The Moon Knight actress brings a unique perspective to the MCU.

As Phase Four looks to expand Marvel’s inclusion of diverse perspectives, Moon Knight is proving to be a fresh take on the world of Egyptian mythology that has permeated legendary Hollywood franchises like Indiana Jones or The Mummy for decades. The series has worked to incorporate authentic voices intimately familiar with the culture both in front of and behind the camera, including an emerging Egyptian-Palestinian actress who’s managed to shine amid the likes of Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke.

May Calamawy plays Layla El-Faouly, an adventurous Egyptian archeologist and estranged wife of Isaac’s Marc Spector, whose knowledge of history and nerves under pressure prove a vital resource for the troubled lead. Layla’s mix of empathy and grit has already endeared her to fans of the show, and many are excited to see where the character’s arc, who has only a limited connection to the original comic (if any), will take her next.

Related:'Moon Knight's First Episode Revealed Two Supporting Characters From the Comics

Calamawy's Moon Knight role represents an entrance to the global stage on a whole new level for the actress, who some audiences may recognize from her brilliant turn as Dena, a graduate student and the titular character’s sister in Hulu’s critically acclaimed comedy series Ramy. Others may have seen her in National Geographic’s miniseries on the Iraq War, The Long Road Home, the surrogacy comedy-drama film Together, Together, or even one of her early breakout roles, the 2013 Emirati supernatural horror film Djinn. She has also had a number of guest appearances in prominent American drama series, including FBI, The Brave, and Madame Secretary, and provided the voice of Ellie Malik in NBA 2k21 alongside Djimon Hounsou and Michael Kenneth Williams.

Yet despite this already impressively diverse catalog of performances, the Bahraini-born actress’ story of how she nabbed the role of Layla in Moon Knight still reads almost like a modern-day version of a Hollywood fairy tale. Calamawy relayed in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly that Instagram played a surprisingly major part in the process, with producer and director Mohamed Diab’s wife and consulting producer Sarah Goher shooting her a DM that was essentially an invitation to audition.

Once Calamawy’s manager verified the message was, indeed, what amounted to a legitimate social media ping from Marvel, the actress nailed her auditions and received the extremely exciting news that she’d be officially joining the MCU.

Though Calamawy, like many others, had to brush up on her knowledge of the lesser-known comic book franchise that serves as the source material for Moon Knight, she was excited about a role that would allow her to bridge her Middle Eastern heritage and career experience with her burgeoning profile in the United States. The bilingual Egyptian-Palestinian actress was born in Bahrain and raised between Houston, TX, and the Middle East, before moving more permanently to Boston to work towards a degree in industrial design.

Fortunately for audiences, she quickly switched to pursuing acting at Emerson College, a dream she had harbored since she first watched Meryl Streep in the fantastically kitschy Death Becomes Her as a child. After finishing her studies, she moved to Dubai for five years, where she continued to act before ultimately relocating back stateside to further her career.

The transition was not necessarily an easy one, with Calamawy describing in an interview with Harper’s Bazaar Arabia that she had to rebel both against her family’s expectations for her chosen career path and the industry’s attempts to force her into a very limited box of roles that encompassed the traditional view of an “Arab woman.” Fortunately, her role in Ramy presented the gratifying opportunity to portray the female Arabic experience more authentically, and Calamawy has now made it her mission to seek out roles that allow for an expression of her culture that feels both real and grounded.

Collaborating with Diab on Moon Knight has proven to be such a project. Egyptian director-producer Diab confirmed in an interview with IGN that he believes it is crucial that the series respect and authentically represent the Egyptian cultural aspects of the story while dismantling certain “Orientalist” stereotypes that Hollywood has historically relied on of “submissive women” and bad men. As part of this effort, Diab advocated for Layla’s character to be played by Calamawy, and for the show to incorporate her Egyptian heritage into the character’s backstory.

Calamawy has praised the experience of working with the thoughtful and detail-oriented Diab on bringing the nuance of the country’s culture to life for global audiences. In a recent interview with Collider, she cited “the backdrop of Egypt” as one of the aspects of the show she was most excited to share with audiences, and also commended production designer Stefania Cella’s artistry and hard work in collaborating with Diab to accurately transport audiences to that part of the world.

Though Moon Knight is still very much unfolding, Calamawy is also currently working on wrapping up the third season of Ramy for Hulu. For those unfamiliar with the show, Ramy follows the journey of a first-generation Egyptian-American and his family residing in New Jersey, with Calamawy’s character capturing the unique millennial woman’s perspective on this experience. Though it was a roughly two-year gap in between filming, the show is returning with a strong statement in this new season as the “family is forced to confront having lived a life dedicated to worldly concerns - and in some cases, lies - while Ramy all but abandons his spiritual journey, instead dedicating himself to him and his uncle’s diamond business.”

Apart from this recurring role, Calamawy’s future projects are still to be determined. However, with the Marvel platform and some serious action, comedy, horror, and drama chops already in her filmography, there’s a good chance we’ll be seeing much more of her both within and beyond the MCU.

Erin Brookins is a TV & Movies Features contributor for Collider. She's a fan of inventive, brave, and efficient storytelling in all its forms, especially when it involves either supernatural or sci-fi shenanigans. Both Babe and Mad Max: Fury Road are on her top 10 films list, so there's something in there about George Miller, too. Outside of movies, Erin loves hiking, rock climbing, traveling, and working on her screenplay about a cursed flannel.

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