Egyptian-Palestinian actress May Calamawy needs no introduction. She has been acting since 2006, with roles in everything from Tobe Hooper’s Djinn to Madam Secretary. But she probably came firmly on to the radar of television watching audiences for her role as the acerbic Dena Hassan on Ramy Youssef's award-winning series Ramy.
Since then, she has entered a rarefied stratosphere of global entertainment, becoming the first Arab superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, playing Layla El-Faouly, aka Scarlet Scarab, in Moon Knight on Disney+ opposite seasoned actors Ethan Hawke and Oscar Issac. Her latest role is in a smaller film, The Actor, based on the novel Memory by Donald E Westlake about a man with amnesia. The film is distributed by Neon, the company behind this year’s Oscar dominating Anora.
We caught up with her and asked her to answer Luxury magazine’s One Last Thing questionnaire.
What is your favourite time of day and why?
It’s the beat before sunset when the sun is still shining but everything feels more still like the sun’s excitement is chilling out and it’s just being.
What is your favourite restaurant anywhere in the world?
Naguib Mahfouz in Khan El Khalili, Cairo.
When was the first time you realised your parents were human?
When I was 22 and my mum got sick.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Content.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I can read minds.
Your favourite book?
I honestly don’t know, and not because I read too much but because I don’t read enough. I feel like I need to learn how to sit down and indulge in books again.
What type of music can’t you stand?
Currently, metal.
What puts you in a bad mood?
The state of the world.
What can you not live without?
Myself.
Dream dinner guests?
My mom.
Sitting on the sofa or out with friends?
Sofa with friends.
What smell takes you straight back to childhood?
Cinnamon.
What food takes you back to childhood?
Weetabix, labneh and olive wraps and those ice creams with the gumball at the bottom.
Which city do you love but would hate to live in?
I'm keeping that one to myself.
Can you play a musical instrument?
Every once in a while I can play the piano.
Have you ever been on a motorcycle?
Yes, but can’t remember when. Seems like a vague memory when I was a child. Dodgy.
Any words to live by?
“Give a girl the right shoes and she can conquer the world.” – Marilyn Monroe
Biggest pet peeve?
When things aren’t returned to their place.
Do you believe in aliens?
Yezzir.
What is your favourite Arabic word?
Miskeena [editor's note: literally translates as 'needy' but is normally used to imply a mix of empathy and pity for someone.]
The most niche thing you watch on YouTube?
Obscure animals such as rain frogs or duprasi gerbils.
How do you take your tea?
White with a cheeky spoon of sugar.
What makes you cry?
Videos of abused animals learning to trust again.
What do social algorithms think you’re interested in?
Kittens, dogs and pixie haircuts.
TikTok or Instagram?
Instagram, only because I haven’t let myself download TikTok yet, but it would probably be TikTok if I did.
What is it about you that would surprise people?
I’ve been learning to horse ride for the last couple of years and love it!
What was the last thing you did for the first time?
Visit Cambodia.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
Transgender report
WHAT IS GRAPHENE?
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were experimenting with sticky tape and graphite, the material used as lead in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But when they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics.
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- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
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- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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The national orchestra
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Specs
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Tomorrow 2021
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• The National announces Future of News journalism competition
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Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
The Settlers
Director: Louis Theroux
Starring: Daniella Weiss, Ari Abramowitz
Rating: 5/5
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PROFILE OF SWVL
Started: April 2017
Founders: Mostafa Kandil, Ahmed Sabbah and Mahmoud Nouh
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport
Size: 450 employees
Investment: approximately $80 million
Investors include: Dubai’s Beco Capital, US’s Endeavor Catalyst, China’s MSA, Egypt’s Sawari Ventures, Sweden’s Vostok New Ventures, Property Finder CEO Michael Lahyani
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Damien McElroy: A CEO tasked with spreading Iran's influence
Hussein Ibish: Trump's order on solid constitutional ground
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Tomorrow 2021
Towering concerns
Safety 'top priority' for rival hyperloop company
The chief operating officer of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Andres de Leon, said his company's hyperloop technology is “ready” and safe.
He said the company prioritised safety throughout its development and, last year, Munich Re, one of the world's largest reinsurance companies, announced it was ready to insure their technology.
“Our levitation, propulsion, and vacuum technology have all been developed [...] over several decades and have been deployed and tested at full scale,” he said in a statement to The National.
“Only once the system has been certified and approved will it move people,” he said.
HyperloopTT has begun designing and engineering processes for its Abu Dhabi projects and hopes to break ground soon.
With no delivery date yet announced, Mr de Leon said timelines had to be considered carefully, as government approval, permits, and regulations could create necessary delays.
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
Plastic tipping points
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
