- The Actor
- Drama | Romance | Thriller | Black Comedy | 2023 | 52 min
- Director: Nima Javidi
- Writer: Nima Javidi
- Producer: Majid Motalebi
![](https://admin.thehaintl.com/uploads/pr_Vd4_Y_Gjg_1_d3571f1f9f.jpg)
Navid Mohammadzadeh
![](https://admin.thehaintl.com/uploads/a07340d8e60909211b1b0f023ec9e761_XL_ad49a24079.jpg)
Hasti Mahdavifar
![](https://admin.thehaintl.com/uploads/image_w240_602f1c65ee.jpg)
Ahmad Mehranfar
![](https://admin.thehaintl.com/uploads/MV_5_BNG_Fh_Yj_Vk_N_Dkt_NG_Fl_Zi00_Njhi_L_Thh_OW_Mt_ZWU_2_ND_Az_ZTA_5_Y2_Zk_Xk_Ey_Xk_Fqc_Gde_QX_Vy_Nzg1_Nzg4_Mzg_V1_15dabcf033.jpg)
Mehrvareh Sharifinia
![](https://admin.thehaintl.com/uploads/2b875fb09a01c5f46f82eedbf5a49221_36bf5e3b0c.jpg)
Hanieh Tavassoli
![](https://admin.thehaintl.com/uploads/02817d3f_3e8a_4c12_99e8_b526449b85b8_c3a8e6fefb.jpg)
Gelareh Abbasi
![](https://admin.thehaintl.com/uploads/lk_dgv_b97a747de7.jpg)
“Shakespeare said that all the world’s a stage,” Javidi tells Variety. “And that all the men and women are merely players, assuming different roles depending on their situations and what they want to achieve. I thought it was fascinating [to put performers in those private detective roles and have them], overcome obstacles, solve problems, and save themselves and others from difficulties by using their acting abilities.” Led by Venice best actor winner Navid Mohammadzadeh (who recently anchored Saeed Roustayi’s Cannes-acclaimed “Leila’s Brothers”), “The Actor” follows Ali (Mohammadzadeh) and Morteza (Ahmad Mehranfar), two down-and-out performers with little to their names but a derelict theater for which they can barely make rent. Still looking to practice their chosen trade, the performing pair stage elaborate, costumed pranks, mostly paid for by Teheran’s rich-kid set. That is, until the duo catch the attention of a shadowy private firm that uses improv artists as investigators. “This kind of role-playing in real life could expand forever, assuming so many different forms,” Javidi explains. “Unlike Sherlock Holmes, who uses his intelligence, or superheroes, who save people with their incredible strength, [Ali and Morteza] resolve their obstacles and accomplish their adventures by exercising their art. They act to save themselves and others from difficulties.”