Check out our exclusive interview with Mustafa Elzein on the pilot premiere of ‘Almost Family’!
Poster for the new FOX series, “Almost Family”
After discovering the controversy surrounding her father and his fertility research, an only child finds out that she has hundreds of half siblings.ย From the producer of โFriday Night Lightsโ and โParenthoodโ and the writer from โAbout a Boyโ and โDesperate Housewivesโ, โAlmost Familyโ is the story of an unusual family formed through extreme odds.ย The show tackles issues on identity, human connection, and what defines a real family.ย Can the lies and secrets of one man affect the new relationship of these newly found siblings?
Best known for his roles in โSequesteredโ, โLethal Weaponโ, and โSemper Fiโ, Mustafa Elzein now stars in the new series โAlmost Familyโ as Dr. Isaac Abadi. ย We got a chance to speak with him about the premiere of the pilot episode of โAlmost Familyโ!
The Knockturnal: What was your first impression when reading this script?
Mustafa Elzein: I loved it actually. When I was in college, I was actually studying chemical engineering, and I was thinking about doing pre-med and then I got into law school, I started doing that. But then I read the script and at first I was thinking about doing the Tim role, and that was the law one but then I read this and it was the protege of Timothy Hutton and I was like โoh this is beautiful, now I get to decide another avenue and go into the medical field and get to live a whole other life.’
The Knockturnal: How did you make that transition from student to acting?
Mustafa Elzein: So I was enrolled in law school at Georgetown, came out to LA for vacation, the day before I was suppose to go back got signed randomly by an agent.ย I called home and I said I’m not coming back, and I called law school and said Iโm not going.
The Knockturnal: And so you got your agent, and then what was your first major gig?
Mustafa Elzein: So, I started, I started doing modeling at first. And I did that for a couple years, started shooting commercials doing all that.ย I started acting in about 2014. I shot a series for Sony Crackle, called Sequestered. We did twelve episodes for that and then I just started moving on from there. ย I worked on โLove Isโ, โLethal Weaponโ, โShamelessโ, a few other things, and bunch of testings. And then this one came along and it was like the stars aligned for this one.
The Knockturnal: Thatโs such a huge change from your original trajectory, how did your family react?
Brittany Snow, Timothy Hutton, and Mustafa Elzein starring in the new FOX series “Almost Family”
Mustafa Elzein: Well my fatherโs actually Sudanese and my motherโs Hungarian so, you know, coming from that kind of family where you have- my fatherโs the oldest of eight. He came to the states when he was in college and they came over here to build a better life and make sure their kids donโt have to go through the same stuff. ย So it was interesting when I was doing chemical engineering and law school his eyes were bright, he was happy, he was loving. ย Then when I transitioned to modeling and acting he didnโt take it seriously until now. Now heโs on Whatโs App, heโs calling me and high fiving me!ย You know, they just want to make sure you end up a good human being and you donโt end up in the same situation that they were in. ย They have faith in me though and itโs cool now, so yeah!
The Knockturnal: Thatโs awesome and so how was working with the ensemble on this?
Mustafa Elzein: Oh my gosh, I mean, youโve seen them. ย Itโs a super diverse cast, which is great for this time. Iโm working, Iโm playing, Timothy Huttonโs protege. Heโs my mentor in it.
The Knockturnal: How is working with Tim? Such a legendary actor.
Mustafa Elzein: I mean heโs a Oscar winner.ย Itโs humbling showing up to set and knowing that youโre going to be playing his protege and trying to navigate that scene, but actors like him, they make it so easy for you to kind of jump in there and do your best work and then youโre like โoh, itโs great!โ ย But everybody else I mean Mo, Emily, Megalyn, Brittany, all of them were just great!
The Knockturnal:ย How was your time working on this project in New York?
Mustafa Elzein: This is my first time working in New York.ย Iโm gonna be moving out here next week. So Iโm from Maryland and I used to come out here all the time. Chinatown bus, mega bus visiting and itโs a lot different.ย The buildings felt like they were closing in on me before when I was younger. There was a lot more stress involved and I couldnโt have a car. But coming back out here now itโs crazy, Iโve got so much more of an appreciation for it. Not having to deal with like the hustle and bustle, but still having the hustle and bustle of it. ย And every block is something different. I get the seasons again now which is going to come back to bite me in the butt.
The Knockturnal: Any other projects you’d like to share?
Mustafa Elzein: Not right now, right now Iโm all into this one. ย Iโm pretty sure you already know this but we come out uh October 2nd, 9 PM, canโt wait to start filming it. We start filming in 2 weeks. ย Itโs going to be crazy and yeah, this is what Iโm working on right now!
Check out the trailer for “Almost Family” below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL-gvYvyWgA
