Entertainment
Hulu's New Series 'Ramy' Features A Refreshingly Diverse Cast
Hulu’s new original series, Ramy, is bringing a unique New Jersey story to life. The dramedy explores the trials and tribulations of an Egyptian Muslim immigrant living in America, and how he tries to balance his identity, faith, and culture in the modern American world he lives in. The cast of Ramy features a diverse group of actors, including some you may have seen before. Here’s the low-down on all the faces you’ll see on Hulu’s latest venture.
Ramy — which hits Hulu on Apr. 19 — is loosely based on the real-life experiences of actor and comedian Ramy Youssef, who plays the titular role on the series. The show tells the story of the Hassan family — a Muslim family that immigrated to America from Egypt — and their son, Ramy, who ends up on a spiritual journey, trying to find his purpose, while navigating life in his politically divided New Jersey neighborhood.
In a trailer, you can see that Ramy offers a refreshing look at the life of a millenial Muslim living in America, and it explores the complex dilemma of being stuck between faith-based morality and the shiny new culture of living in the moment.
Now that you know what Ramy's all about, here’s a breakdown of the show’s amazing cast:
Ramy Youssef
Ramy Youssef is an actor and stand-up comedian that you may recognize from his recurring roles on See Dad Run and Mr. Robot. He has also been featured as a guest comic on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and was on Comedy Central’s Colossal Clusterfest in 2017.
Hiam Abbass
Hiam Abbass plays Ramy’s mom, Maysa Hassan, and if the actress looks familiar, it’s probably because she’s been on a number of popular TV shows in recent years. The Israeli-Arab actress currently plays Marcia Roy on HBO’s Succession and she was featured in Season 1 of Netflix’s original series, The OA.
Mo Amer
If you’re a fan of stand-up comedy, you’ve probably heard of Mo Amer. The comedian — who plays Ramy’s friend Mo on the new Hulu series — has his own Netflix comedy special titled Mo Amer: The Vagabond and he was also featured on HBO’s comedy series Crashing.
Steve Way
Comedian Steve Way plays Ramy’s best friend Steve on Ramy, and according to his website, he’s been performing stand up comedy for over eight years. Way was born with Muscular Dystrophy, and currently advocates for disability awareness, gives motivational speeches around the country, and co-created and starred in a web series titled Uplifting Dystrophy.
May Calamawy
May Calamawy plays Ramy’s younger sister, Dena on Ramy. The actress had a recurring role National Geographic’s The Long Road Home, and she’s been featured on shows like FBI, Madame Secretary and The Brave.
Amr Waked
Ramy’s father Farouk is played by Egyptian actor Amr Waked, who viewers may recognize from his recurring role as Yusuf on Netflix’s 2014 drama series, Marco Polo.
Poorna Jagannathan
Poorna Jagannathan plays Salma on Ramy, and if you watched HBO’s hit series, The Night Of, you may recognize her from her role as Nasir’s mother, Safar. The actress has been in a number popular shows, including Big Little Lies, Better Call Saul, The Blacklist, and more recently, The Act.
There's a lot of buzz and hype around Ramy, so keep an eye out, because I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot more of this cast in the future.
Ramy premieres on Friday, Apr. 19 on Hulu.
