Omar Elba (born September 19, 1983) is an Egyptian-American actor, best known for co-starring alongside
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey Hanks (born July 9, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. Known for both his comedic and dramatic roles, he is one of the most popular and recognizable film stars worldwide, and is regarded as an American cultural icon. Ha ...
in the movie ''
A Hologram for the King
''A Hologram for the King'' is a 2012 American novel written by Dave Eggers. In October 2012, the novel was announced as a finalist for the National Book Award.
It was adapted as a film of the same name, released in 2016 and starring Tom Hanks ...
''.
He also had a recurring role as Mark Green opposite
Jessica Biel
Jessica Claire Timberlake ( née Biel ; born March 3, 1982) is an American actress and model. She has received various accolades, including a Young Artist Award, and nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Bie ...
in the
Limetown television series.
In the A24/ Netflix series,
''Mo'', Omar plays Sameer, a character with
autism spectrum disorder
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...
(ASD) who has trouble fitting in. In preparation for the role, he worked meticulously with a behavioral therapist studying specific ASD patients at great length. Omar himself is also neurodivergent, revealing he was officially diagnosed on the autism spectrum in his late 30s.
Elba also starred, wrote and directed ''Tim'', a Freudian
short film
A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...
about the Ego, Id and Superego. In preparation for the 2 main roles, he transformed his body twice by gaining 20 pounds of fat to play Tim and then losing the weight and gaining 10 pounds of muscle to play Tim's Ego. For the physical transformation between both characters to take place, the two performances, Tim and Tim's Ego, were shot one year apart, respectively. In the film, both characters, Tim (an overweight, balding codependent) and Tim's Ego (his better looking, more assertive counterpart), are seen interacting onscreen simultaneously.
[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4025491/ ]
References
External links
*
1983 births
Living people
American people of Egyptian descent
American male film actors
Egyptian male film actors
Actors with autism
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