Ali Amadi

Published Thursday 4 May 2006 at 12:40 by Paul Vale

Ali Amadi is 36 years old and trained at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama. He is currently appearing in Majnoun (mad in love), a play by Anglo/Iranian theatre company 30 Bird Productions, which takes an absurdist look at the effect of western culture on young people in Iran. Majnoun is next appearing at the Junction, Cambridge on May 3 and then touring until May 31.

What has been the biggest challenge about working on Majnoun?

Some of the dialogue is in Farsi and while I speak the language fluently, I have never learned to read it. My mother had to coach me on reading it phonetically. Surprisingly this will be the first time I have ever played an Iranian character and it has been fascinating examining my heritage in such detail.

So when were you bitten by the acting bug?

I can only remember ever wanting to be an actor. I was born in San Francisco but have lived all over the world, including Spain, France and Iran. When you are in a new school you are desperate to fit in like all the other kids. This constant, chameleon-like existence has probably influenced my real desire to act.

Did you have a tough time finding work after college?

I did plenty of work upon leaving college and yet I found casting agents and directors were finding it difficult to pigeonhole me. I don’t look typically Iranian and had no traceable accent. It was also probably down to the fact that the arts scene was a good deal less multicultural than it perhaps is today. At that point I decided to try my luck as an actor in New York.

How was it working in the US?

I laughingly remember our first day at college and the head of department explaining how so many of us would end up as either restaurant or hotel managers. I was sure this would never happen to me and yet waiting tables while auditioning led to management offers and before long I found myself working as an extremely successful restaurant manager. In the end it was not for me and I returned to this country to pursue the career I love.

Who has been the biggest influence in your career?

That’s a tough one but I would probably have to say a teacher at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama, Ron Williams. He was an absolute inspiration to his students and would take great pains to push the limits of your imagination. I have worked with some great people but his advice and encouragement has always grounded me.