Latest / Next Act with Jeff Ornstein / Adnan Amir - Award-Winning Actor, Filmmaker & CEO, Colossal Films

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Adnan Amir - Award-Winning Actor, Filmmaker & CEO, Colossal Films · Next Act with Jeff Ornstein

• 0:02
  Jeff Ornstein: Hi everyone and welcome to Next Act with Jeff Orenstein.
• 0:05
  Jeff Ornstein: I am Jeff, and on this show we celebrate people on the cusp of greatness.
• 0:10
  Jeff Ornstein: Those building on past successes in some of the curious and inventive and sometimes unexpected ways they have achieved those, and stepping into moments that could define their legacy.
• 0:21
  Jeff Ornstein: We'll talk about current projects, lessons learned, and the extraordinary opportunities ahead.
• 0:27
  Jeff Ornstein: So the best is yet to come.
• 0:29
  Jeff Ornstein: Today's guest is Adnan Amir, an award-winning British actor, filmmaker, author, and the CEO of Colossal Films.
• 0:37
  Jeff Ornstein: He is the creator, writer, producer, director, and the star of the independent romantic thriller Back to Forward, an ambitious project that's grown into its own cinematic universe, spanning both film and novels.
• 0:49
  Jeff Ornstein: Welcome, Adnan.
• 0:51
  Jeff Ornstein: Thank you for having me, Chad.
• 0:53
  Jeff Ornstein: It's an absolute pleasure talking to you.
• 0:55
  Jeff Ornstein: Good.
• 0:56
  Jeff Ornstein: I'm glad you're here.
• 0:57
  Jeff Ornstein: So this Back to Forward is really a hot ticket.
• 1:02
  Jeff Ornstein: And the audiences love it and love you.
• 1:06
  Jeff Ornstein: Multiple best actor awards?
• 1:09
  Adnan Amir: Yeah, it's crazy.
• 1:10
  Adnan Amir: And it's been a tough journey, but one that I thoroughly enjoyed learning, progressing, and uh I'm just so happy with the rave reviews as well.
• 1:22
  Jeff Ornstein: Oh my gosh, the reviews I read, I mean, the audiences can't get enough of you.
• 1:27
  Jeff Ornstein: So congratulations.
• 1:28
  Jeff Ornstein: Now, just forgive me, but were you in addition to the star, or you were also the writer and producer?
• 1:35
  Jeff Ornstein: And did you direct it as well?
• 1:38
  Adnan Amir: I did, yes.
• 1:39
  Jeff Ornstein: Holy moly.
• 1:40
  Jeff Ornstein: Have you taken on that many responsibilities in a project before?
• 1:45
  Adnan Amir: No, but there's only one way of knowing, just getting into it.
• 1:49
  Adnan Amir: You see, when you have passion, skills are transferable.
• 1:53
  Adnan Amir: You have to have that drive, charisma, and relentless drive to move forward.
• 2:00
  Adnan Amir: So you have to to realize any dream, you have to work hard.
• 2:03
  Adnan Amir: Balancing those roles was an opportunity for me to keep learning, keep moving, and achieve a dream that I always wanted to achieve.
• 2:13
  Adnan Amir: So I was relishing the thought of doing all those roles.
• 2:18
  Jeff Ornstein: That's phenomenal, and it was so successful.
• 2:22
  Jeff Ornstein: So before I get a little bit bad, I want to jump backwards a little bit because prior to becoming an actor, you went to law school.
• 2:31
  Adnan Amir: I did, yes.
• 2:33
  Jeff Ornstein: Yeah, and I believe there was a follow-up degree to the law school.
• 2:40
  Adnan Amir: Yeah, I completed my vocational education basically.
• 2:44
  Adnan Amir: So you have to do study law, then you do postgraduate legal practice.
• 2:48
  Adnan Amir: So it's crazy, isn't it, Jeff?
• 2:50
  Adnan Amir: You start in in one direction, expecting to that's your life, but then other things happen and you realize that actually I'm much more than this.
• 2:59
  Adnan Amir: I can take the skills that I've learned and put them into practice with passions that I have as well.
• 3:07
  Jeff Ornstein: I think you've summed it up, and other guests have spoken about this too.
• 3:10
  Jeff Ornstein: When you have a passion, sort of like it blinds you to all the other distractions that life may present itself to you with, and you just gotta pursue it.
• 3:20
  Jeff Ornstein: So you came home one day and you told your parents, I thought I was gonna be a lawyer, but I think I'm gonna be an actor.
• 3:27
  Jeff Ornstein: How'd that go over?
• 3:28
  Adnan Amir: Actually, surprisingly, it this is a crazy story, actually, because I had opportunities to be in films during my law school days, and I had there's this time in New York that we were walking and there was a film shoot, and this director was calling out action.
• 3:48
  Adnan Amir: And we walked up the stairs, and the guy double took me and said, Oh my god, you're very handsome, you have a very appealing face.
• 3:55
  Adnan Amir: I was cringing and I thought this guy must be blind or something, but it was really nice.
• 4:00
  Adnan Amir: My mom and blue there, and he said, You have a face for camera.
• 4:06
  Adnan Amir: Do you want to be in this film?
• 4:08
  Adnan Amir: But I see you as a hero.
• 4:10
  Adnan Amir: And at this time I thought the guys obviously lost the plot, but I never took it seriously, even though I did a little bit of modelling and a bit of acting as an extra, and that's another story.
• 4:23
  Adnan Amir: So my mum was a manager at the council and she was a magistrate, and they were filming in her office, so they said we're looking for some supporting artists.
• 4:39
  Adnan Amir: So my mum said to me, Do you fancy coming along?
• 4:42
  Adnan Amir: And I said, That sounds good to me, let's do this.
• 4:46
  Adnan Amir: So it was a really cold November's day, and I saw these random guys going back and forth, and there was one particular guy who had a snoody type thing, and I could just see the eyes, and they're very prominent, and I thought, I've seen those eyes before.
• 5:05
  Adnan Amir: So, anyway, it's a long day, fast forward, 12 o'clock at night, and we're having sandwiches in like a graveyard or something like this after the shoot.
• 5:16
  Adnan Amir: So, it just so happened to be Josh Hartnett.
• 5:19
  Adnan Amir: So, we were having sandwiches, very nice guy, and we're just talking away.
• 5:24
  Adnan Amir: And I guess that started the passion of filmmaking, and there's a big cast in that film as well.
• 5:31
  Adnan Amir: But the journey has been quite slow, really, in some ways, because my focus wasn't on the acting, something that happens when you start.
• 5:41
  Adnan Amir: I started writing this story, and it came actually, if I'm honest with you, I'd watched some big blockbuster films, and I was so excited watching that.
• 5:51
  Adnan Amir: But one by one, what I learned in the first five minutes was pretty much all that I needed for the rest of the film, and it kind of left me a bit disappointed.
• 6:01
  Adnan Amir: I thought, I'm gonna write something, and that's all it was at this point, Jeff.
• 6:05
  Adnan Amir: It was just me writing this story, and I got about halfway to this kind of novel that was in my head, and I realized why am I writing a novel?
• 6:18
  Adnan Amir: I'm gonna change this, I'm gonna make it into screenplay and then a script.
• 6:22
  Adnan Amir: And that was the beginning of back to forward, and then fast forward years, I said to my mum, I'm gonna make a film.
• 6:31
  Adnan Amir: And my mum said, right, okay, that's a good idea, why don't you?
• 6:36
  Adnan Amir: And I thought and I wasn't thinking about being an actor like fully at that point.
• 6:40
  Adnan Amir: But my mum said, Why don't you do it?
• 6:43
  Adnan Amir: You've got some experience, and that's where the journey really began.
• 6:49
  Jeff Ornstein: Well, having seen bits and pieces of your movie before we we aired today, you definitely have a face for the camera.
• 6:56
  Jeff Ornstein: The camera loves you, that's clear.
• 6:57
  Jeff Ornstein: And what was so interesting, what I got from the film is the multifacets of thriller, drama, and comedy, and it was a very creative mind who put all those elements together to make it so gripping.
• 7:12
  Jeff Ornstein: So you make this film, it's tremendously successful, it really killed it in the film circuit, film festival circuit, but now it's become what my producers call a storytelling universe.
• 7:26
  Jeff Ornstein: So, can you expand a little bit on that?
• 7:28
  Jeff Ornstein: Because I'm not so sure I'm clear with what that is.
• 7:31
  Jeff Ornstein: Sure.
• 7:32
  Adnan Amir: Well, as we started off as initially a novel, and then it became a film.
• 7:38
  Adnan Amir: So then, midway, whilst filming, it was a very natural kind of thought process.
• 7:43
  Adnan Amir: I thought I realized the stories, the histories, and the characters of backed forward are so strong that they had a lot more to give.
• 7:53
  Adnan Amir: And so that's when I thought at the end of the day, we are the sum of our choices, our experiences, and our circumstances.
• 8:03
  Adnan Amir: And backed forward is about having that one moment, that one moment can change everything.
• 8:09
  Adnan Amir: And how about if you take an alternate path and you make different decisions?
• 8:16
  Adnan Amir: What would happen then?
• 8:18
  Adnan Amir: And that's pretty much the premises of the novel.
• 8:21
  Adnan Amir: You I go behind some of the circumstances, some of the experiences of the characters, because back to forward, we have six very uh core characters.
• 8:32
  Adnan Amir: You've got by character of Rotion, you've got Kelly, Danny, and Anna and Rhea.
• 8:40
  Adnan Amir: And these guys really shape and reshape Roshan's life.
• 8:44
  Adnan Amir: But obviously, in a two-hour film, you just simply don't have the time to go into everything.
• 8:49
  Adnan Amir: And that's where the books uh mass as part of the novels, and that's where I'm able to explore alternate paths, and I find that really fascinating.
• 9:00
  Adnan Amir: Like Jeff, you could be doing something completely differently if you made a different choice, a different decision, and that spirals and those have repercussions, and that's why in the film by character Rotion's dad, he's dead, but in the book, he's alive, and so it explains how and what choice he made, why he's alive in that book and not in the film.
• 9:27
  Adnan Amir: So there's little things like that give a bit more of a backstory that you wouldn't be able to see in the film, choosing that alternate path.
• 9:35
  Adnan Amir: And I find that really fascinating.
• 9:37
  Adnan Amir: What if you made that different choice?
• 9:40
  Adnan Amir: Where would you end up?
• 9:41
  Adnan Amir: The one thing is that all these six characters, despite where they might be, so now in a different alternate timeline, they've made different decisions, they're different places, but they always gravitate towards each other, and that's where the novels are, they always come together, and people loving the fact I I've watched a thorn, I feel so connected with the characters and the books, the novels allow me to see a different perspective.
• 10:08
  Adnan Amir: So it's something you should read, Jeff.
• 10:11
  Jeff Ornstein: You've got me mesmerized, and I I'm going on vacation next week, and I'm gonna go on Amazon right now and see what I can pack in my so it is back to forward uh Colossal Films production.
• 10:23
  Adnan Amir: That's right, yes.
• 10:24
  Jeff Ornstein: Okay, so again, for our listeners, Colossal Films is You're a Brainchild.
• 10:29
  Adnan Amir: Yes.
• 10:29
  Jeff Ornstein: And uh is Colossal Films you've got other projects in the works right now.
• 10:33
  Jeff Ornstein: Anything you want to share?
• 10:34
  Adnan Amir: Ooh, there's something big in development.
• 10:37
  Adnan Amir: Uh, I don't want to give too much away, but in keeping with the thriller side of things, the suspense and the twists and turns, I think you either can be very much excited for the next project from so you got a lot of balls in the air, and you're wear you're wearing a lot of different hats within Colossal Films to make these productions fulfill your vision.
• 10:59
  Jeff Ornstein: Yeah.
• 10:59
  Jeff Ornstein: Indie films are achieving a fair amount of success these days, even with a depressed industry that we're in right now.
• 11:09
  Jeff Ornstein: Where are you finding your funding to make your magic?
• 11:12
  Jeff Ornstein: Are you finding it difficult?
• 11:14
  Jeff Ornstein: Do you have a patron who just loves your work?
• 11:15
  Jeff Ornstein: How are you getting it done?
• 11:17
  Jeff Ornstein: I'm sure people are interested in hearing that.
• 11:19
  Adnan Amir: Yeah, sure.
• 11:20
  Adnan Amir: Well, I think back to thought was something that's there was no budget, if I'm completely honest with you.
• 11:25
  Adnan Amir: It was just raw.
• 11:26
  Adnan Amir: And so when you have limited resources, you obviously have to wear more hats.
• 11:32
  Adnan Amir: But as long as you maintain that quality and drive and vision and willing to put hard work in, you can achieve that success.
• 11:41
  Adnan Amir: You see, resources and funding obviously are very important, and that can uh speed up the process.
• 11:48
  Adnan Amir: More funding, you can do it in a quicker time.
• 11:51
  Adnan Amir: But I think ultimately it's about how much you want to.
• 11:59
  Adnan Amir: And I'm somebody who's when I say something, I mean it.
• 12:04
  Adnan Amir: I mean what I say and I say what I mean.
• 12:06
  Adnan Amir: And I think that's very important.
• 12:08
  Adnan Amir: And sometimes fear can get the best of you.
• 12:11
  Adnan Amir: There's a lot of talented people out there who have ambition, they want to do a lot of things, but it's a fear.
• 12:16
  Adnan Amir: It's like, oh, are people gonna like me?
• 12:18
  Adnan Amir: Is it gonna work?
• 12:19
  Adnan Amir: Is it not?
• 12:20
  Adnan Amir: You've got to put that aside and just focus one step at a time and being as organized and structured as you can, and that's how I've done it.
• 12:30
  Adnan Amir: Of course, in my next project, I would like to keep building that momentum, taking it to the next level as well.
• 12:37
  Jeff Ornstein: Well, I gotta say, it's interesting.
• 12:38
  Jeff Ornstein: You you said that back to forward had no budget and it was raw, but the rawness of the film, it's almost a character in the film, the rawness helps create this environment for these very intense characters to thrive.
• 12:52
  Jeff Ornstein: That was my impression, at least.
• 12:53
  Jeff Ornstein: And clearly the audience loved it, it was an audience favorite, so whoops.
• 12:58
  Adnan Amir: Absolutely, Jeff.
• 12:59
  Adnan Amir: You hit it perfectly there when you said that because this is you have to play to your strengths.
• 13:05
  Adnan Amir: And I wanted the audience to really be immersed in the film, and views are telling me it's raw, edgy, the way that it's film so mysterious, and they feel like they're part of that world, and that's why the novels are just an extension of that.
• 13:20
  Adnan Amir: And I think a lot of people saying it's a cult classic in the making, and they've just absolutely loved it because there's nothing like it, and that's what I wanted to do.
• 13:29
  Adnan Amir: You see, sometimes if you go down the route of going back to the previous question, like with the funding side, but you don't want to lose that vision, and my vision was very clear what I wanted to achieve with Backs Ford, and yeah, I think a lot of people are loving that rawness and feeling like they can immerse in that film, and that's what it's about getting lost.
• 13:51
  Adnan Amir: Because in a film, what's the point?
• 13:53
  Adnan Amir: You want then you want the audience to be entertained, right?
• 13:57
  Adnan Amir: Right, and that's what it's about.
• 13:59
  Jeff Ornstein: So, were there particular directors or films for that matter that inspired you when you decide to take this leap and leave your law career behind and go into theater for full-time like you have?
• 14:11
  Jeff Ornstein: Was there anyone who was like saying, This is the guy that convinced me I should take the leap, or the film for that matter?
• 14:17
  Adnan Amir: There was nobody in particular.
• 14:19
  Adnan Amir: I mean, I gained inspiration for myself, first and foremost.
• 14:23
  Adnan Amir: I like to think I'm very strong character, and I think that's what you need.
• 14:28
  Adnan Amir: You need to have a strong character to be able to say, Yes, I'm going to do this, and then drive and be as organized, structured, and passionate, and have the ability.
• 14:38
  Adnan Amir: You have to have all.
• 14:40
  Adnan Amir: And so there wasn't anyone in particular that I could say.
• 14:44
  Adnan Amir: However, I am a big Rocky fan, and I love what Sylvester Stallone did in Rocky.
• 14:51
  Adnan Amir: I think that is inspiring.
• 14:53
  Adnan Amir: He also wrote, directed, and he starred in a lot of the Rockies.
• 14:58
  Adnan Amir: So it can be done, but it's obviously much harder that way.
• 15:02
  Adnan Amir: But when you love something, you do it.
• 15:06
  Jeff Ornstein: Right.
• 15:06
  Jeff Ornstein: So you're just, I think you're just a natural-born storyteller.
• 15:09
  Jeff Ornstein: I think that's the way I'm going to summarize you when I speak of you to other people.
• 15:13
  Jeff Ornstein: It's just something inside of you.
• 15:15
  Jeff Ornstein: So, with that in mind, like you see a Scorsese film or you see a Coppola film or whatever, and you see that they have a way of telling their stories and a milieu that they like to frame and the artistic vision that sort of similar from film to film.
• 15:30
  Jeff Ornstein: So is Adnan's films and Colossal Pictures, are they going to have the same sort of raw energy, or are we going to see a romantic comedy come out of you anytime soon?
• 15:42
  Adnan Amir: Not anytime soon.
• 15:44
  Adnan Amir: I think I'd like to stay on the path of thriller, suspense, mystery.
• 15:48
  Adnan Amir: However, I love comedy as well.
• 15:51
  Adnan Amir: And I do have an idea of comedy that I think comedy is it's all about really making people laugh.
• 15:59
  Adnan Amir: And you might think that's obvious, that's what comedy is, but there's a lot of comedies that you're watching and you think, what planner are they at?
• 16:06
  Adnan Amir: Yeah, exactly.
• 16:07
  Adnan Amir: And it doesn't make sense to me.
• 16:09
  Adnan Amir: So I have an idea that I've written, and so after establishing a really thriller base, I think I'd like to go off an experiment then.
• 16:21
  Adnan Amir: But for now, I think you're going to see a lot of thriller edginess.
• 16:26
  Adnan Amir: I think the twists and the turns, that's where I love writing how, and I think that's what you're gonna get.
• 16:33
  Jeff Ornstein: Well, I gotta say, independent films have really come to the forefront, in particular in the thriller or horror genre.
• 16:40
  Jeff Ornstein: It seems because it's all about the story.
• 16:43
  Jeff Ornstein: And you know, again, you can make the lack of budget actually serve your advantage to create this scary or suspenseful environment.
• 16:52
  Jeff Ornstein: Okay, that's very cool.
• 16:54
  Jeff Ornstein: Now you're in the UK.
• 16:56
  Jeff Ornstein: Is that correct?
• 16:57
  Adnan Amir: Yeah.
• 16:58
  Jeff Ornstein: I think I saw the little bios of your other actors that you named a moment ago that were in the film, and they got to chat and introduce themselves to the viewer.
• 17:06
  Jeff Ornstein: Do you ever use USA actors or Aussie actors?
• 17:11
  Jeff Ornstein: Or is are you been always working with British?
• 17:13
  Jeff Ornstein: Am I allowed to say that?
• 17:14
  Adnan Amir: It's a British.
• 17:15
  Adnan Amir: Yeah, that's right.
• 17:16
  Adnan Amir: That's right.
• 17:16
  Adnan Amir: Obviously, I'm open to working with anyone and everyone.
• 17:20
  Adnan Amir: And let's see what the future holds.
• 17:22
  Adnan Amir: Obviously, with the dramas and films that I've been in, but being from different countries, America.
• 17:28
  Adnan Amir: For my particular film, it was important to get them more local, but I am certainly open to working with American and whoever, really.
• 17:38
  Adnan Amir: Yeah.
• 17:39
  Adnan Amir: Okay, cool.
• 17:41
  Jeff Ornstein: Would you like to be in I was actually in a Slovenian horror comedy?
• 17:49
  Jeff Ornstein: I was the only English-speaking character.
• 17:52
  Jeff Ornstein: It was a really kooky, sort of surrealist film.
• 17:56
  Jeff Ornstein: It was I was connected through someone who runs a the Bronx World Film Festival in Manhattan.
• 18:01
  Jeff Ornstein: And he said, Do you want to be in this?
• 18:02
  Jeff Ornstein: Well, I'll have one American cameo opens the film.
• 18:05
  Jeff Ornstein: So it's Drew Barrymore in Scream.
• 18:08
  Jeff Ornstein: You're there and then you're gone.
• 18:09
  Jeff Ornstein: So I'm like this American comes in, speaks in English, I have Slovenian subtitles, and the rest of the film is like almost like a Dali painting coming to life.
• 18:19
  Jeff Ornstein: So sure, I'm always game.
• 18:21
  Jeff Ornstein: I was just kind of curious because some people can obviously assume an accent and do it very well, but sometimes also like characters with different accents or that look different.
• 18:31
  Jeff Ornstein: I mean, they also add to the fabric of the film, as like music does or the lenses you're using.
• 18:37
  Jeff Ornstein: So I was just curious because there was a tightness to your crew in their accents and their looks and how they photographed again.
• 18:45
  Jeff Ornstein: Like I particularly liked your evil scenes, I will say, because you had the face for it.
• 18:50
  Jeff Ornstein: It looked terrific.
• 18:51
  Jeff Ornstein: But I was just curious.
• 18:52
  Jeff Ornstein: You never know.
• 18:53
  Jeff Ornstein: Now, you're also a qualified life coach.
• 18:57
  Jeff Ornstein: So can you tell me a little bit about that?
• 19:00
  Adnan Amir: Yeah, it's basically about reaching your potential and being the best version of yourself and just supporting the individual on their journey, whatever that might be, and to bring the best and finding the right time because sometimes it's all about time management.
• 19:16
  Adnan Amir: Now we might be focusing, we want something, but our focus is on something else.
• 19:20
  Adnan Amir: So it's our just realignment to gain the focus that you need for the goal that you want to achieve.
• 19:28
  Adnan Amir: So it's about just during that journey, building confidence and understanding as to what's most important.
• 19:36
  Jeff Ornstein: It's really important, and I think that's part of that that you've got that awareness and education and insight because it takes courage, like you said, to jump off the cliff and say, I'm gonna do this, and let's see what happens where the chips fall.
• 19:52
  Jeff Ornstein: But it also sounds like you had a good support system.
• 19:55
  Jeff Ornstein: Your family seems to be pretty supportive of what you do.
• 19:58
  Jeff Ornstein: And the people that are listening here that might be considering their own next act want to hear these stories because they feel bound by their current conditions and they might not do it.
• 20:08
  Jeff Ornstein: And yet, your first time out of the gate, you knocked it out of the park.
• 20:12
  Jeff Ornstein: So which brings me to another question.
• 20:15
  Jeff Ornstein: You had such success in the festival route with your film.
• 20:19
  Jeff Ornstein: Did you find that though all the awards you racked up, did that help you attract either more talent or investors for your film?
• 20:29
  Jeff Ornstein: Do you think that being in the film festival, other than for the exposure, were there any tangible results that you would attribute to the festival success?
• 20:37
  Adnan Amir: I think the festivals are very important in terms of like accolades and awards, and that builds confidence.
• 20:43
  Adnan Amir: It builds confidence in you, in the brand.
• 20:46
  Adnan Amir: Moving forward, people see you differently and the investment, people know that this is not a someone who's messing about.
• 20:54
  Adnan Amir: They mean business, they like what you do.
• 20:56
  Adnan Amir: So that builds confidence in what you're about.
• 20:59
  Adnan Amir: Just going back to what you mentioned there about listeners and back to fold, what an incredible journey.
• 21:07
  Adnan Amir: I could honestly, Jeff, I could make maybe three, four, five films based on the film and my life.
• 21:14
  Adnan Amir: And reassuring listeners, during Phil, in fact, my mum actually plays the role of Rotion's mom in the film, and she never got to see the end of it because sadly she passed away.
• 21:28
  Adnan Amir: Um, I'm sorry.
• 21:30
  Adnan Amir: Yeah, I know.
• 21:31
  Adnan Amir: Thank you.
• 21:31
  Adnan Amir: So during this film, my home, I lost my home to the fire, I was homeless.
• 21:40
  Adnan Amir: So what I'm saying is that challenges make us stronger.
• 21:44
  Adnan Amir: At the time, it's devastating.
• 21:47
  Adnan Amir: But if you have the right mindset, you never give up and you keep moving forward.
• 21:52
  Adnan Amir: That's something that you learn from.
• 21:55
  Adnan Amir: And so when I'm sharing this, like life coaching and stuff, I come from a position where I've faced adversities, and so I can relate to the views more, and that helps because the last thing you want is somebody who's never gone through anything and is telling people this is how you should do it.
• 22:15
  Adnan Amir: So it's very important that you're open, honest, and shared these life experiences.
• 22:23
  Adnan Amir: And the thing is, life is challenging, but we move forward and we have to enjoy ourselves whilst we're on this planet.
• 22:32
  Jeff Ornstein: Well, Adnan, I have to say, you've had this and other some significant sorrows in your life, and you have a major positive attitude.
• 22:41
  Jeff Ornstein: And I think that a lot of people that listen to this podcast, you know, benefit from knowing, like, wow, this guy suffered the indignities that we all do at times, had serious studies under his belt, and yet felt the passion and therefore went for it.
• 22:56
  Jeff Ornstein: And you know what?
• 22:56
  Jeff Ornstein: Out of the gate, he did super.
• 22:58
  Jeff Ornstein: So I, for one, would like to see you in a comedy.
• 23:02
  Jeff Ornstein: Doesn't have to be a romantic comedy, but it could be if you choose.
• 23:05
  Jeff Ornstein: I think that would be terrific.
• 23:07
  Jeff Ornstein: I'm definitely keen to see more thriller out of you.
• 23:11
  Jeff Ornstein: And I hope that when you're gearing up to release your next big event, maybe you'll give us a call.
• 23:16
  Jeff Ornstein: We'll have you back on, and you can tell us about some of the interesting back-of-the-scenes scenarios that went down when you were filming it, and what are your hopes and expectations for that?
• 23:26
  Jeff Ornstein: Yeah, that sounds brilliant.
• 23:27
  Jeff Ornstein: I absolutely will do that.
• 23:28
  Jeff Ornstein: All right, Adnan, it was terrific having you on, and I hope you have a wonderful evening.
• 23:32
  Jeff Ornstein: Thank you very much.
• 23:33
  Jeff Ornstein: You too.
• 23:34
  Jeff Ornstein: Pleasure.
• 23:35
  Jeff Ornstein: Thanks for tuning in to Next Act with Jeff Orenstein.
• 23:38
  Jeff Ornstein: Follow, subscribe, and stay connected to your favorite socials at www.nextdackpodcast.com.
• 23:46
  Jeff Ornstein: Keep chasing your next act.
• 23:48
  Jeff Ornstein: The best is yet to come.