So thank you I'm really excited to do this when we were when we were talking about

it there was gonna be that we were going to sit together and someone else was going
to interview us and I was like well no it's like I want to interview them yes you
know so we spent when I heard that we were going to be redoing Aladdin there was
like that combination of oh my god that's fantastic and then start Terror server so
what was your

Like your first reaction when you found out you were going to play one of the most
iconic characters in the history of cinema honestly I was excited i I think maybe I
got to the fear maybe a little bit later but because the thought of humanizing an
animated character there would that cyclonic is great because you're going off an
animation which means that there are definitely certain things that are the
foundation of a character but you can humanize that that

Person you know which is so exciting because then I could make her into a woman
that was so many different things so that was exciting for me and because I like
she's obviously one of my favorite Disney Princesses Kirill's I'm not just saying
that and so I was I was even for me it was just exciting um in the fear came about
I didn't have time to think about it I don't know if I ever told you this but I
found out I got it on a Wednesday and had to fly out on a

Friday for six months so I had to I had a Dana because of your schedule actually
you know what I think it may have been a better idea to let someone because I have
time to dwell on it yeah it was just like all right here it is yes go like you do
not have time to stop and overthink this so it was good I think it was a blessing
in disguise who in your family or friends like that when you told them who who was
the person that was most excited about it I

Woke up my parents at 3:00 a.m. because I was I had wrapped on another film that I
was finishing up I came home my dad I've never seen him more excited like jumped
out of bed gave me a hug and I think my mom they I think everyone may have told a
few people that what was going on at the time but my favorite reactions one was my
friends Adrian who just was literally as win girl by a good 15 minutes before he
rang me back and one of my other good really good friend

Shelley she just burst out crying and my brother as you know well the only reason
he cared that I was in the movie is because of you he doesn't really you know that
bothered about what I do apart from the fact that I am in a movie with Will Smith
because he is the biggest Will Smith fan well what about you cuz you know you've
done this for so long was this even a surprise no you know it was you know for me
the the major thing was how huge and perfect a character

Robin Williams had already played in the movie right and I've been I've been in
these situations before where things have come up where you have roles where people
have nostalgic emotional connection to you know and it's I love Robin Williams I
love what he did with the the the Jeannie and the question I always ask myself with
those those kinds of roles is can you is is there any meat left on the bone right
can you do a

Service to the love and nostalgia that is connected to it while at the same time
bringing something new to the next generation I felt it a little bit with with
Mohammad Ali when I when I played a lead I was absolutely terrifying and then I've
never felt it and in a strange way even more so with the genie yeah right he's more
it's like it's the the character becomes ingrained in people's hearts and minds in
a way that it's like a family member

Yeah you know so I was terrified in in that sense and I watched a movie about 10
times and I did feel that because it was live-action and because there was such a
distinct character that I have played historically I thought it would fit nicely in
the in the the modernizing of the genie where I could pay pay homage to to Robin
and honor and be wildly respectful to his depiction while at the same time bringing
bringing something new and he's human as well in

This mood like there's you flip between where you get you add these a human going
from animation yeah I think I think if it hadn't been animation before I wouldn't
have taken it because it was animation and we could humanize though that was the
the meat on the ball yeah absolutely there was a see and I hope I remember what
Mina's line was what was his actual was the line supposed to be yeah we need to get
this right he was talking to

Jafar he's not he's not he's not my Sultan he's not he says here and I believe
that the actual quote it was my Sultan he Nam Huynh whom scene he moves I'm sorry
can you say that one more time he couldn't he couldn't get the words out my Sultan
he Nam whom he's seen him is I'm not and it's like once that happens in a scene
it's done it's like there's this crazy thing that happens with actors where once
you because a lot of times we're looking in each other's

Eyes and we have to say something you're waiting for it and it's to me that is as
an actor there is nothing more difficult than playing a serious scene while once
you've started to giggles what would you say is like one of your most memorable
experiences I mean there were huge gigantic sets huge songs and you know wonderful
days and it was like this movie is one of those films that you it literally has
everything you'd ever want to do in a movie action drama special

Effects special effects singing dancing so uh in what would you say is one of your
greatest experiences I would say personally shooting speechless speech it was a
very emotional day also what was really cool about that is it was a one shot yeah
and there was a handheld camera and it was kind of following me 360 and I think I
just felt like and as you said about getting through something difficult I just had
to kind of give myself space getting to the zone because

I was singing the first half live as well as well because I was kind of being
moved around you're trying to control your voice and then going into the song yeah
and I just had to give everything I mean I think i had veins popping but the end
result felt you know it felt like after that down that was that's your signature on
the new version it's really it's a really important song I think to the characters
is that point that she kind of comes into her own and

She says I'm not going to go speechless and she's constantly been shut down I
think a lot of people can relate to that absolutely in this day and age