Working Wonders: Dubai's Madame Tussauds boss waxes lyrical on life with an all-star cast

Sanaz Kollsrud is responsible for helping guests meet their favourite statuesque celebrities

Our Working Wonders of the UAE series takes you to some of the country's most recognisable destinations to uncover the daily duties of the talented employees working there

Sanaz Kollsrud is a people person – although the majority of the people she interacts with are made of wax.

As the general manager of Madame Tussauds Dubai, she spends most days working with lifelike people who are static and mute, yet known to millions.

Born and raised in Iran, Ms Kollsrud moved to Dubai 20 years ago to study tourism and hospitality.

She followed her passions in the industry, applying her skills to the Mall of the Emirates complex opening and pre-opening Downtown Dubai with Burj Khalifa.

Ms Kollsrud then opened Madame Tussauds Dubai in October 2021 on Bluewater Island, and now works alongside the likes of Justin Bieber, Bollywood stars and, her personal favourite, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

She invited The National along for a day to meet her famous friends and showed us why starting the project was the perfect career move.

What attracted you to this job?

The seeds for this unique role were planted when, as a teenager, I encountered Star Wars figures in the wax model empire's London home.

I was excited to see Jabba the Hutt, Princess Leia, and, of course, Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and the Stormtroopers. I was in my element.

I enjoyed a close interaction with some of my favourite stars, being in a movie scene that I loved. I'm a Star Wars geek and it was the only place I could see Luke and take a picture with him.

I never thought one day I would have the chance to open Madame Tussauds in the Middle East.

What do you love about it?

Being here every day, building a relationship with the figures.

When I walk around, my focus is to check everything is OK. For me, these figures are a person and if I see that someone has been scratched, I tell my studio artists that “she's been hurt”, and the figures are taken for maintenance to be glammed up.

I enjoy talking to my team and guests, and discovering where they are from and who they want to see.

I'm quite a people person; that's where I get my energy from.

You're selling the experience guests will take with them, that word of mouth they create and those memories they take and talk about, like I took many years ago with my Star Wars experience.

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  Sanaz Kollsrud, general manager of Madame Tussauds, with waxworks of David Beckham and Victoria Beckham at Madame Tussauds in Dubai. All photos: Pawan Singh / The National

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  Amitabh Bachchan at Madame Tussauds in Dubai

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  Sanaz Kollsrud with a wax likeness of Tom Cruise

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  Indian cricketer Virat Kohli Madame Tussauds in Dubai

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  Ms Kollsrud with the statue of Shah Rukh Khan

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  Cristiano Ronaldo in wax

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  Ms Kollsrud with the statue of John Travolta

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  A model of Indian actor Salman Khan

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  Ms Kollsrud with a wax model of the actor Vin Diesel

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  Jackie Chan at Madame Tussauds in Dubai

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  Ms Kollsrud with Queen Elizabeth II

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  Muhammad Ali at the Madame Tussauds in Dubai

How do you choose the wax works?

We look at a very healthy mix of regional and international talent.

When we make a new figure, I'm involved from the selection process, the making up, to delivery.

I have a bond with these figures. I know they're not real, but I genuinely care how they come out and once we launch a new one, it can be emotional.

The likeness is what intrigues me the most and these figures are captured in a moment in time. You feel they might come to life and talk.

What are the most challenging parts?

Now 200 years old and a globally renowned interactive attraction, I knew there would be an audience familiar with Madame Tussauds, and I have to be realistic.

You have tourists here from everywhere who are educated. They've been to London, New York, Amsterdam.

All of these visitors come with high expectations that are even bigger and better. We have to deliver the ultimate world of fantasy fun experience, while at the same time blending the concept with Middle Eastern demands and making sure the region understands and enjoys the project.

The main draw is meeting authentic versions of famous people we're likely to never encounter and to have some fun, take pictures and enjoy the sets.

How does the process work?

Working with VIPs in previous roles gave me some insight into handling familiar regional faces for wax immortalisation.

While some exhibits are recast replicas of celebrities from our other branches, GCC names including Huda Beauty sisters Huda and Mona Kattan were present for the process, with the latter finding the result a “surreal experience”.

Everything is made in London and shipped to us, but before we make the figures, we meet the celebrities, do a sitting and measurements, as well as a dental scan which is all done in Dubai.

The process is quite intense. Obviously that person would like a true reflection of how they see themselves and maybe how the fans see them.

We also get a brief that involves inviting “regional talents” to be part of the attraction, and we have to explain to them the requirements, which also includes signing off on costumes, their poses and their hairstyle.

What kind of reactions do you get from the celebrities?

I've been in the room where they see the figure for the first time. With [Emirati singer] Balgees Ahmed Fathi, there were tears of joy.

It was a journey with everyone because everyone is different. They all have different expectations, ways of working, and the relationship is important to make sure they're happy and everything goes smoothly.

My experience so far is that they've felt honoured.

The queen has been captured and wax sculpted more than anyone else, 25 times from the age of five.

She's always positioned in an afternoon tea setting with her corgis next to her. I enjoy taking a picture with her.

Ms Kollsrud said the David Beckham figure often has lipstick stains. Pawan Singh / The National

How do you keep Madame Tussauds Dubai fresh and exciting?

I have a wish list that has been lengthened with guest feedback, and the majority of people crave a Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson figure.

There's always somebody new out there – a new icon – and the market is ever evolving. Different age groups have different expectations, so we have pressure to deliver what's hot, as well as the classic because a lot of guests come for that.

We need to make sure we are relevant as years go by, going down different routes.

The selection we have is valid, but guests ask for different things so there's always opportunity to grow.

We also make sure that our existing figures are given extra attention from in-house artists as guests get friendly with the figures.

It's why you're there. You want to go close to them, to feel the hair – and we use real hair – to see that face. You want to touch it.

I have seen guests interact in the most interesting ways, like hugging them, giving them a kiss on the cheek. Our David Beckham figure often has a lipstick mark.

Can you tell us who else will be joining your roster of waxed colleagues?

We are currently working to add more and we can loan figures from the other attractions.

Another big international name will arrive later this year, plus more Bollywood and Arabic talent.