“He did it in a wildly entertaining fashion,” Mr. Gansa said, adding it wasn’t typical Hollywood obsequiousness, which was refreshing. Mr. Sabongui, 42, grew up in Montreal, the son of Egyptian parents who are Coptic Christian. Mr. Kassem, 38, was born in Beirut, and grew up in several countries in the Middle East. During the filming of a jail scene, at the Westchester County Correctional Facility in Valhalla, N.Y., Mr. Kassem was just as commanding. “That idea really resonated for us and we wanted to get it right,” Mr. Gansa said.

Source: New York Times March 12, 2017 14:26 UTC