Loading ...Three days after the Emmys, the Arab diaspora is still abuzz about Egyptian-American Rami Malek’s groundbreaking win for best actor in a drama series for his role as a hacker on the USA Network’s Mr. Robot.
Malek was the first nonwhite actor to win in that category since 1998. Arabs and North Africans around the world took notice.
Jubilant news outlets across the Middle East covered the milestone, and the Washington-based Arab American Institute issued a congratulatory statement. There’s skepticism, with some questioning whether Malek’s portrayal of a white character diminishes the win. And there’s anger, in some quarters, over an interview last year in which Malek praised Egypt’s authoritarian President Abdel Fattah al Sisi.
For the most part, however, Malek’s big Emmys night felt like a balm for a community that is either absent from Hollywood or present only in stereotype. Malek’s early roles included playing an Arab terrorist in the series 24, making his win for Mr. Robot all the sweeter. Mr. Robot’s creator, Sam Esmail, also is Egyptian American.
“For me to stand here as not the typical leading man, and to have come home with this, I think speaks a lot about where we’re headed, and I think we can just keep going further in that direction,” Malek said in a backstage speech.