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Elnaaz Norouzi is having a moment. The actress, who fled Iran with her family as a child and went on to build a career in both Bollywood and Hollywood, stars opposite Liam Neeson and Zachary Levi in Guy Moshe\u2019s high-stakes action thriller The Fix<\/em> (formerly Hotel Tehran<\/em>), out this Friday. The film follows a group of former CIA operatives on a dangerous rescue mission in Tehran, attempting to redeem themselves after a failed operation in Afghanistan\u2014and Norouzi holds her own in a complex, emotionally layered role opposite an exceptional ensemble.<\/p>\n What sets Norouzi apart is her fluency across cultures, languages and industries. She brings a rare combination of lived experience, international appeal and<\/em> emotional authenticity to her work, representing a new generation of leading ladies whose perspective is as compelling as their on-screen presence. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n Here, she talks about preparing for the role, training in MMA to be action-ready and why she\u2019s traded chasing perfection for chasing balance.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s an incredible honor to be the female lead opposite Zachary and to share the screen with someone as iconic as Liam Neeson. When you\u2019re part of a film of this scale, you naturally want to bring your absolute best. Preparation has always been one of my favorite parts of the process. I read a lot about acting in general because I believe you\u2019re always a student of the craft. But for this role, I also wanted to understand the world of the film better, so I read a book called Iran\u2019s Ministry of Intelligence<\/em>. It helped me better understand the political and cultural environment surrounding the story, which allowed me to approach the character with much more empathy and depth.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely. It made the experience incredibly personal, but maybe not in the way people would expect. Without giving too much away, my character has beliefs, experiences and a worldview that are very different from the one I grew up with. That was actually the biggest challenge. I couldn\u2019t rely on my own memories or emotions\u2014instead, I had to understand where she was coming from without judging her. As an actor, that\u2019s one of the most rewarding parts of the job: you learn to see the world through someone else\u2019s eyes, even when their perspective is very different from your own. Even if you don\u2019t agree with them, you can\u2019t judge the character. That\u2019s what I learned on this from my director, Guy Moshe.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt definitely has. Bollywood has traditionally celebrated glamour and perfection, while Hollywood often gives actors more freedom to completely transform for a role. As an actor, I find both exciting because every character asks something different of you. I\u2019ve learned not to tie my confidence to looking a certain way all the time. Some roles require you to look polished; others ask you to look exhausted, vulnerable or completely transformed. My job is to serve the character, not my ego. When it comes to self-care, I\u2019ve shifted my focus from trying to look perfect to feeling healthy, strong and mentally balanced. If I feel good, everything else naturally follows.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGrowing up between different cultures taught me that identity isn\u2019t something fixed\u2014it\u2019s something that grows with you. For a long time, I wondered where I truly belonged. I was born in Iran, raised in Germany, built my career in India and now work internationally. At one point, that felt confusing. Today, I see it as one of my greatest strengths. I\u2019ve realized I don\u2019t have to choose just one version of myself\u2014every place I\u2019ve lived and every culture I\u2019ve experienced has shaped who I am. <\/p>\n That perspective also influences how I take care of myself. I don\u2019t chase perfection anymore; I try to create balance. Whether that\u2019s making time for family, training, reading, praying, spending time in nature or simply slowing down after months of work, I know that taking care of my mind is just as important as taking care of my appearance\u2014though, to be honest, it\u2019s still tough for me to balance sometimes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always loved action films, so much so that I started training in MMA because I wanted to be ready whenever an action role came my way. Although the guys definitely had more of the action sequences in The Fix,<\/em> I loved being part of that world. Action requires discipline, stamina and consistency, and that naturally carries over into how you take care of yourself. <\/p>\n On set, I kept my routine simple: hydration, good sleep whenever possible, healthy food and movement became my biggest beauty secrets. I was almost the only girl shooting with more than six or seven guys who wouldn\u2019t miss a day in the gym, so I had good company and hit the gym with them\u2014it was a lot of fun. Long shoot days can be exhausting, but when you take care of yourself from the inside, it really shows on camera. I\u2019m definitely hoping my next project lets me do even more action, because it\u2019s a genre I genuinely love.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI hope people see that you don\u2019t have to fit into one box. I\u2019ve had the privilege of working across different countries, languages and industries, and every step has taught me something new. My journey hasn\u2019t followed a straight line, but that\u2019s exactly what has made it so rewarding. If there\u2019s one thing I\u2019d like people\u2014especially young women\u2014to take away, it\u2019s that you don\u2019t have to limit yourself because of where you come from or because someone tells you your dreams are too ambitious. Your background can become your greatest strength if you\u2019re willing to keep learning, keep growing and keep showing up. <\/p>\n With The Fix,<\/em> I hope audiences simply enjoy the ride. It\u2019s a gripping story with incredible performances, and I\u2019m proud to be part of a film that brings together such an international cast while telling a story that feels both entertaining and deeply human.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nYou star opposite Liam Neeson and Zachary Levi in The Fix. <\/em>What was it like stepping into such a high-stakes role and how did you prepare for it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The film is set in Tehran, and you fled Iran with your family as a child. Is it safe to assume that personal history shaped how you approached this character or the story itself?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
You\u2019ve built a career in both Bollywood and Hollywood\u2014two very different industries with different expectations and beauty standards. How do you navigate switching between them, and has that shifted how you think about your own image or self-care?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Moving between cultures, languages and industries so fluidly\u2014what has that taught you about identity, and how does that show up in the way you take care of yourself?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Action thrillers like this come with physical demands. What did your beauty and wellness routine look like to get you through intense shoot days?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
As someone representing a new generation of leading ladies, what do you hope audiences take away from your journey and from The Fix?<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n