Superstar model Bella Hadid is all set to make her acting debut in the buzzy show Ramy on Hulu. Turns out Hadid and the creator of the show, Ramy Youssef, are really good friends and he convinced her to take a chance on what he calls one of his strangest episodes ever.
Hadid spoke to GQ about her relationship with the up and coming star and how she’s attempting to subvert people’s expectations of her career trajectory.
“People probably thought that my first acting job would be something super sensual and sexy,” she said. However, her role on the show will be more weirdo girlfriend than bombshell model. As for Youssef, he said “It’s probably one of the weirdest scripts we’ve ever written. And that says a lot.”
So how did the two unlikely entertainers become friends? Turns out Youssef decided to simply email Hadid and ask her if she was interested in being on the show. The two got on Zoom and talked for a long time about things with Hadid eventually agreeing to be on the show. Hadid called the meeting “perfect.”
“I was like, this is perfect. We hadn’t even met before, but I had a feeling it was gonna be kismet.”
It’s not that the two weren’t connected already in a weird way. Hadid and Youssef shared some of the same friends and confidants. For example, Youssef was already friends with Hadid’s brother Anwar, who is a Canadian musician. Anwar said he was delighted to hear his sister was on the show.
“Bella’s been at the center of a world that doesn’t acknowledge what it’s like to be a Muslim at any of the intersections. She’s sometimes the only Muslim or Arab person in a room, so it’s great to see Bella surrounded by her community.”
Hadid said the experience left her feeling more connected to her community, especially because they left her a T-shirt in her trailer that said “Free Palestine.” The simple gift made her tear up, she said.
“I couldn’t handle my emotions. Growing up and being Arab, it was the first time that I’d ever been with like-minded people. I was able to see myself.”
Hadid said she found parallels between herself and Youssef’s character, who is intentionally obnoxious at times, he said.
“You pick the worst side of you because then the people you meet are like, ‘Oh, you’re so much better than I expected!’ As opposed to the other way around. It’s all upside, really. You gotta undersell hard.”
Hadid said that’s exactly what she deals with on a daily basis.
“That’s what I’ve dealt with my whole career! People will meet me and think, Oh, I thought you were a bitch. Or I thought you were mean. [They assume] I’m this other person. I’m like, This other person that you saw on a magazine cover: no soul, no nothing? It’s just an armor.”
Season three of Ramy debuts on Hulu in November.