We already know that, in Hollywood, it’s difficult to be nominated for Golden Globes and Emmys, let alone win them. It’s even rarer for a show about an Arab Muslim American from New Jersey to be a big primetime hit, but Ramy Youssef seems to be smashing those odds. Not only is his show,
Ramy (streaming on Crave), winning hearts and minds with its second season, but he already has a Golden Globe under his belt and two Emmy nominations this year. It’s enough to make seasoned Hollywood stalwarts like Rob Lowe jealous.“I hate this guy already!” Rob joked during the intro for his guest-hosting stint on
Jimmy Kimmel Live! “You're on your way to being the younger, Muslim male Meryl Streep!”
“We saw that there was an opportunity for people to see an Arab Muslim character in a real way,” Ramy explained, musing on the difficulty of getting a show like this on the air, and also the need for more Arab representation and diversity on screen. “I didn't grow up with any Arab Muslim characters on TV; we had
Aladdin. He had the carpet and we knew it flew but we weren't sure, like, does he pray on it?”He is sure, however, that when it comes to prayer, the whole of Egypt has his back. “I actually talked to my aunt in Egypt and she told me all of Egypt is praying for the
Emmy,” he laughed. “Like, the whole country! Eugene Levy has some people in Canada but I think Egypt prayers—I'm gonna take those over Canadian prayers. That's my gamble.”It’s funny ‘cause it’s true.As Rob Lowe called himself a “six-time Golden Globe failure” (aw, maybe next year, buddy), he said he’s always had a gut feeling that, right before they announce the winner in his category, he’s not going to win. But oddly enough, Ramy had the exact opposite experience at the Golden Globes.“I actually knew with the Globe that I was gonna win, because I saw Jennifer Aniston just, like,
looking at the card when she opened it and she was just kind of, like, looking at it,” he laughed. “I saw this look that I've seen on every substitute teacher's face when they come to my name! And I'm like, 'Oh my God, it's me,' because I could tell she was about to say a name she knew, and she was like, ‘Who is it?’ Then Reese [Witherspoon] kind of came in and saved the day. But there was like two seconds where I was like, ‘Oh my god I know that face!’”#Relatable. May the confused looks of every substitute teacher guide the way.[video_embed id='2012759']Before you go: Eugene Levy tears up during surprise Lifetime Achievement tribute from family & friends[/video_embed]
