Today we’d like to introduce you to Momo Assad.
Hi Momo, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My journey began when I was born on Gianicolo Hill, the highest of the seven hills of Rome Italy. I grew up in the historic “Citta Eterna” which translates to eternal city. Being in a loving Muslim Lebanese household has shaped my perspective of the world through a multicultural lens, seeping into my artistic instincts. My youth consisted of speaking Arabic with family, but when I left the house or worked at my family’s restaurant, Osteria del Tempo Perso Belsiana, I would only speak Italian. At school I would speak English and Spanish since it was an American International school and every Christmas, I would visit my mother’s side in Germany where I would be forced to pick up German throughout the years. By the time I graduated high school, I was fluent in five different languages. Italian, English, Arabic, Spanish, and German. I had done two plays, traveled to the Netherlands for a Model United Nations experience with my school, and played lots of football to the point I thought it was going to take over my life. All of a sudden, I was accepted into Penn State for Media Industries and Communications and was preparing to leave my home and life in Rome, Italy. I always knew I wanted to go to the United States. Growing up, the only media I would consume was American. I’d watch shows like Zach and Cody, Cory in the House, Drake and Josh, including all the famous YouTubers at the time. My brother and I would always try and recreate the American accent.
In the summer of 2017, I began my college life at Penn State, and as they always say, college is where you “find yourself”. Well, let me tell you, the university was my wake-up call for my passion, which definitely was not the behind-the-scenes lifelike media industries and communications but yet for in front of the camera and the art of acting.
Throughout college, my calling to become an actor kept growing until the Covid Pandemic hit. Graduation was around the corner, and all I had was work experience as an English teacher and working at my father’s restaurant. I kept applying for production jobs in Los Angeles because I always dreamed of living here and as the pandemic was still in effect, my future completely unknown, I packed my bags. Whilst scrambling to look for jobs and searching for a direction to go to, I was recommended by a close friend to audition to the Art of Acting Stella Adler studio for a summer conservatory. This is when things started to get real; I looked into their website and looked through their alumni list, saw the names; Marlon Brando, Salma Hayek, Robert De Niro, and Mark Ruffalo, and just started laughing because I thought, what was even the point of auditioning to a highly competitive and reputable school with no acting experience other than having done Grease in middle school. Regardless, I couldn’t let fear slip in as I knew that this was my first and possibly only chance in my life where I could actively take a shot at my dream. Without calling my parents or overthinking it, I filled the application and sent it to the studio. Just like that, I had my audition. My experience at AoA completely changed my life, I learned to truly respect the artform and that acting was so much more than being memorized, but to be a mirror for humanity of the vastness that is the human experience whether that is through theatre or film/TV.
I found myself to be the happiest I have ever been and my soul was so content. I had found my passion; the passion that would remove that anxiety from my shoulders of what to do with my life because I discovered what brings me happiness and purpose, and that is the art of storytelling. “Growth as an artist and as a human being are synonymous”. This is what the Art of Acting Stella Adler studio stood for, a philosophy I proudly embrace. Within a month into the summer conservatory and multiple conversations with the seasoned faculty, I fell in love with living truthfully under imaginary circumstances to the point I confidently auditioned for their Professional Conservatory program, knowing that I would dedicate myself in any possible way the rest of my life to this art form and would train and continue learning indefinitely if accepted. I decided to bring back the same monologue I auditioned with for the summer conservatory, except this time, I had a respectful and thorough understanding of the craft; I found myself in the room and just decided that this was another “this is it” moment, everything that happened before today doesn’t matter, what mattered was whatever Orsino was going through. By any means, this wasn’t some groundbreaking performance, but it was the first time that I was auditioning with confidence; especially for a professional institution.
Thankfully it was exactly what I needed to land me in the Professional Conservatory Class of 2023 at the Art of Acting Stella Adler Studio. Since then, I can proudly say that I have written my own Solo Show on the great Lebanese artist and philosopher Khalil Gibran; performed in a professional Shakespeare play directed by the amazing Beth Lopes, Troilus, and Cressida; and had the honor of playing El-Fayoumi in The Last Days of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adley-Guirgis directed by the seasoned Brian Keith. All of these experiences, mixed in with the intensive training and several tiny film projects. I recently worked with the talented Niki Koss on a professional set for the first time. I have become a completely different person since I first joined as a college graduate; I can now say that I have grown as an artist and as a person with this program and have reached a point in my life in which I look forward to the future adventures and challenges that are coming my way.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
If smooth roads were a thing, I don’t think artists would exist. Obstacles and challenges that come our way is what shine light to our achievements and hard work. The leap of faith that you take as an actor is huge, especially in the capital of the industry. It is so easy to consider yourself just another number even though you aren’t, you feel like everyone is here to do the same thing as you and sometimes that can fog up the vision of your own uniqueness. Our life experiences are what brought us here which has turned us into the person we are today. My personal experiences have helped immensely within my acting training. It allowed me to find my voice as an artist and what I have to give to the industry. I believe that one must trust their own journey and surrender to the idea that we are here for a reason. Why else would I have left my home and family for? Which brings me to the biggest challenge and struggle that I have to face every day with chasing this passion, being far away from my family.
I knew early on that this was the price I had to pay while building the future I wanted for myself. My father and mother both left their family at a young age to better their lives. It can get really overwhelming when you realize that you’re missing out on certain family events and holidays. This can make you extremely homesick, especially when you are alone abroad with no one but yourself. Luckily, I am able to mend this wound by visiting my family at every opportunity I can. My family’s support is what drives me forward. It’s what feeds my ambition and confidence and no matter the distance, they’re always there for me when things are hard. I would be lying if didn’t say that the group of beautiful actors I was lucky enough to cross paths with in my training has really helped me stay grounded and focused. These are the kind of souls I hope to keep close to me, especially in this industry. Supporting fellow artists is the only way we can move forward and create art that changes humanity for the good.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I can officially call myself a professional actor, I say that proudly. I specialize in both theatre and on-camera although personally, I feel like I specialize in Theatre more, due to the process I go through internally as an actor. Being able to be in character and live in front of an audience ends in a different type of adrenaline and a special satisfaction. The training that I went through relied heavily on theatre techniques in which would build a foundation for the roles I now take on. In Rome, I am known for my family restaurants, although here in Los Angeles, you might have seen me around the local theaters in plays like Troilus and Cressida, Last Days of Judas Iscariot and Nicky (Ivanov Adaptation). I had recently worked on a short film Summer Citrus:6% which is hopefully being turned into a feature film by 2024.
I believe my finest work as an actor so far has been playing the role of the bohemian lawyer El-Fayoumi in the play The Last of Judas Iscariot by Stephen Adly Guirgis. This role highlighted my comical side and implemented the Lebanese upbringing into my characterization of El-Fayoumi. My proudest work so far has to be the creation of my solo show The Wanderer: Khalil Gibran, a 15-minute solo piece exploring the author of the third most printed book in human history, The Prophet. A project in which I wrote, directed, and produced all in the course of five months alongside the guidance of a magnificent advisor and legendary actor Miguel Perez, without him I could not have completed this accomplishment.
I played Khalil Gibran as the main character of his book and had him experiencing the last day in his home before departing for the last time, a mixture of my life and Khalil’s perspective on the world and his past memories, as he philosophizes one last time before leaving. This is the first time in my life that I had fully created my own story for the world to listen to, and getting to feel like an artist who has found a voice to stand for and using my craft to spread a message that could have an impact on someone just confirmed to me that this is just how I want express myself to the world. I am proud to have chosen a Lebanese voice, speaking about the necessary peace in the world and shining a positive light on themes like love, family, and death.
As I stated earlier, I believe that we all have our own uniqueness and baggage that we carry with us; in our life we experience so many emotions and events that formulate such a unique perspective on any human interaction, which is why no two actors are the same. I have been blessed and lucky with an international upbringing that has allowed me to learn multiple languages, that I hope to utilize within the industry, especially as we keep moving in this upward trend of international casting, hopefully on a worldwide scale. Having Rome as your playground growing up, one of the capitals of the Renaissance has given me such a deep understanding of and connection to, other artists and the special relationship they have with their art. A very classical lens that influences the way I see the world and my imagination. I was very thankful for this once I landed in the United States, where I ingested a vast amount of contemporary art; I believe it’s important to drown ourselves in multiple art forms, as it feeds our craft. Of course, the path of knowledge and growth will never stop, I still have much to learn and many more hours that I will keep putting in.
We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Living abroad away from my family, childhood memories are like daytime television reruns in my mind. If I could add up all the endless nights of playing FIFA instead of finishing my math homework, The rushed breakfasts followed by the lectures my mother would give spending too much time playing video games as she drove me to school, I think I could somehow turn it an anthology of my life. My most cherished memory from childhood has to be back in 2014 when I spent a month with my family in Germany; my mother’s side lives in Dusseldorf although what was different this time is that my father’s side surprised us there. The only family I had growing up in Italy was my mother father and little brother so to be able to experience extended family all in one place for the first time was one of the happiest moments that stays close to my heart. So happy that I remember not wanting to go back home.
These experiences have impacted the way I create my art. It is imperative for me to bring diversity to the industry and tell stories from different cultures. Recently, there has been somewhat of a breakthrough within the industry that is slowly but surely striving towards a multicultural display of storytelling. As stated before, I grew up digesting Western media. Although I was raised in a Western environment, I was always confused about the lack of artists or recognized individuals that resemble me or even come from a similar background, but as I find myself in Los Angeles in 2023, the industry has become more open-minded and interested, in telling stories from across the world. Being able to go on streaming websites and find shows and movies from other countries and from my homes, seeing how accessible and popular they’ve become, leaves me with excitement and high hopes for the future.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://m.imdb.com/name/nm15393796/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/momo.assad/?hl=it
- Other: https://resumes.actorsaccess.com/momoassad
Image Credits
Theatre Pictures from Art of Acting
