The newest film from Three Thousand Years of Longing, was recently released in theaters, telling a mystifying tale throughout history and the encounter between a wish-granting Djinn and a lonely scholar.
While Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba portray the lead characters and are unquestionably huge stars to American audiences, the film also features numerous international and young actors who some American audience may be less familiar with. Still, viewers will be surprised to realize several of the actors in the film are more familiar than they've thought and that these performers have popped in some very notable productions.
Aamito Lagum - Africa's Next Top Model (2013-2014)
Portraying Queen of Sheba, Aamito Lagum is a Ugandan actress and fashion model, with the second profession most likely what she is known for to audiences. She participated in the first and only season of Africa's Next Top Model, representing her home country of Uganda.
She eventually won the competition, earning herself multiple modeling contracts and endorsements, as well as a $50,000 cash prize. Since then, Lagum has appeared in numerous magazines, including the American edition of Harper's Bazaar.
Nicolas Mouawad - His Only Son (2020)
Nicolas Mouawad is a Lebanese actor with a wide array of film and television roles under his belt, though he is likely best known for his portrayal of Abraham in the film His Only Son.
Telling the trials faced by Abraham when tasked with sacrificing his only son by God, His Only Son is one of the more recent entries into the Biblical epic genre that showcases the stories of the Bible through film. The film was notable for being Mouawad's first U.S. production.
Alyla Browne - Nine Perfect Strangers (2021)
Tasked with playing the young incarnation of Tilda Swinton's main character Alithea, Alyla Browne has already found herself a part of several major productions and worked with several notable stars despite her young age. Standing out among her work especially was her turn on the Hulu miniseries Nine Perfect Strangers.
The role saw her work alongside Moulin Rouge! star Nicole Kidman as Kidman's incredibly smart character, Masha's, deceased daughter Tatiana in seven of the miniseries' eight episodes.
David Collins - The Upside Down Show (2006)
Best known for his work as one-half of the comedy duo The Umbilical Brothers alongside Shane Dundas, David Collins is a comedian and writer who portrayed Ozmet the Jocular in Three Thousand Years of Longing.
The Umbilical Brothers brought their whacky form of slapstick comedy to television for a children's audience with The Upside Down Show on Nickelodeon's Noggin channel, which saw David and Shane (and the viewer, thanks to an imaginary remote control) get into all sorts of goofy adventures involving their strange apartment and its stranger inhabitants. Despite the series only running for one season, the duo still hopes to finish it properly with a finale movie.
Kaan Guldur - Aquaman (2018)
Idris Elba isn't the only member of the DC extended Universe to star in Three Thousand Years of Longing, as he is ed in the cast by the young actor Kaan Guldur. Guldur appeared in the film the extremely memorable titular character in his first solo feature film.
Much like Elba, Guldur interestingly has also secured a spot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, having appeared in the recent blockbuster Thor: Love & Thunder as Wolfboy. Guldur s several other young stars in Three Thousand Years of Longing, portraying the character Young Murad IV.
Tilda Swinton - The French Dispatch (2021)
Portraying one of the lead characters of Three Thousand Years of Longing is Tilda Swinton. Swinton portrays Alithea, a lonely woman who accidentally opens a bottle containing a wish-granting Djinn. Skeptical of wishes and the trickery associated with genies, Alithea refuses to make any wishes until the Djinn tells her several tales from his past.
Like Elba, Swinton is also no stranger to blockbusters, and too holds a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as The Ancient One. Swinton, however, is also known for her collaborations with the acclaimed director Wes Anderson, having starred in many of his films. Most recently, she portrayed a writer named J.K.L. Berensen in Anderson's anthology film The French Dispatch, primarily in the "The Concrete Masterpiece" segment.
Idris Elba - The Suicide Squad (2021)
As one of the film's two leads, Idris Elba portrays the magical Djinn who offers Tilda Swinton's character Alithea three wishes and is easily one of the most famous stars in the film, easily recognizable for his roles in groundbreaking television series such as Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
He portrayed the character Heimdall in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, primarily in the The Suicide Squad. The character proved to be one of the film's most complex and endearing and has had many fans calling for Elba's return to help lead the future of the DCEU.
