# Palestinian comedian is 'proud and hurt' after making Netflix hit

## By Manish Pandey
BBC Newsbeat


_Eddy Chen/Netflix_

Reflecting back on the Netflix hit based on his own life, there are two things that come to mind for Palestinian comedian Mo Amer.

Pride and hurt.

"It's very difficult to talk about without breaking down at some point," he tells BBC Newsbeat.

He is the star of the semi-autobiographical show titled Mo, playing the role of Mo Najjar.

The character is a Palestinian refugee learning to adapt to his new world as he seeks to gain US citizenship by navigating a complicated immigration process - all while trying to bring together his cultures and languages.

Making a show so closely tied to his life was "very taxing" because of "the sheer amount of emotion" involved.

"I'm extremely proud of it. I put my soul into it and I'm still hurting from making it," Mo says.

## 'I never lose hope'

Mo says he wanted to keep the "greater context" in mind and that focusing on 7 October and its aftermath "almost insinuates this just started".

"That couldn't be further from the truth," he says, referring to .

There was a practical consideration too, he says, due to the length of time between filming and release being over a year.

"That was kind of like scary territory to write about something, and then all these things would happen.

"And then whatever you had written and composed in the series could be irrelevant."


_Eddy Chen/Netflix_

The show is ultimately "grounded in comedy", he says, and episodes set post-attack drew focus away from the storyline and the characters.

"You weren't really tracking them, the emotions of them," says Mo.

Mo feels there has generally been limited representation of Palestinians in TV and film, which means more pressure on his shoulders.

"There's a lot of  from the fans… more outside voices of what I should say and not say - both Palestinian and non-Palestinian," he says.

"You really have to put the blinders on and stay focused on telling the story that I know and that I've experienced first-hand."

Mo says he can't "walk away" from being seen as a spokesperson for Palestinians, admitting to feeling "like public property at this point".

"I think that everyone just needs to manage their expectations. But I'm not going to shy away from it," he says.

"That you're not on vacation," he says. "You're on edge, actually."


_Eddy Chen/Netflix_

Mo feels there has generally been limited representation of Palestinians in TV and film, which means more pressure on his shoulders.

"There's a lot of  from the fans… more outside voices of what I should say and not say - both Palestinian and non-Palestinian," he says.

"You really have to put the blinders on and stay focused on telling the story that I know and that I've experienced first-hand."

Mo says he is "always hopeful" things can get better.

"I never lose hope.

"If you do, then it becomes a really, really sad place whenever you're devoid of hope," he says.

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