Omid Djalili: 'Racism Still Lingers at the Venue'
Comedian Omid Djalili continues to find stand-up as fulfilling as it was in the 1990s, when he first gained recognition with his Edinburgh Fringe show, Short, Fat Kebab Shop Owner’s Son. His current show, Namaste, which is on tour until early December, has been making a significant impact—something the 60-year-old Anglo-Iranian comic can see firsthand.
During a recent performance in the United States, the theatre staff initially overlooked him, only reluctantly allowing him to do a soundcheck for his show that evening. “They were almost racist in their attitude,” Omid recalls over Zoom. “The security people were ignoring me, and I was talking to people. ‘Can I get water?’ ‘No.’ ‘Can I do a sound check?’ ‘Okay, if you have to.’ It was really bad,” he reflects.
However, through his performance, the staff's perception changed. It’s not hard to see why: Omid speaks with generosity and passion about topics ranging from childhood dreams to career regrets during a 25-minute conversation, showcasing the same enthusiasm as someone who values every day and interaction like it’s their last.
By the end of the show, even those who had initially ignored him were eager for a selfie. “The guy doing the sound check wanted to take a selfie. The security guys wanted a selfie. I said, ‘Why do you want a selfie?’ They said, ‘We watched the show, we laughed and we learned,’” he remembers.
“I think that’s the most powerful thing you can have. It totally changed their attitude. They’d had all these preconceptions about me, but they laughed their heads off, and they learned a few things, and that’s all you want as a stand-up comedian.”
Comedy has the power to transform both on a personal level and on a larger scale. Omid highlighted this point when explaining his decision to perform at the Riyadh Comedy Festival, organized by Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority (GEA), in October. The event sparked controversy, with some suggesting it was an attempt by the Saudi government to 'artswash' its human rights issues.
“The transformative power of comedy is the reason why comedians are always attacked first,” Omid explains. He previously considered performing in Saudi Arabia a red line, but after receiving a tip-off that the government was moving toward progress, he decided to take the opportunity.
“To raise the human rights level of your population, you bring in stand-up comedy,” he says, noting that an invitation rather than the threat of imprisonment was actually a sign of progress. Despite the backlash, Omid does not regret his decision, seeing it as a step forward.
One moment that still gives him chills is when he turned down a major role in Game of Thrones because he didn’t understand the script. His rule is simple: if he doesn’t understand a script, it’s not happening. That’s what he told HBO producer Caroline Strausse. Omid!
Now, he can’t bring himself to find out what the role he turned down was. “I was so upset, I’m not even going to go back and look. I’ve not watched a single episode of Game of Thrones,” he chuckles. However, his biggest regret wasn’t turning down the role—it was missing the chance to work with Caroline, whom he admires.
Despite that, the decision opened up new opportunities. Omid, who has worn many hats over the years—including West End star, Gladiator actor, and Grand Theft Auto voice artist—is now starring in an animated film called In Your Dreams, which took three years to make.
To this day, Omid, who admits to suffering from imposter syndrome, doesn’t know why Netflix chose him to play the Sandman, a supernatural being with the power to make dreams come true. But he is incredibly grateful for the opportunity and has become a huge fan of the film.
“I was absolutely blown away by the movie itself. It’s so gob-smacking. I kind of lost track of it halfway through saying, Well, what am I even watching? This is so outlandish, so elaborate, so complex, but so amazing and funny,” he raves.
The comedy animation film, which follows two siblings navigating their parents’ fractured relationship and embarking on a dream adventure, resonates with Omid personally. “My dreams were very vivid when I was younger. I think you find that children who are quite traumatised have a vivid dream life,” he explains, recalling his chaotic upbringing in Kensington.
As the youngest of an immigrant family that made money by taking in sick Iranian lodgers seeking medical help in the UK, Omid slept on the living room sofa and longed to escape home from a young age. “I’d be willing to go to bed and then have this amazing dream life. So the fact that I’m playing the dream-maker [in the film] is very significant for me,” he says.
“In a sense, I was a dream-maker myself. From the age of five or six, I was hoping for dreams. I would fashion dreams. I would will dreams on.”
If young Omid, curled up on a sofa in the living room, could have made one of his big dreams come true, it would have been for his life to have meaning. “My yearning was that whatever my life would be, please guide me to be meaningful for myself and meaningful for others.”
In Your Dreams is available on Netflix from 14 November.
