Here is a portion of his interview:
The Advocate: Your grandfather is a screen legend, but even so, sharing the stage with Kirk Douglas and getting to do a bit with him is huge. What was going through your head?
Omar Sharif Jr.: Well, that’s right, my grandfather is fairly well known, so I grew up around celebrities a lot. So I never get nervous. I’m always OK around celebrities, but when you’re standing next to Kirk Douglas, your knees begin to shake. Luckily I didn’t have any speaking lines or I’m pretty sure nothing would have come out.
Did you rehearse that bit in advance?
No, we didn’t. He came in two days before to rehearsals and as I was standing next to him, he said, “If I play a little something, feel free to play along and we’ll improv it as we go.” So we tried out a few things and then he left, and the day of the Oscars, he said, “we’ll see where it goes. We’ll see what we do.”
Now were you standing out there during all of Melissa Leo’s acceptance speech?
I was there the whole time. She turned around at one point and just yelled, “Omar,” and smiled at me. Downstairs, we had a little moment in the changing room, actually. She came in and she was just sitting there and I was like, “Oh, sorry, do you want me to leave you alone?” And she said, “No, whatever, if you don’t mind sharing, I don’t mind.” She’s like, “Are we both here waiting for Omar Sharif?” I said, “No, you’re actually looking at him.” So we got to talking a little bit and she was going to take her shoes off. And I said, “don’t put on ballet slippers, you keep your shoes on. If I was the entire Academy, the decision would be unanimous and you’d win. So you keep your heels on and you be ready just in case.” So when she got onstage, she turned to me, looked at her shoes and yelled my name.
You’re living in Los Angeles pursuing a career as an actor. What sort of professional advice has your grandfather given you?
You know what? He doesn’t have much. And I think it’s better that way. I didn’t tell him I was moving to L.A. I was in Montreal at the time and I got in my car and just drove across the country — because I knew they wouldn’t be too supportive. They know the difficulties that come with the job, and I think they’d rather I do anything but, but sometimes you just have to do what’s in your blood and what makes you happy. So I called him from Tennessee and told him, “I’m on my way to Hollywood. Take my new phone number down. It’s 310…” He said to me, “I gave you my looks and I gave you my name, that’s all I can give you in this profession. After that, you’re entirely on your own.” I admire him for that. He realizes there are so many young actors out there that won’t get the opportunities that I’ll even get just having his name.
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