Taking The Lead: Yasmina El-Abd On Meteoric Success Before Turning 20

Actress and Dior ambassador Yasmina El-Abd on ambition, Arabic cinema and entering a new era in her career

At just 19 years old, Yasmina El-Abd speaks with the self-awareness of someone far beyond her years. Shooting at Château de La Colle Noire, Christian Dior’s private retreat near Grasse, prior to making her red carpet debut in Cannes as Dior’s new ambassador for couture, jewellery and beauty, the Egyptian actress recalls visiting the festival at 16, still too young to watch the over-18 screenings. “I told my family then, ‘There’s going to be a time where I won’t need an entry badge to go in. I’ll be invited.’” Three years later, she has returned not as an observer, but as one of the Arab world’s most exciting emerging talents.

What becomes immediately apparent in conversation with Yasmina is that her rise has not been accidental, nor purely the product of youthful charisma and social media era visibility. Beneath the glamour lies a drive – nurtured by her family – but with the impetus and discipline being entirely her own.

“I started professionally at the age of 11 or 12,” she says, though her fascination with performance started much earlier. As a child growing up in Geneva, she dreamed first of becoming a dancer and opening her own studio. When asked by her mother how dance could possibly “help humanity”, her response revealed a startling intelligence for a six-year-old. “She said, ‘Everybody needs to feel happy, so I’ll have my dancing studio and they will come and dance and have good energy and they will go home happy.’” Her mother, who accompanies her on international trips and now plays an integral role in managing her career, remembers the moment vividly. “I was blown away,” she says. “This is actually what made me think maybe there’s something there…”

Though creativity ran through the family – her father played piano and her mother worked as an interior architect – no one had pursued entertainment professionally. “I was sort of the black sheep of the family,” Yasmina laughs. Yet the fascination endured. Fuelled by endless hours of Disney Channel, Nickelodeon and YouTube behind-the-scenes videos, she became enthralled not only by performance itself, but by the mechanics of filmmaking. “I fell in love with the idea of movie magic,” she explains. “It sort of deconstructed the magic of it all for me at such a young age.”

Ironically, she describes herself as “quite a shy child”. Performance, however, transformed her. “The only thing that brought out any form of confidence was just being on stage or performing.”

The family’s move to Dubai when she was 10 proved pivotal. Suddenly, the commercial entertainment industry felt tangible. She signed with an agency, began auditioning and quickly found herself appearing in commercials – eventually amassing more than 30 campaigns. Her days were spent at the Swiss International school, followed by a quick packed lunch in the car, before hours spent honing her craft at Diverse Studios.

Yasmina’s breakthrough came with The Shadow of Cairo, a short film in which she played a young superhero fighting sexual harassment in Cairo’s streets. She was just 12. “That’s what really inspired me to continue,” she says. “I felt like, ‘Oh, this is not just selfishly something I can do for fun. There’s a message that we’re conveying.’”

That desire for substance continues to shape her choices. From Daughters of Abdelrahman to Netflix’s Finding Ola, Yasmina has steadily built a body of work that balances mainstream appeal with emotional resonance. Along the way, she sharpened not only her acting skills, but also her Arabic, which she admits was initially “broken” after growing up primarily speaking French and English. “I started reading so much more in Arabic and trying to practise my writing,” she says. “I did a lot of TV presenting, a lot of hosting – so many things that were out of my comfort zone.”

That willingness to embrace discomfort appears central to her evolution. She recalls crying from nerves before stepping on stage, only to leave wanting to do it all over again. “There’s so much to learn and it’s never ending,” she says. “But at the same time, I feel like I’m doing something of substance.”

Now on the cusp of turning 20 – the youngest of three, she teases her mother that her home will soon be free of teenagers – she occupies an unusual space: simultaneously a young woman navigating early adulthood and a public figure balancing international projects, major fashion partnerships and increasing scrutiny. Her solution? “I try to keep my circle very small, and ideally people who don’t really work in the same industry,” she explains. “Because that way, there’s more to talk about. It sort of disconnects you from everything.”

Her mother remains a stabilising force – part strategist, part protector. “Having a mum slash ‘momager’… someone I trust so much, I think that’s the biggest blessing of it all.”

Yasmina is also refreshingly pragmatic about fame and social media. While many actors of previous generations lament the demands of constant online visibility, she views it as both unavoidable and useful. “It’s your marketing currency,” she says matter-of-factly. “I do it because it’s part of my work.” Still, she is careful not to romanticise digital culture. “I don’t think it’s a very healthy place to be for too long in your day,” she admits.

Instead, she prefers to focus on how visibility can be leveraged constructively. As a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and supporter of organisations including UNHCR and Safe Egypt, she is acutely aware of the responsibility that comes with influence. “If you’re given a platform you have to use it for good,” she says.

The same philosophy informs her outlook on Arab cinema, which she believes is entering a transformative chapter. Speaking passionately about increased regional investment and global collaboration, she lights up discussing projects that bring together Arab and international talent. “We have what it takes to have a global audience,” she says. “We have the talent and now we have the ability to actually make it happen.”

For Yasmina, the dream extends far beyond acting alone. Increasingly fascinated by the creative machinery behind the camera, she speaks enthusiastically about directing, producing and developing original ideas from scratch. “I don’t want to just be offered a script and get on board,” she says. “I really want to be part of the process from the beginning.”

It is perhaps this combination of ambition and emotional intelligence that makes Yasmina so compelling. There is a grace and beauty, certainly – enough to secure one of luxury fashion’s most coveted partnerships before the age of 20 – but also a natural sincerity that’s instinctive, not put on. When told she seems unusually articulate for someone so young – with a clarity of thought and an ability to convey it that most don’t even master after years of media training – she laughs, seemingly slightly embarrassed by the compliment.

As a child, she believed bringing joy was essentially a public service. Now, standing on the global stage she once manifested, Yasmina El-Abd appears to be doing precisely that.

Lead Image Credit: Fashion: Dior Autumn 2026 Collection Used throughout: Dior Forever Skin Glow Foundation in 1.5 Neutral, Dhs265; Dior Forever Skin Bronze Balm Stick in 03 Light Medium, Dhs265; Diorshow Overvolume Waterproof Mascara 090 Overblack, Dhs180; Dior Backstage Airflash Mist , Dhs190; Dior Prestige La Micro-Brume de Rose Mist, Dhs1,255 for two, all Dior Beauty Diorshow 5 Couleurs Limited Edition Eyeshadow in 855 Rose Moiré, Dhs315 ; Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush in 107 Dragonfruit, Dhs175; Dior Backstage Rosy Glow Blush Stick in 107 Dragonfruit , Dhs175; Dior Backstage Glassy Glow Stick Highlighter in Glazed Pink, Dhs185; Dior Addict Glass Lipstick in 194 Sparkly Dice, Dhs200, all Dior Beauty

Photography: Alexandra Utzmann. Make-Up: Norman Pohl. Hair: Sebastian Iskander. Photographer’s Assistant: Tamara Hauvuy

From the Harper’s Bazaar Arabia June 2026 issue