Art & Culture

Yasmina El-Abd Gets Candid About Fame, Family, and Figuring it Out

BYYassine Hariss

October 28, 2025

By the time the 2025 El Gouna Film Festival reached its final stretch, the frenzy was in full swing. Yet amid the whirlwind, 19-year-old Egyptian actress Yasmina El-Abd seemed remarkably calm. One of the region’s brightest new talents, she had one last red carpet to walk before the curtain closed, and somehow still found time to let us in.

Between outfit changes and glam touch-ups, El-Abd opened up about growing up on set, navigating fame at an age when most are still figuring themselves out, and the quiet strength it takes to stay grounded in an industry built on illusion. What followed was a refreshingly honest conversation with one of the region’s most promising new stars.

Below, a transcript of our chat.

MILLE: You’re so young and already strutting down the same carpets as recognized legends in the industry. Does it ever feel a little surreal sharing them with names you grew up watching?

Yasmina El-Abd: It’s definitely a full circle moment. It’s very weird. I don’t think it’s something that you can really get used to. You don’t want to think about it too much as well. But it’s a privilege and it’s an honor, and I think it’s nice to see that your hard work is paying off. But definitely it’s surreal. It’s a little bit dystopian in my opinion.

Do you get used to these moments or do they still feel surreal?

YE: You get used to meeting people and always trying to be very social. I met Menna Shalaby, for example, on the opening night and she was getting her Life Achievement Award and she didn’t need to be nice to anyone that day, but she was extremely, extremely kind.

Menna and I had never met before— it was my first time meeting her— and she’s a huge idol of mine and she was so sweet. She saw me sitting next to Jahannah Shamashergy, who she was coming over to say hi to, and when she noticed me, she just went, “I love you so much.”

And then I just fell to the floor. I completely lost it. I don’t remember what I did, I don’t want to remember what I did. But she was so sweet. Even later, when we were waiting for the cars, we had a short chat, and she was just… she has a heart of gold.

You wouldn’t expect someone as insanely talented and iconic as her, especially on a night like that— when she had every right to be focused on herself— to take the time to make others feel seen. It was a big kick of adrenaline that I needed. I really appreciated it.

Do you remember your first-ever audition?

YE: I don’t know if I really remember my first one… I mean, I remember going to a casting office, and they were just like, “Be happy, be sad, be angry— be whatever.” So I did that. I think the first actual thing I ever worked on was a commercial for Talabat, the food-ordering app in Dubai. I must’ve been like 11 or 12. That was my first-ever gig. I think I still have it somewhere.

Pictures courtesy of Dany Victor / The Real You Is Offline

And what would you tell that 12-year-old version of Yasmina?

YE: I think about this a lot, and honestly, I don’t know what I’d say. It was all so unclear to me back then. I didn’t really have any idea what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to be an actor— kind of— but it still felt hazy. I didn’t even know if it would be possible, because I’d been dreaming about it since living in Geneva, where there isn’t really a film industry… yet. I hope to maybe do something about that when I’m older.

It all felt so far away. I remember seeing girls at school doing commercials, and I asked them how they got into it. They told me, “You just take a headshot, upload it to the website, and if they like you, they call you in for an audition— and if you get it, you get it.”

So I don’t really know what I’d tell that version of myself, because there’s so much I’d want to say. Maybe just: “You did what you wanted to do. You’re not where you want to be yet, but you’re on your way.”

And did you ever imagine or picture yourself making it this big?

YE: Not at all. And honestly, I don’t want to picture anything because I feel like that ruins the magic of it all. Cinema, and entertainment in general, was deconstructed for me at such a young age as I used to watch behind-the-scenes videos of all my favorite Disney Channel shows and movies. Whatever I thought was “movie magic” was completely destroyed, but in the best way possible as I learned what it actually was, what it meant early on. That there’s a director, a producer, a writer, a green screen — and that not everything happens the way you think it does. So yeah, I just try to take it step by step, day by day. I like to be surprised by opportunities. I don’t want to expect anything.

And in the beginning? I had no idea what I was doing. Neither did my parents or my family— none of us did. The first thing I ever did actually turned out to be a scam. It was supposed to be this “Hollywood workshop” that came to Dubai. They rented out a whole hotel floor, had all these kids come in to audition and “meet” industry people. They even said there’d be famous actors and directors involved— it sounded legit. But yeah, it turned out to be super sketchy.

After that, my mom was like, “Okay, we’ll take this seriously, but we’ll do it right.” She told me, “We’ll study it, we’ll focus, and I’ll support you— we just have to take it step by step and be smart about it.” And that’s really where everything started. I enrolled in a performing arts school, and from there it was just this chain reaction, one thing leading to another.

Now, looking back, everything happened so gradually. And honestly, that’s what I’m most grateful for. I’ve been really careful to take steady steps. I think that’s so important. And I’m lucky to have a mom who’s right there with me— thinking, strategizing— and a family and team who all care about doing things the right way.

Does it ever sink in that you are living the dream that most kids probably only get to dream of?

YE: It really doesn’t. I’m very grateful, and I’m extremely taken aback as well. It’s not something that I sit down and think about too much, because it’s weird if I do, and I think my body rejects it and my mind rejects it. So I just try to enjoy the moments. The more you work in this industry, the stronger the imposter syndrome gets, which is great because it completely rejects ego, but it also makes you have to work a little bit more on your self-confidence. So that’s something that I’m figuring out and working on. If, you know, someone gives me a compliment, it’s usually there that I struggle a little bit but I think it has its benefits, so I’m okay with it for now.

Pictures courtesy of Dany Victor / The Real You Is Offline

How does it feel working so closely with your family, especially with your mother, who supports you along the way through every single step?

YE: It’s amazing. It’s a big blessing. I know that it’s not something that everyone has, so I’m very grateful that I have that and that I have a support system, not only in the big things, but in the small moments, in small, little details that people might not really even see or hear. But for me, it takes off a lot of pressure to feel like you have someone that always has your best interest at heart. And I hope she doesn’t leave anytime soon. She’s exhausted. She’s tired. She can’t stand me anymore, especially after these few days. But we’ll see next year, if she comes, then we’re fine if she doesn’t, then you know that something’s up.

Who’s the first person they usually call after a big win?

YE: My brother. My siblings and my dad, my family, and then my best friends.

What’s your relationship with your siblings?

YE: I have a very good relationship with my siblings. I have two siblings. I’m the youngest. My brother, his name is Yassine, and he’s 23 turning 24 year old, and my sister, Vidana, she’s the eldest, she’s turning 30 this year. They’re both killing it. And we work in completely different industries. My sister works in tech. My brother works in commodities. We’re in completely different realms, but we’re all creative in different ways.

So I really went down the creative route, but they also are very talented creatively. My brother loves music. He used to have a really great voice when he was younger, and used to play the piano. My sister actually wanted to be a director and an editor when she was younger, when she was my age, but never went that route.

I have a very close relationship with them. They put me in my place, which is good, so that also helps. They make fun of me a lot, so I make fun of them back and I’ve learned so much from them. It’s nice to be the youngest, because you learn from them, and then there’s so many things that you can just sort of avoid. It’s like a cheat-code for life.

Pictures courtesy of Dany Victor / The Real You Is Offline

How do you celebrate the small wins, the ones that maybe no one else sees but you?

YE: I do nothing but eat the food that I love, listen to nice music, just sort of enjoy the moment on my own. I reflect also, and I try to not think about it too much. Just move on to the next step and be very grateful and pray and just really work on myself, my character, and just sort of tone things down whenever I can.

How do you find building relationships now that you’re a public figure can it be in your dating life or making friends? How do you deal with those kinds of things?

YE: I’m not the biggest social butterfly, but I think you have to work on that in this industry. You have to put yourself in uncomfortable positions and put yourself in rooms and in situations that are a bit outside of your comfort zone. I think that’s what makes the biggest difference, and I am very grateful to have people around me that I trust that are ice-breakers in these types of situations, which is good practice for whenever I have to be on my own.

I think just putting yourself out there is very scary, it’s daunting, especially when it’s done in the public eye and in front of people that you love, people you may want to impress, creatives that you admire so much, and idols of yours; but you just have to push yourself. After you do it, you feel very satisfied. So it’s sort of like a cycle,

What’s the thing fame hasn’t changed about you?

YE: The word fame is very scary for me. I don’t think I’ve gotten to any point where I can really use that word in this way. But nothing has really changed. I think I just have a different outlook on life. I think I’m just a bit smarter street-wise. There’s a lot more that I learned from very young, maybe younger than I should have, which I’m very grateful for. Just being in a professional environment, I think, is not as scary as it can be for someone my age that maybe hasn’t had any work experience yet. So I’m happy to have that under my belt. I’m able to figure things out if I need to.

Pictures courtesy of Dany Victor / The Real You Is Offline

Do you sometimes wish that life was a bit more normal?

YE: Of course. But because you love it so much, it’s not something that really sticks with you. I’m sure that there have been times, and there will be times where I’m like, okay, something is a little bit more challenging today than it was yesterday, but because you love it, you sort of put that aside and just focus on what your goal is. And for now, things have been nice. People are nice, and I hope I continue to do a good job. And rabena ma3i.

How does Yasmina take a break? Because life on the road, life on sets, life shooting, must be very overwhelming.

YE: It is overwhelming, and it is over-stimulating. I think having great friends and family that bring you back to life is very important in the most indirect way. It doesn’t have to be an intervention sort of thing. I don’t think I’ve gotten to that point, or anyone should get to that point, but it’s important for, you know, my brother to make fun of me, for my sister to make fun of my outfit, whatever, like, there needs to be that sort of banter and this sort of energy to be able to continue and just remember who you are.

Because also when you’re playing so many different characters, especially at a young age, when you’re being different people, you have time to really understand yourself, or get to know yourself, because you’re constantly having to understand different people’s characters and becoming them. You barely have the time, and you don’t have the opportunity to do so. So it’s important to have a good support system. It’s really the key to all of this. I think it’s the secret sauce to being successful, or to make it in whichever industry.

And what can we wish you?

YE: Peace of mind, success and hopefully a good rest of the night.

Yasmina El-Abd Gets Candid About Fame, Family, and Figuring it Out

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Yasmina El-Abd Gets Candid About Fame, Family, and Figuring it Out

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