Born in Palestine, Michael Desante is an actor, producer and writer best known for roles in the Oscar winning “The Hurt Locker” and the Golden Globe-nominated TV miniseries “Sleeper Cell”.

DFI: You were born in Palestine and were raised in Lebanon and the UK. Where is home?
Desante: I currently live in Los Angeles, but I frequently travel to Europe and the Middle East to visit family and friends. I feel like a part of me is composed from all three places. I came to Los Angeles to peruse my acting career 21 years ago and have been living here ever since.

DFI: Did you change your name from Hani Naimi in order to fight stereotypes of roles for Arabs?
Desante: My first agent felt that I was perfect for American soap operas at that time and told me that it was difficult for her to get me appointments with people in the industry because of my name. Back then “ethnic” names were not commonplace. I didn’t want to do it. My family did not like it, but I didn’t want to play the stereotypical Hollywood version of Arabs either.

I have been accused of trying to deny my heritage by people in the Arab world, most of whom have not been in the industry long enough to understand. There is a lack of acceptance based on my name in Arab countries and in the US everyone in Hollywood knows that I am Arabic.
Name changing has been in Hollywood for many decades now. Who would have thought that Cary Grant’s real name is Archibald Alec Leach.

DFI: Why did you decide to relocate to Hollywood instead of acting in the Middle East first?
Desante: I wanted to study acting first before I became a professional, so the best place for that is Hollywood. I feel that if you are serious actor you need to study all the time.

DFI: Your breakthrough roles were “Sleeper Cell” where you played an Arab American FBI agent fighting terrorism and “The Hurt Locker”. How would you describe these experiences?
Desante: I was very proud to play the first Arab American FBI agent on an American TV series. It was refreshing and personally rewarding to finally play a character that had never been portrayed before.

“The Hurt Locker” was a very tough shoot. We shot in Jordan in 45-degree heat in August. It was a very low budget. We had no trailers or anywhere to rest, just an old meat truck with an air conditioner that was converted into a green room. The director Kathryn Bigelow roughed it out with us.

DFI: You have refused some roles in Hollywood. Why is that?
Desante: I have turned down playing terrorist roles multiple times in my career. It is demeaning to my culture and heritage and it makes Arabs look like they are all fanatics. So what is the point?

DFI: How do you see the future of Arab cinema worldwide?
Desante: I think Arab cinema has made major headway around the world. From “Paradise Now” to “Where Do We Go Now?” and “Caramel”. They have all proven that Arab films can be both critically acclaimed and a success. Four years ago, I decided to make use of my twenty-year work experience in Hollywood and become a producer. This venture has given me the opportunity to research some ideas and statistically speaking, the populations in North America and the Arab speaking world are roughly the same, around 350 million. But here in the States there is one film screen for every 5,000 persons, while in the Arab world there is one screen for every 500,000 persons. However, the market in the Arab World has great potential because 60% are under the age of 30, which represents the demographic of filmgoers.

DFI: Can you reveal anything about your latest project?
Desante: I have just finished shooting a political thriller called “The Lazarus Protocol” in Vienna, Austria with Peter Fonda. It will be out this summer.