Ramy Youssef Was Told By Yorgos Lanthimos To “Stop Making TV” And Just Focus On Movies

In recent years, the line between TV and film has really blurred. No longer is TV storytelling seen as “less than.” Often, the very best acting, writing, and directing is seen in episodes of TV. Alas, there’s still the allure of film. There’s something about the Oscars that is somehow more meaningful than the Emmys. So, it’s understandable why someone like Ramy Youssef would still see the idea of film as something a bit more attractive than TV. 

Speaking to IndieWire at this year’s Golden Globes, Ramy Youssef explained that he was given some advice from filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos that has stuck with him. You probably are aware that Youssef is one of the stars of Lanthimos’ most recent film, the award-winning “Poor Things.” Well, according to the actor, Lanthimos told him that it’s time to leave TV behind.

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“You know, Yorgos told me to stop making TV, and go make movies,” Youssef said. “So I’ve been thinking a lot about that.”

Leaving TV behind is a big deal for Ramy Youssef. He’s the namesake of a very popular Hulu comedy series. Not only that, he is the co-creator of another show, “Mo,” and he’s shown up as a director for an episode of the Emmy-winning series, “The Bear.” So, to leave TV behind and go full-on into feature filmmaking would be a big step for the comedian. Outside of “Poor Things,” Youssef has only appeared in a small role in “Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot,” and in a voice role in Disney’s “Wish.” That said, he’s a well-known commodity at this point, so it’s not like he would struggle to find collaborators in the feature film space. 

But before he fully leaves TV behind, if he chooses to do so in the future, Youssef apparently has at least one more gig on the small screen coming up. He’s been told by “The Bear” creator, Christopher Storer, that he can return to direct another episode of the series. Previously, he directed the episode titled “Honeydew.” 

“The other day, Chris told me I’m allowed to direct more ‘Bear,’” he said. “I got the thumbs up. So hopefully we can kind of make the timing, right? But it was such a great experience.”

We’ll have to continue to see what Ramy Youssef has coming up. Obviously, he’s getting quite a bit of good will from his role in “Poor Things,” and people really do love “Ramy.” So, if nothing else, he’s in a position where he can probably do whatever he wants.