The acclaimed second season of Ramy Youssef's semi-autobiographical comedy series had a number of famous faces among the cast: there was a guest appearance by Oscar winner Mahershala Ali and Egyptian actor Amr Waked stars.
But there was another big name that was supposed to feature in the season, according to Egyptian-American actor Youssef.
Mean Girls star Lindsay Lohan was due to make a cameo in the hit Hulu show.
"We were interested in this idea of people that you don't really think are Muslim," Youssef, 29, told Entertainment Weekly in a new interview. "We actually cast Lindsay Lohan, because Lindsay had this whole thing about converting to Islam."
Though the actress, 33, had been officially cast, according to the comic, she failed to turn up on the day of shooting.
"I talked to her and she was down, and then, you know, like Lindsay does, we just kind of stopped hearing from her," he said. "I was trying to get hold of her and she was on the call sheet, and I guess she couldn't make it. I don't know, I never heard from her."
Youssef said "Lindsay is going to be Lindsay", acknowledging that you couldn't "put her in a box, that's what I know".
The actor is still hopeful of enticing Lohan to star in the next series of Ramy, should the sitcom be renewed.
"Season three inshallah," he tweeted this week.
Youssef's eponymous show, for which he won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy last year, first premiered in April 29.
The actor's faith forms the crux of the groundbreaking sitcom, in which he plays a Muslim man grappling with his background and religion in the US.
Lohan, meanwhile, embraced Islam in recent years, and in 2017 was seen holding a copy of the Quran.
"My very close friends ... in London are Saudi and they gave me the Quran and I brought it to New York because I was learning," she told Turkish TV. “It opened doors for me to experience spiritually, to find another true meaning. This is who I am.”
The actress moved to Dubai several years ago, and has remained in the city throughout the pandemic. She has often said the lack of paparazzi here is one of the major reasons she lives in the UAE.
“I live here, yep, I have been here for about six years," she told David Spade in an interview last month. "But I go to New York a lot to see my family … and I was in London before this,” she said.
The second season of Ramy will premiere on Hulu on Friday, May 29.
How to help
Donate towards food and a flight by transferring money to this registered charity's account.
Account name: Dar Al Ber Society
Account Number: 11 530 734
IBAN: AE 9805 000 000 000 11 530 734
Bank Name: Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank
To ensure that your contribution reaches these people, please send the copy of deposit/transfer receipt to: juhi.khan@daralber.ae
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
The bio
Favourite food: Japanese
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Favourite hobby: Football
Favourite quote: If your dreams don’t scare you, they are not big enough
Favourite country: UAE
Naga
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Results:
CSIL 2-star 145cm One Round with Jump-Off
1. Alice Debany Clero (USA) on Amareusa S 38.83 seconds
2. Anikka Sande (NOR) For Cash 2 39.09
3. Georgia Tame (GBR) Cash Up 39.42
4. Nadia Taryam (UAE) Askaria 3 39.63
5. Miriam Schneider (GER) Fidelius G 47.74
Day 1, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day Dimuth Karunaratne had batted with plenty of pluck, and no little skill, in getting to within seven runs of a first-day century. Then, while he ran what he thought was a comfortable single to mid-on, his batting partner Dinesh Chandimal opted to stay at home. The opener was run out by the length of the pitch.
Stat of the day - 1 One six was hit on Day 1. The boundary was only breached 18 times in total over the course of the 90 overs. When it did arrive, the lone six was a thing of beauty, as Niroshan Dickwella effortlessly clipped Mohammed Amir over the square-leg boundary.
The verdict Three wickets down at lunch, on a featherbed wicket having won the toss, and Sri Lanka’s fragile confidence must have been waning. Then Karunaratne and Chandimal's alliance of precisely 100 gave them a foothold in the match. Dickwella’s free-spirited strokeplay meant the Sri Lankans were handily placed at 227 for four at the close.
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
Most F1 world titles
7 — Michael Schumacher (1994, ’95, 2000, ’01 ’02, ’03, ’04)
7 — Lewis Hamilton (2008, ’14,’15, ’17, ’18, ’19, ’20)
5 — Juan Manuel Fangio (1951, ’54, ’55, ’56, ’57)
4 — Alain Prost (1985, ’86, ’89, ’93)
4 — Sebastian Vettel (2010, ’11, ’12, ’13)
