Amrou Al-Kadhi

Amrou Al-Kadhi (born 23 June 1990) is a British-Iraqi writer, drag performer, and filmmaker whose work primarily focuses on queer identity, cultural representation and racial politics. Al-Kadhi made a cameo appearance in the 2021 Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) film Venom: Let There Be Carnage as a temporary host of the title character.[1]

Amrou Al-Kadhi
Born (1990-06-23) 23 June 1990
London, United Kingdom

Early life and education

Al-Kadhi was born in London to a tight-knit conservative Iraqi Muslim family. They were brought up in Dubai and Bahrain, before the family moved back to London.[2] Al-Kadhi claims that discovering marine biology and quantum physics helped them understand their queer identity.[3][4] Al-Kadhi has a twin brother.[5]

In 2006, Al-Kadhi was awarded a two-year scholarship to Eton College where they did their A-levels,[2][6] then graduated from the University of Cambridge with a BA and MPhil in the History of Art.[7]

Al-Kadhi's stage name is Glamrou. It was at the University of Cambridge that they discovered drag, organising events and becoming a "drag mother" to their fellow drag queens in the university's first professional drag band. While at Cambridge, they created and led the musical comedy drag troupe Denim,[8] for which they co-wrote and performed in shows.[9] More recently they have left the troupe in order to concentrate on solo performance in a show called Glamrou: From Quran to Queen.[2]

Career

Films

Al-Kadhi's first acting role, at the age of fourteen, was in Steven Spielberg's film Munich, where they played the role of an Islamic terrorist's son. They have commented that, as an Arab actor, they have been approached to play the role of a terrorist almost thirty times.[10]

They have two feature films in development: as writer and director, Layla, with Film 4 and Fox Cub Films, and Oh, Molly with BBC Films and Sarah Brocklehurst Productions.

In 2021, Al-Kadhi appeared in the Sony's Spider-Man Universe (SSU) film Venom: Let There Be Carnage as a temporary host of the alien symbiote Venom after he separates from Eddie Brock.

Television

Al-Kadhi has three TV series in development: as writer and creator, Targets, with BBC Drama, as star, co-creator and co-writer, Nefertiti, a comedy series in development with Big Talk Productions, and as co-star, co-creator and co-writer, Beards, in development with Playground Entertainment.

Writing

Al-Kadhi's autobiography, Life as a Unicorn: A Journey From Shame to Pride and Everything In Between, was published in 2019 and tells the story of their estrangement from and final reconciliation with their mother and Islam.[11][12] In 2020, the autobiography won the Society of Authors' Somerset Maugham Award.[13]

They write a fortnightly opinion column for The Independent, and a monthly column in Gay Times.[14] They have also contributed to GQ,[15] The Guardian, Attitude, CNN and Little White Lies.[16] Al-Kadhi writes on topics ranging from queer identity and Islamophobia to the philosophy of marine biology and film criticism.

Personal life

Al-Kadhi identifies as queer and non-binary.[17]

Filmography

Film
Title YearRoleProduction
Christopher Robin 2018Actor, Nemir Azizi (London Ticket Attendant)
Anenome 2018Director and writerBBC films and Film London[18]
Victoria Sin 2017Director and writerNowness, Revry[18]
Run(a)way Arab 2017Director and writerPeccadillo Pictures & Revry[18]
Clash 2017Director and writerBBC4 Broadcast, BFI, Revry[18]
Nightstand 2016Writer and performer
Venom: Let There Be Carnage 2021Actor, Venom (Host Two)Cameo appearance
Layla N/A Director and writer

Television
YearTitleRoleProduction
2020The WatchCo-writer, episode 106BBC America / BBC Studios[19]
2019Little AmericaCo-writer of "The Son" episodeApple Original Series/Universal Television
2018HollyoaksWriter of episodes 5032, 5092, 5180 and 5275Channel 4

Stage

Books
  • 2022: Life as a Unicorn: A Journey from Shame to Pride and Everything in Between [24](4th Estate, HarperCollins UK)Paperback / ISBN: 978-0-00-830610-6
  • 2019: Unicorn: The Memoir of a Muslim Drag Queen [25] (4th Estate, HarperCollins UK)Hardback / ISBN: 978-0-00-830606-9

Awards and honours

In June 2020, in honour of the 50th anniversary of the first LGBTQ Pride parade, Queerty named Al-Kadhi among the fifty heroes "leading the nation toward equality, acceptance, and dignity for all people".[26][27] In 2020 Al-Kadhi won the Polari First Book Prize for their memoir Life as a Unicorn.[28]

References
  1. "Amrou Al-Kadhi". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  2. Cocozza, Paula (9 October 2019). "Muslim drag queen Amrou Al-Kadhi: 'Whenever the drag came off, I'd have a nervous breakdown'". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  3. Al-Kadhi, Amrou. Unicorn. Waterstones.
  4. Al-Kadhi, Amrou (11 June 2019). "What quantum physics taught me about my queer Islamic identity" – via ted.com.
  5. "Amrou Al-Kadhi's Unicorn: The Memoir of a Muslim Drag Queen is the searing autobiography the community needs". Firstpost. 14 December 2019.
  6. "Life as a Unicorn: A Journey from Shame to Pride and Everything in Between". The Bookshop Darlinghurst.
  7. "Amrou Al-Kadhi". British Film Institute.
  8. "Drag queen Glamrou's memoir goes for six figures". thebookseller.com.
  9. "Amrou Al-Kadhi". unitedagents.co.uk.
  10. "I'm an Arab actor who's been asked to play a terrorist 30 times. If La La Land cleans up at the Oscars, I'm done". The Independent. 23 February 2017. Archived from the original on 23 February 2017.
  11. "Amrou Al-Kadhi interview: 'My mum is a drag queen, but not knowingly'". London Evening Standard. 18 February 2020.
  12. "Amrou Al-Kadhi". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 February 2017.
  13. "Muslim drag performer wins Society Of Authors award for debut memoir". aol.co.uk.
  14. "Human beings aren't products, why try and package us to all be the same?". Gay Times. 31 January 2018.
  15. "How drag helped me come to terms with my gender". British GQ. 11 October 2019.
  16. "#EdFringe17 Comedy Q&A: Amrou Al-Kadhi from Denim: The World Tour by Martin Walker". broadwaybaby.com.
  17. Al-Kadhi, Amrou (1 October 2020). "Minorities refusing to debate their right to exist is not 'shutting down free speech'". Attitude. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 13 June 2021. As a queer, non-binary person of colour...
  18. "Unicorn - Amrou Al-Kadhi" – via soundcloud.com.
  19. Desk, TV News. "BBC America Announces Cast for New Series THE WATCH". BroadwayWorld.com.
  20. https://sohotheatre.com/events/glamrou-from-quran-to-queen/
  21. Bennett, Steve. "Denim: The Reunion Tour". chortle.co.uk.
  22. Guide, British Comedy. "Denim: Juniors - Edinburgh Fringe 2018". British Comedy Guide.
  23. "Culture Archives". Gay Times.
  24. https://www.4thestate.co.uk/products/life-as-a-unicorn-a-journey-from-shame-to-pride-and-everything-in-between-amrou-al-kadhi-9780008306106/
  25. https://www.4thestate.co.uk/products/unicorn-the-memoir-of-a-muslim-drag-queen-amrou-al-kadhi-9780008306069//
  26. "Queerty Pride50 2020 Honorees". Queerty. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  27. Gremore, Graham (21 July 2020). "These queer writers are giving voice to our diversity one word at a time". Queerty. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  28. "Davies, Al-Kadhi win 2020 Polari Prizes". Books+Publishing. 16 October 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2020.
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