Mena Massoud, beloved as Disney's "Aladdin," takes on a profoundly different role as the prophet Daniel in the new biblical epic "Daniel and the Fiery Furnace."




Mena Massoud first caught the attention of moviegoers with his role in Disney’s live-action "Aladdin," playing the charming, ever-optimistic street thief who falls in love with a princess and takes her on a magic carpet ride over the city.

That 2019 movie grossed $695 million worldwide, finished No. 8 at the U.S. box office and made Massoud a recognizable face to millions.

Massoud is back on the big screen this weekend in another film set in a different era, but this time in a biblical epic about Daniel, a prophet known for his courage and unwavering faith in the face of pressure.

"Daniel and the Fiery Furnace" (PG-13) tells the story of Daniel and his friends Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as they are taken into captivity in Babylon and ordered to compromise their faith, forcing them to choose between obedience to God and allegiance to the king.

Massoud, who grew up in Egypt and is a Coptic Christian, said it’s a role he quickly embraced.

The brother filmmaking team of Daniel Kooman and Matthew Kooman wrote and directed it. Singer Michael W. Smith is an executive producer. Elijah Alexander ("The Chosen") portrays King Nebuchadnezzar.

“I've been looking forward to bringing a biblical story to life for a long time,” Massoud told Crosswalk Headlines. “I grew up doing church plays and Stations of the Cross in elementary school. The church [was] a big part of my life as a Coptic Christian, [but] I never really thought, honestly, that we'd get to a point where biblical stories were being told on this level, on this scale, and so to see it being done now is incredible.”

Bible stories are enjoying a resurgence not seen in the entertainment industry in decades. "The Chosen" has become a global phenomenon, while "House of David" has brought another Old Testament story to a wide audience. "Daniel and the Fiery Furnace" continues that trend.

“I feel very blessed and grateful that we're having this moment of portraying these incredible biblical stories the way that we are,” Massoud said. “That was the number one thing that drew me to it. I'd been circling a few different biblical projects before this one, and this one is the one that God kind of put in my path, and we end up making. So I feel very blessed to have been a part of it.”

The film includes several inspirational themes, Massoud said, including “staying steadfast in your faith” and “deciding what you're going to hold to the highest reverence and highest regard.”

“I think nowadays that's a question that I think a lot of young people, especially, face every day with social media and the world being so connected. I think you have to ask yourself: Why and who do you hold to the highest regard? There's so much hype now with looking up to athletes and celebrities and political figures and all these different kinds of people — and you have to ask, ‘Well, who is the most important person that I should be holding at the highest regard?’”

Massoud’s own story has parallels to that of Daniel. His family moved from Egypt to Canada when he was young, settling in a different culture but finding a large Coptic Christian community in Ottawa that helped them maintain their faith, customs and traditions.

“They spoke Arabic to us at home,” Massoud told Crosswalk Headlines. “My mom cooked Egyptian food every night, and so staying true to where I come from and what I believe in was really helped and guided by my parents. It's something that created an incredible foundation for myself. My friends who I grew up with in the Coptic Church still remain as some of my best friends. And so this idea of Daniel and his family being stripped away from Judah and going to Babylon and being tested, their faith being tested, is something that I think any immigrant can relate to. But I certainly did.”

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