Bringing a sporting icon to the screen is never simple, especially when that icon shaped your childhood. Sitting down with Amir El-Masry in the Red Sea Film Festival, it becomes instantly clear how deeply personal his portrayal of Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed was. The British-Egyptian actor approaches roles with meticulous intensity, but in Giant the challenge cut closer to the bone: he wasn’t just playing a boxer. He was stepping into the shoes of one of his heroes.
The Weight of Embodying a Hero
For El-Masry, the most daunting aspect of the role wasn’t the accent, the mannerisms, or even the grueling physical transformation—it was honoring a figure who meant so much to him growing up.
“You never want to imitate,” he explains. “It’s important to get into that person’s soul, his inner core. There’s a difference between doing an impersonation and actually embodying a character.”
Although he had long admired Naz’s flamboyance, what captivated him most was the complexity underneath the showmanship. “Nasim is all-encompassing,” he says. “His bravado in and out of the ring, the way he is with his family, his peers, his coach. They are all different things you have to incorporate into one being.”
Immersive Preparation and a Brutal Regimen
To reach that authenticity, El-Masry committed to an intense process: endless video study, movement work with choreographer Polly Bennett, and a physically punishing training schedule that pushed him to the edge.
“I lost weight and gained muscle in four and a half weeks. It was a proper military camp—12 hours a day, working out from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.”
Yet it wasn’t the exhaustion or soreness that surprised him most—it was the mental shift.
“There was a moment where it just clicked,” he recalls. “It happened maybe a week before filming. I’d been documenting my fitness progress every day, and suddenly I felt like, That’s it.”
The Scene That Sold Him
Amir El-Masry traces a pivotal moment in his journey to portray Prince Naseem to an early rehearsal with Pierce Brosnan. It wasn’t a fight scene or a grand entrance, but a quiet exchange far from the cameras and choreography.
“There’s a specific scene away from the cameras, away from the noise, away from the fighting where it’s just me and him,” he explains. “It’s so tender and emotional and raw. It’s the scene that actually made me want to do the film.”
Seeing Brosnan embody Brendan Ingle while he stepped into Naz created a shift—an internal confirmation that the character was taking shape. It marked the moment the role truly crystallized for him, setting the tone for everything that followed.
Pierce Brosnan: A Calm Center
El-Masry speaks about Brosnan with admiration—and a touch of awe. Despite his heavyweight résumé, Brosnan’s humility made a lasting impression.
“He’s one of the most caring actors I’ve ever met,” El-Masry says. “He commands the stage, but he leads with humility.”
He recalls a moment over lunch when Brosnan learned he’d be working with Helen Mirren and Ben Kingsley on The Thursday Murder Club. “He was so grateful—just, ‘Thank you, God.’ I told him, ‘They’re working with you, Pierce.’ But that’s who he is. He never takes a moment for granted.”
Reflecting Naz’s Spirit and His Humanity
Beyond the training and swagger, El-Masry connected deeply with Naseem’s mindset. Growing up in London with fierce ambition, he recognized the same youthful “delusion”—the belief that he could accomplish anything.
“I was completely delulu,” he laughs. “In my head I was like, ‘I’m the best. No one can tell me no.’ And to an extent, you need that. But you also need realism and humility. You’re going to get a thousand no’s. But it’s about waking up the next day and asking, How can I be better?”
That balance—between ego and vulnerability—is what he hopes audiences take away.
“When you portray a hero, you have to show them with their warts and all—the positives and the negatives,” he says. “There’s a tenderness in him that never got shown properly. I hope we captured that.”
The Moment of Truth
Perhaps the most nerve-wracking part of the entire journey came not during training or filming, but during its screening at the Red Sea Film Festival—with Naseem Hamed sitting right beside him.
“I was so nervous watching him looking at my portrayal of him,” El-Masry admits. “But I think he really appreciated the rawness, the balance—beyond the swagger.”
It was a full-circle moment: the childhood fan finally facing the man he had worked so hard to honor.
Conclusion: More Than a Boxing Story
Amir El-Masry’s portrayal of Prince Nas isn’t just about footwork, speed, or the iconic ring entrances. It’s about capturing a layered human being—a son, a fighter, a showman, and a man who lived with both confidence and vulnerability.
In bringing Naz’s story to life, El-Masry didn’t just build muscle; he built empathy. And for audiences, that’s the knockout punch.
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