Navid Negahban

Born in Mashhad, Iran, Navid Negahban’s passion for acting led him to Germany where he spent eight years before embarking on Hollywood. Dubbed as “the man of a thousand faces,”” he garnered critical acclaim for his role “”Abu Nazir”” on the Emmy® Award-winning series Homeland. His quiet and composed depiction of the al-Qaeda leader won Negahban worldwide recognition, but it was his portrayal of the Sultan, in Disney’s remake of Aladdin, which made him a household name.Negahban’s film credits include Twelve Strong, American Assassin, Damascus Cover, Baba Joon, and American Sniper. His extensive and diverse television portfolio consists of the portrayal of “”Amahl Farouk/The Shadow King”” on FX’s Legion, making him the first Farsi speaking character in the Marvel Universe. He has also guest starred in classics such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Law & Order: SVU, Veep, CSI:NY, The Closer, The West Wing, and more.Negahban received a historic BAFTA nomination for his performance as “”Hajj Agha”” in the video game 1979 Revolution: Black Friday, marking the first time a Middle Eastern and Muslim actor has been nominated in this category.In 2019 he started Romany Road Artist Foundation, a safe haven celebrating artistry, built by artists for artists.”

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Brothers

Before leaving on his second tour in Afghanistan, Marine Captain Sam Cahill, a leader, an athlete, a good husband and father, welcomes his screw-up brother Tommy home from prison. He’d robbed a bank. In country, Sam’s helicopter is shot down and all are presumed dead. Back home, while Sam wastes…

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[on performing as a complicated villain in 'Homeland'] It is like reading a foreign book with ten different dictionaries sitting there. When I am playing a villain, I'm not really 'playing a villain' because a villain never looks at himself as a villain. He is being judged by the audience whether he is a villain or a hero. So you just need to be very non-judgmental when you play those types of characters. They are fascinating. That torture and torment and dark side inside us is all just point-of-view. That's what make it dark or light.

We are all vessels and what's inside us doesn't know any colour, doesn't know any kind of race. We need to look at each other and see each other for what we are, not for what we have been told the other person is.

[on the popularity of the 'Homeland' series] I think it is a very brave show. It talks about issues that most people may have thought about but are afraid to talk about. They are drawn to it because it doesn't give them answers, it just teases their mind to start thinking about these topics. It doesn't create a hero, it creates an atmosphere for viewers to put themselves into and think what they would do if they were put into that situation.

People ask me where I went to school and I tell them the world has been my school. i have been in different theatre schools and acting schools all around the world, but it's each person on the street - they are my teacher.