Malik Elassal
we had a great Brooklyn rooftop stompin time with Lebanese/Canadian actor/writer/comedian Malik Elassal who currently stars as Samir in the new FX super hit comedy ADULTS. he’s a man of few words but the ones that do escape him are honest and to the point…we love the realness and adventurous spirit of this funny mega talent on the rise. so scroll on down and check our snaps and chat with this handsome curly haired fella on being part of this hot show to watch ADULTS, standup, style, Spider-man dreams, and his desire to need nothing as a bare essential.
the bare magazine: are you enjoying the amazing response to ADULTS? Describe the incredible journey you've been on since joining the cast.
Malik Elassal: So many surreal things have been happening to me, it's very crazy to see my face on every taxi in the city and have people text me pictures of them. I'll just be at home and my likeness is out there going crazy.
Not long after I got to New York from Canada, I got the part. I was just starting to get used to doing stand-up here and I had been going to this acting school—then the show kind of scooped me up. Grateful doesn’t even cover it. In a world that can feel pretty heavy, I’m really lucky to live the life I do and be part of something that brings people some joy.
bare: there is a special chemistry between you ...do you think that is a huge part of the show's success? Are you guys a great support system in real life too?
ME: I think people can tell, just by watching, how much we care about each other. Being on a TV show about adult friendships is actually a great way to make friends as an adult. So glad I didn’t have to join a running club. Seriously though, we got to where we were filming three weeks early, just to hang out. Every night, everyone would come to my room—we’d tell stories and talk about our whole lives up until that point. It was like a three-week-long sleepover.
REAL LIFE
bare: speaking of real life ...you are our Brooklyn neighbor! Can you share what you love about living here? Is your family close by?
ME: This was the first neighborhood I ever came to when I visited New York. I love Manhattan, but I need to live in Brooklyn. I like taking slow walks with my hands behind my back like an old man—they’ll kill you for that in Manhattan. I have a lot of people that I consider family here.
bare: your focus has been on ADULTS ...are you craving some standup soon?
ME: I love touring, and I love stand-up, but sometimes before shows I'm like “why did I do this with my life?” Then I go on stage, and that feeling goes away and it's my favourite thing.
bare: what is a dream role for you? Or another genre of film you'd like to explore?
ME: It’d be dope to play Spider-Man. To me, that’s the coolest thing you can do. I used to think about playing him all the time when I was 18, but that ship’s kind of sailed, but I’d love to play Peter B. Parker. He’s in his 30s, his back hurts, and his life didn’t go the way he planned. That's a really interesting character.
bare: tell us about your great personal style? your Adults merch is so rad, and your jewelry ...how would you describe it all?
ME: So it's like Japanese silhouettes mixed with all these personal pieces of lore from my life. I get a lot of simple clothes that you could just wear everyday and I do because I will wear the same outfit for a week straight. Everything else is pretty much a collection of clothes from old jobs, like T-shirts from Mr. Mattress or the Autism Asperger’s Friendship Society. Every once in a while, I’ll get something from BAPE, just because I know my younger self would think it’s so cool that I have BAPE now. All my jewelry is made by my younger brother. He has a company called Elassal & Co.
bare: you were trying out intermittent fasting on our shoot day - what are your thoughts? Do you like to cook or are you an order in / go out to eat guy?
ME: I wasn't so intermittent fasting that day, I was just scared to be late, so I just didn't eat, and then I was dizzy when I climbed your roof. I am always experimenting with some vitamins or supplements that I didn't do enough research about, though.
bare: please list your top 6 bare essentials.
ME: I wish I didn't need anything. I'm honestly always tryna narrow down the list of things I need all the time. I know that doesn't answer the question at all, but i'm trying to put out into the world that i don't need anything lol. (<--- Do people write “lol” in written interviews? That sounded so heavy i needed the lol)
Founder & Editor in Chief - The Bare Magazine
