Photographed by Jack Waterlot for Vogue Arabia, May 2018.
Salma Abu Deif celebrates her birthday on February 2, and the rising Egyptian star has plenty to celebrate. Abu Deif’s role in Ramadan’s Halawat Al Dunia introduced her to the public and she was soon receiving more offers. In addition to her acting gigs, the Egyptian star has featured in plenty of local editorials and campaigns, including for Chaumet. To mark her 28th birthday, we round up five interesting facts you probably didn’t know about the Egyptian actor and model.
#1. She was a model before pursuing acting
Before Abu Deif landed her breakout role in Sheikh Jackson, the newly-minted 28-year-old was a model. In a previous conversation with Vogue.me, the actress reveals that she was modeling for three years before Amr Salama approached her to audition for his 2017 film.
#2. She was turned down from several modeling agencies because of her height
In 2016, the actress penned an open letter on Facebook addressed to Vogue, where she revealed that she was turned down from top US modeling agencies for not being tall enough. She went on to state that her biggest dream was to be on the cover of Vogue magazine, and traveled to New York to visit top agencies to realize this dream. However, the 162cm model was turned down from 22 agencies because of her height. Despite this, Abu Deif would go on to land her first Vogue cover with Vogue Arabia’s May 2018 issue alongside Saba Mubarak, Haya Abdulsalam, Shereen Reda, and Amel Bouchoucha. Dreams do come true.
#3. Her dream role is…
She’s played a love interest (Sheikh Jackson) and a rebellious teenager (Halawet El Donia), but what role would the rising star love to play next? “Many come to mind, but I would love to do a girl with psychological issues, a detective, warrior, or a rockstar,” she said speaking to Vogue.me.
#4. Abu Deif’s favorite food is anything spicy.
When asked to reveal something no one knows about her, the young actor reveals that she loves spicy food, and name checks molokhia as her favorite food.
#5. She studied Mass Communication in University
Before pursuing modeling as a career, Abu Deif studied Mass Communication in university with the hopes of becoming a television presenter after graduating.
