There’s many things that draw you to pay attention to Said Faraj. His rags-to-riches success story could his rise to the it-factor. Or it could be his charming good looks and witty personality that could launch him into the A-List category. Or maybe it could be his long resume full of action-packed roles in popular shows like ER, Bones, The Unit, and ’24’, and movies like ‘Ghost’, ‘The Siege’, and his latest film, ‘Green Zone’ starring himself and Matt Damon, that could shoot him straight into stardom.
I had a chance to meet with the star of ‘Green Zone’ and was totally blown away; His story was truly one for the movies. Said, an immigrant from the Middle East, who left his country in time of war, and ended up in Los Angeles. Said went from sleeping on a bench, eating burgers from a cart every day to landing his first speaking role in the movie ‘W.B…Blue and the Bean’, starring David Hasselhoff. A year later he was cast in the 1990 Blockbuster ‘Ghost’ with some of the biggest actors in the industry Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, and the late Patrick Swayze. Jump 20 years later, he is still on top. With a resume rivaling any veteran in the movie industry, has some amazing projects in the works for the future that will sure be a blessing to him and his family.
[pagebreak]
His role in ‘Green Zone’ was one of great importance. Said plays ‘Seyyed Hamza’, a Iraqi involved in the cruel political in battles between the American’s and Saddam Husein’s top men in the Iraqi army. Seyyed holds crucial information about Saddam’s WMD program, that he is willing to give up in exchange for his and his family’s protection. Said’s sincerity and dedication put towards the role came from his many acting roles and from his own personal family experiences. The actor’s youngest son Abraham was struck with neuroblastoma, an aggressive, stage four cancer, which you can read more about here. His endurance and commitment that he puts on the table in every role will get him very far.
