Weekend with Amir El-Masry: ‘I just open the fridge, find what’s there and put it all together’
The actor on his Naseem Hamed biopic Giant, working with Pierce Brosnan, and his obsessions with coffee and running
Egyptian-British Amir El-Masry is best known for his roles in The Crown and Limbo, for which he won a Bafta Scotland award for best actor in 2021. He stars as British-Yemeni boxer Naseem Hamed in the biopic Giant, alongside Pierce Brosnan as his coach, Brendan Ingle.
Giant follows Hamed’s early career in Sheffield, exploring the partnership that propelled him from a local gym to world champion.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What’s the first thing you do on a Saturday morning?
I wake up and have my coffee. I wait about an hour and a bit, so I don’t use it to jumpstart my day, but I love coffee — I’m obsessed. Then I go to the gym or for a run. I’ve recently developed an obsession with running.
Do you see a marathon in your future?
I would like to, but it feels very scary to me. I was reading about this thing called misogi — it’s like writing a list of things that scare you. When you put something like “I want to do a marathon” on that list, everything else seems easier.
You mentioned coffee, where’s the best place for it?
The Algerian Coffee Stores near Leicester Square. It’s tiny, but they have everything from all over the world. Viennese coffee houses are incredible. Yemeni coffee is also prime stuff.
How do you usually spend the rest of your Saturday?
I like simplicity. Work is already hectic, so I try to live as easy a life as I can when I can. Typically I’ll go and see my friends because I’m not always in London, so I use that time to catch up. I love food, so I’ll probably go out to eat somewhere and maybe go to the cinema.
What’s your go-to place to eat?
It depends on how I’m feeling that day. I love Egyptian food, Asian food, Vietnamese and Japanese — I’m all over. I don’t have one specific place.
Favourite thing to cook?
I cook a mean steak with a walnut salad, or roasted chicken thighs. I just open the fridge, find what’s there and put it all together.
Are you watching anything at the moment?
Pluribus. I’m also a big fan of Severance.
What are you reading?
A Month in Siena by Hisham Matar. It’s about grief and belonging and tracing the path of his father. It’s about wanting to reconnect with your roots.
Giant is set in Sheffield, did you spend much time in the city?
We shot in Leeds but we went to Sheffield during the first week of prep to meet the Ingle family. We got to understand how Brendan Ingle brought these people in from the streets. It was more than boxing. It was a community, a home, a haven for these people to find a sense of purpose.
What was the physical prep like for the role?
I love boxing, but I’d never trained properly before. This was the most intense regime I’ve ever done — 12-hour days, gym at seven in the morning, finishing at seven in the evening. Boxing works your whole body. I have a new respect and love for it.
What was it like working with Pierce Brosnan?
He’s respectful, professional and generous. Even when it was my close-up, he was giving it his all. There’s a big dialogue scene where he was crying off camera just for me. He really cares about the work and doesn’t take it for granted.
Are there any other Arab figures you’d like to play in the future?
People always say I should do an Omar Sharif biopic, and I would love to — but I’m not nearly as handsome as he is.
Which actors inspire you?
Pierce definitely inspired me on set. Daniel Day-Lewis, Ahmed Zaki — an Egyptian actor. Riz Ahmed has been a massive inspiration. I love what he’s doing and how he’s breaking barriers.
Giant and 100 Nights of Hero, in which El-Masry also stars, are now in cinemas.
