I think a culture can really be elevated through the arts, and it's always a dream come true when I come across roles that enable me to fuse my love of storytelling with my passion for activism and raising social awareness.

It's nice to see different dimensions of a character. A love interest and family life are always, I think, important in creating layers and textures.

Clothes are a big part of a free society, I think, and what you wear is so indicative of the political climate you're living in.

First of all, I'm Middle Eastern; I'm Iranian, so to be playing a leading role in a big Hollywood movie, I think, is possibly one of the first times.

I feel really connected to antiquity for some reason.

I do think faith is important when it introduces positivity into your life and you see it with love in your heart because there's so many people who unfortunately use faith for detrimental things or to justify detrimental actions.