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Elnaaz Norouzi discusses shifting Muslim representation in Hollywood in light of The Riz Test in post 9/11 world and states that she isn’t a big champion of coercive diversity.
The Fix marks Elnaaz Norouzi’s second Hollywood outing after Kandahar. The former sees her sharing screen space with Liam Neeson and Zachary Levi.
Elnaaz Norouzi’s international career raises an interesting question about representation. Across Kandahar, Tehran and now The Fix, she has portrayed Muslim characters of Iranian or Middle-Eastern backgrounds. With The Riz Test deducing that Muslim representation onscreen is shaped by negative stereotypes in post 9/11 world, Elnaaz believes that a lot has changed today.
Having said that, she isn’t a champion of coercive diversity in Hollywood. “Diversity is important but I’m against pushing it into a film that doesn’t need it. Forcefully trying and pushing a partcular religion or an actor from a particular country doesn’t work. I would say that for myself as well,” she tells News18 exclusively. That’s also why she’s yet to give a nod to The Fix’s director’s next.
“Guy Moshe is currently working on another script and he wants me in it. But I insisted that I would want to read the script first, so that I can understand if I’m the right casting for the part. I truly appreciate the fact that he wants to work with me again. But what if I’m not the right cast for the character? Most actors don’t look at it that way because they want to do every role that comes our way,” she says.
Elnaaz wouldn’t fight for Muslim or any ethnicity-based representation, token or otherwise, just for the sake of inclusivity. “You cannot make a film that has got nothing to do with the Middle-East or West Asia or South Asia and want actors that are from that region. It’s not going to work. The casting isn’t going to be correct. You won’t be able to get the audience to believe what’s happening,” she explains.
But she’s quick to add, “Now, there are more films that are being made on West Asia, be it on Arabic countries or Iran – just like The Fix. If you’ve characters of these ethnicities in these films, you should be able to cast actors from those regions as well. And why not? They would probably understand the characters better and even look the parts. And yes, Muslim representation has changed today.”
For Elnaaz, The Fix reinforced her belief that authenticity must take precedence over star power or diversity quotas. Her ethnicity ultimately helped her have an upper hand over several American stars, some even of Indian origin. “Guy was suggested many, many actresses in the USA, who are really big stars – some of them of Indian descent too – for my character,” she recalls.
She further adds, “But he wanted to make sure to find an Iranian actress, who can do the part. He was literally at the end of his search and he couldn’t find the right person. He was almost about to lock someone without being very happy about who they are, until he found me. I think that’s the right way to go. One has to make sure that the casting is correct.”
Quick Answers
Ask News18Elnaaz Norouzi won the role in The Fix because director Guy Moshe specifically wanted an Iranian actress to authentically play the character, allowing her to beat out several major American stars and actresses of Indian descent.
Ask News18About the Author
Titas Chowdhury is a Special Correspondent at News18 Showsha. She writes about cinema, music and gender in cinema. Interviewing actors and filmmakers, writing about latest trends in showbiz and bringi…Read More
October 26, 2026, 08:30 IST
