. I covered the Oscar.

I covered all the Warner Brothers, like, tours. I did a few episodes here of the travel show. And I, as soon as I left here, I went home in London and I said, okay,  I gotta go. I gotta move back. And I literally couple of months, I was back with my suitcase. That's how much I love that day because of the weather and the industry.

I love America.  There's so much positivity.  If you could feel his energy right now, amazing, let me go. I just want to say something  to everyone in Hollywood. Hollywood is about showing up,  you know, it doesn't matter how talented you are. Don't worry. Don't doubt yourself because everybody in Hollywood and in the world, they doubt themselves.

And if they don't doubt themselves, then there's something wrong with them. But Hollywood is about showing up. A lot of actors move from America or from around the world. They come here and tell him, Oh, tomorrow you have to come at six o'clock in the morning. It's like, what? Six o'clock? No. Hey. Do you want the industry in their own terms and condition?

And no. Hollywood is about showing up. If you go every day, you don't know who you're going to meet that's going to change your life. You don't know who you're going to meet. From all of this, like the places I went, I get to know Maria. I'm sitting next to her now. You just learned something from this. You don't know who you're going to meet and you don't know maybe one of those people that you met somewhere.

You don't know. He says like, I'm an, I'm an Egyptian person, so if  one of the people I met was doing a movie and thought, Oh, wait a minute, I met this Egyptian guy, he didn't think of me because he loved me, but he think of me because he saw me  and it's about showing up again, guys show up, show up and never give up.

I love that. It's so inspirational. Thank you. All my guests are so inspirational and you have not disappointed. I am enjoying every moment with you. So what resources or tips would you give to someone who really wants to just, I think you already have done that. You really have been inspirational during this whole interview, but are there any books that you  can think of?

Plenty of stuff. Okay. Share with us. Just one thing, everything between your ears and the rest is easy.  Control what between your ears,  you will have everything you want.  It's very important to control your brain.  Your brain is the one who push you out of bed. Your brain is the one who's gonna make you see the positive.

Everything happen for a reason. It's your brain. Work on that  more than anything in your life. Work on it by making yourself happy, by seeing the positive in every situation, by understanding that the things happen for you, not to you. 

Challenges and Advice

What are some of the challenges that you face?  Ah, there's plenty of challenges, um, and I love facing challenges because, you know, Overcoming them make me feel achieved. Some of the challenges, you have to understand,  visa challenge, language challenge, culture challenge, those are bigger challenge than any challenge anyone American is having.

So, for all the American people, You didn't have to get the visa, you didn't have to study the language, you didn't have to understand the culture. You are already advanced my friend, you are already ahead. If I came here and I had to face all of this,  you're starting from two steps ahead of me. What are you waiting for?

Start. Trust me. I just want to share something with you and the public. For me, if there's like a,  tomorrow,  an audition for Brad.  Look, I like,  I'll still apply. Do you know why? Why? Because I like to do my part. I don't control what happens to the rest. I just have to go. So like this, I don't regret it later.

I don't sit with myself. I said like, Oh, I didn't apply. No, I do my part. So I have no guilty conscience. And when I sleep, I know I did my part and whatever mine is going to come, whatever is not yours is not going to come. If you stop, you're done. If you failed, if you continue, you're going to succeed. 

Final Thoughts and Farewell

Thank you so much, Miko. It's a pleasure. And I just love that you were here today. I am your host, Marie Finch, and we had a lovely conversation with Miko. Is there anything else that you want to add? Yeah, make sure you share Maria's stuff. Make sure you subscribe, support, like the whole social media thing or whatever this is done from her.

To you guys. So really, really, the support really matters. Just all her work that she does. It's heartfelt. And she's sharing people's experience and life with you. So the only thing we need from you is just subscribe to our channel, because guess what? It's free. Thank you so much. That's right. It is free.

With that. Thank you. Be kind and go after what you want. Don't let anyone stop you.  Bye. Bye. Bye, guys. Bye.