Playing the title character in a mega budget Disney blockbuster that raked in over a billion dollars at the box office would be a springboard to major success in most cases, but it hasn’t quite panned out that way for Aladdin‘s Mena Massoud. The actor admitted that he’d struggled to find work in the immediate aftermath of the live-action remake’s massive box office haul, revealing in late 2019 he hadn’t scored a single audition since the movie was released.
The 29 year-old had to get approval from Disney to sign on for Hulu’s crime series Reprisal, which ended up being canceled after one season anyway, and while an Aladdin sequel might be in development to at least ensure he’s got one major role on his upcoming schedule, since the first installment hit theaters almost two years ago, his only credits have been in thriller Strange but True, which was shot before Aladdin, and low budget drama Run This Town.
However, Massoud has now secured his first major lead outside of the Mouse House’s empire after boarding Netflix‘s The Royal Treatment, which sounds like it’ll be the latest in a long line of frothy romances that consistently draw in big numbers for the streaming service. The story follows an outspoken salon owner who gets hired to be the hairstylist for a royal wedding, only to find herself falling for Massoud’s groom, who admits that he’s tying the knot out of duty rather than love.
That sounds like the kind of rom-com nonsense that plays incredibly well with subscribers, and it’s heartening to hear that Massoud finally scored a big role in a Netflix original having been largely overlooked since Aladdin hit theaters.
