The Queen Of The Desert Actor Jay Abdo Reveals Why He Returned To Syria After Years In The U.S: “I Wasn’t Planning To Come Back”
Jay Abdo, a Syrian American actor, returned to Syria after years in the U.S. to help rebuild the film industry. He aims to showcase the true identity of Syrians and the reasons behind their return. Abdo's journey reflects the challenges faced by many exiled Syrians amid ongoing instability and economic hardship in the country.
- ▪Jay Abdo returned to Syria in the summer of 2025 after the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
- ▪He is now leading efforts to rebuild the film industry as the head of the General Organization for Cinema.
- ▪Abdo aims to show the world the true identity of Syrians and the reasons for their return.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Jay Abdo Jessica Forde/Amazon Jay Abdo has a mission. “I want to show the world who Syrians really are; why they sometimes had to leave, and why they’re coming back,” says the Syrian American actor Jay Abdo in a Zoom call from Damascus in late March. Fifteen minutes in, the screen freezes. Abdo comes back on five minutes later explaining that the internet had gone down due to a power cut. The faltering connection is a daily reality for Abdo, who returned to Syria from LA in the summer of 2025, following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in December 2024. The actor was among an estimated 5 to 6 million Syrians who fled the country during its 13-year civil war, sparked by the government crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Deadline.
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