Will Smith ‘boosted Aladdin set’s energy’ as co-star Navid Negahban reveals behind-the-scenes on Disney filming

‘He was being as kind and gentle as anyone could be and it was inspiring watching him the way he was treating people. It was beautiful.’

The Homeland actor stars as Sultan in the upcoming Disney classic set to hit cinemas next week, and revealed his honour at playing the part in what is set to be a summer blockbuster.

‘Just imagine a kid from Iran travelling around the world; in Germany I used to clean up rooms because I didn’t have money to pay for my own room, I was washing cars and waiting tables. You name it I’ve done it,’ Navid continued.

The film is Disney’s latest live action remake which will see stars come together to re-tell the story that captivated audiences as a cartoon in 1992.

From whimsical creations of Will’s Genie to the magic of the iconic lamp, audiences are already obsessed with still a week to go until we can watch it in the cinema.

‘It’s been an incredible journey, and just being on that set – Guy [Richie, the director] was amazing to work with, the set was amazing,’ Navid continued, as he added ‘how responsible’ Guy was toward the story and the characters and the background.

‘I’ve never worked on a set like this, it was the best of the best they were creating for us to go and just…be,’ he said.

‘The story it’s going to go much deeper. It creates so many layers and nuances. I guarantee every girl will want to be Jasmine and every guy will want to be Aladdin once the movie is out.’

The actor, who is based in the US now, rose to fame in Hollywood through his role as Abu Nazir on Homeland. Playing the terrorist in the crosshairs of Claire Danes’ Carrie Mathison opened him up to a whole new audience, after he found local fame in Germany on crime TV show Tatort.

‘Homeland was something different. It was an introduction to the international market and it was crazy, I guess,’ he said of the role be played from 2011-2013.

However, following his turn as the villain Navid revealed he was unable to book a job.

‘That character was a very fun and memorable chapter but for almost a year after it happened I couldn’t book a job,’ he said. ‘People would fly me around to New York here and there, they’d have a chat and they’d say they love you.

‘Then you have a meeting and you have a call and they say, “we love you but we cannot have Abu Nazir in our show”.’

The actor was in no way thinking of giving up on a dream of continuing the success of Homeland elsewhere, with his spirit inclined to look for another pathway to make it work.

‘Anytime you have an obstacle, it’s turn left, turn right,’ he said of re-routing according to where life takes you. ‘If that didn’t happen I’d have never gone back to Germany after almost 21 years and worked on Tatort, which is kind of like CSI. It is every actor’s dream to be on Tatort.’

He added: ‘The world has become my sandbox; a beautiful playground.

‘You can go and have fun and meet so many interesting people. I’ve been to places most people would not have heard about.’

Aladdin is in cinemas 22 May.