Meet Noah who spent 10 years in Hollywood aspiring to be like one of his favorite actors Denzel Washington until he finally caught a break and got a role in the shield, did some commercials and was on a role until he put the breaks on it all. Find out what really goes on in Hollywood and why he left that fake dream and lifestyle for a real one that brought him real peace, happiness, and purpose in life.
Inside Hollywood
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Peace be with you. Welcome to the D show. Come on take a second before we start the show and subscribe right now if you haven't My next guest spent 10 years pursuing the Hollywood dream. He was striving to be like Denzel Washington consumed that's all he was consumed with was being a star to finally getting a break, getting a role and then putting a break to it all. You want to know why wouldn't get the ins and outs of the Hollywood lifestyle for those who maybe got their bags packed and they're ready to go Hold up, watch this week's show. And then make your decision at the end. We'll be right back with this exciting episode here The Daily Show don't go anywhere.
This is the
this is the
not lie. But Noah. Yes, sir. Named after one of the greatest messengers that ever walked the earth. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. How did you? Why did you come up with this name? Your parents came up with it. Yeah. My dad, he. He wasn't born Muslim. And so his mom named him Nora, because she was from Mississippi. And she had a thick accent. But she was trying to say Noah. And so he changed his name to to Noah. And he started practicing Islam. And it just just worked out like that. So 1010 years, you were in the Hollywood scene. Exactly, exactly. In Hollywood, pursuing
the dream of acting. I was I started out in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
I was in community college and I took an intro to theater class. And it was everything that had to do with theater from lighting to blocking and stuff. And so they used to have us two people stand on the set. And they will have them do a little scene. so other people can like practice lighting and stuff like that. And when we would improv the the the different scenes, I guess I caught the acting bug is what they call it, you know. And from there, I went to Howard University and study film. And then I came to Hollywood, and I started the grind of trying to be an actor, you know, going from one agency to the next with my headshot, passing it out, you know, trying to get an agent, you know, and
I ended up booking an agent, and they started sending me out to commercial auditions.
All kinds of auditions and that's when I booked
a role on the shoot. And I booked dominoes commercial. A couple other commercials and an A pilot with a comedian, famous comedian.
Andy, Andy dick. He was from from MTV. So who were some of your favorite actors that you were aspiring to be like? Um, Denzel Washington. Definitely. I used to watch a lot of his movies. Chris Tucker, you know, with his comedy and and how, how much of a live wire he was. And I would look at them and study tapes. And when I was in acting classes and things of that nature, I would do scenes out of their movies and stuff like that. So I definitely those two right there were definitely my the ones who I aspire to be like, tell us some of the some of the on the ground action that happens down in Hollywood, because people see the big Hollywood sign.
And people like they save up money. Yeah, maybe they leave school leave their family run away. Yeah, run away to get to Hollywood, they land touchdown, they're like we made it this is our paradise. Exactly what really goes on behind the scenes. Man, you know what it's the thing about it is so very few people reach that upper level where they're actually on TV and working on a regular basis. Many of the people who are in Hollywood are just aspiring, you know, it's 1000s and 1000s of people who are aspiring to be to be famous and things of that nature. And that right there is ugly because
because just the competition, it's no rules. You know, I mean, you would show up to auditions and see somebody who you were good friends with and they
They don't even speak to you, you know, you would have agents who have hundreds representing hundreds and hundreds of actors and they're just taking on clients in order to
maybe be one of them will make it big, you know, not necessarily I'm invested in each one of these people's careers, I'm just looking for one of them to make it big, so I can make some money, or hire you on set, whether you're doing extra work or anything like that the fitness that goes on with the, with the, with the sisters who, who may think that,
you know, getting to know you a little little better will boost their career, you know, so it's a lot of things distracting you from the actual movie making, which you do so, so little of, you know, the actual time on set. And, and making movies is very, is very small. in the, in the in the Hollywood industry, you spend most of the time trying to make it big, taking acting classes, which which which drain your pocket, taking headshots, which, which drain your pocket and all these things, you you you look at all of these avenues. And it's hard to decipher the real from the fake, you know, you go to parties, and you meet people and you question your own self like, like, do I
just want to get to know this person so I can succeed more? Or is this person getting to know me? So so they can succeed? More, you know, so, like they say, hollywood isn't as an illusion is definitely an illusion, because you know, you know, know exactly what's real and what's not real. I can imagine for our sisters out there, you know, just women in general and humanity, the kind of traps they can fall in people taking advantage of them because they want to like achieve this position this role. So certain agents or even producers just taking women really you know, there's a new documentary, there's all about the dark side of Hollywood, and how some power players allegedly use their
positions to prey on young aspiring actors. But Evan may not be the only one. The manager also allegedly abused. The late Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. Feldman told us it didn't end there. When I looked back at a picture of when I was 15 years old, and I was surrounded by five men in every one of those men in that photograph is a *. That's a pretty big problem. Think about it, it. Definitely, yeah, you would think that it's a lot of diabolical men just preying on these women, big time. But in general, you you might go to set, and it may be two or three women preying on you. Hmm. You know, and it's, you know, it's in general with more women than men just in general. Yeah. And so
women,
not all of the women, but some of the women. They go with it with the intention that they're going to, you know, do things like that. So you as a man, you you are preyed on also you, you you obviously, a lot of people end up selling their soul.
Even men, probably men trying to get other men to do certain things. This is everyday business. And he made me feel like I have to do that. In order to get any job. Yeah, I've been graded on that stuff personally, but I've heard stories about that, you know, and it's all for people who just who just want to be famous. Yeah. Who want to do something with themselves, and who are confused as to exactly what what success is, you know, yeah, you realize, at that time, you weren't really practicing that like I should definitely definitely Yeah. And and we find this I mean, we want to kind of give people the inside look what's going on. Why is Dave Chappelle going to Africa? Why does
Mariah Carey make $100 million deal and take clothes off on TRL is a weird person cannot get to sit here and talk to you in a week people talking to you. So what is happening in Hollywood, nobody knows. Before maybe somebody you know, they forget about their purpose in life purpose, they make this their purpose you met you said only a small, very small percentage that actually even make it and even when you do make it at the end, it's a whole nother world of drama. Exactly a whole nother world of drama, you know, the Screen Actors Guild, which is the the guild that if you want to work in the industry, you have to join. It's only about 2% of those people who are a part of that, that
guild that actually work. So 98% of the people are out of work actors, you know, just struggling to to make it somewhere you know, and like you say, the pert the person with purpose
can can definitely lose
They're the purpose pursuing something like that, you know, it's almost like somebody who is a, who's trained
not to eat in the right way. If a person is not trained to eat in the right way, then whenever they're hungry, they'll just they'll just grab anything. They're just trying to eat anything, whether it be fattening or anything like that. Yeah, it's the same thing about people who want want success. They just trying to get it in the wrong way. Yeah, we're going to talk about what real success is definitely want to get more of your journey, how you actually found out well, how you actually started really engrossing yourself to living the full purpose of life to reach your full potential, and how you're doing something, actually something really beneficial. Now, I'm gonna do
that here on the dean show. We'll be right back with Noah, don't go anywhere, please subscribe to the show. Follow us on our official Facebook and Twitter pages in the links below. Please also help support the show by making a donation in the link below.
back here to the show with special guest, Noah was in Hollywood, at sur on a strip Hollywood Boulevard Boulevard, you were trying to get one of those stars definitely. Yeah, yeah, you know, the crazy thing about that, is when you walk down the strip of Hollywood, and you see those stars in the ground. For me, it probably was about 70 to 80% of those people, I didn't even know who they were, I didn't even know who they were, you know, these are people who reached the top of nano, you know, when you're the top of Hollywood, you're the you're the top of the whole whole world, you know, and you have these people who are just just will do anything to get to that point. And you just go a
couple of years outside of the realm, and people don't even don't even know who you are, you know, and
it's a lot of controversy going on right now with the with the you know, getting Oscars and things of that nature. And for me, it goes down to people putting hope in the wrong things, you know, because the
the thing about pursuit, pursuing success, it was putting us by Allah, you know, to pursue success. And the pursuit of success is so fiery, and it's so hot within the soul, you know, and if you're pursuing it in the wrong way, you will pursue that just like you You should be pursuing it for a lot but you're pursuing it for something else, you know, because when I was in Hollywood, and now I really was, was gunning and trying to be the top a list actor, I used to think about it all the time. Every day when I when I woke up in the morning, I would think about man, how am I going to do it? I need to go to this acting class. I need to do this. I need to do that. Whenever I eat. I'm
like, Okay, I need to stop eating. You know so much because I need to save my money so I can take some headshots you go on to some kind of a fast definitely Yeah, yes starving actors
and and and just to pay rent just to take these acting classes just did a bunch of rituals that you're actually going through it becomes a your whole life is like you're consumed.
with it. Yeah, totally consumed with it. You know, it's interesting, people are reaching for the stars, but now they're actually on the lowest part under people's feet is and go look at these stars that are on the strip, people are walking, walking on them, you know, and that's why Muhammad Ali told him to put my star on the wall because you know that he's exactly, yeah. So because you can't you can't walk on the name Muhammad. That's amazing. Yeah, yeah. So his star is actually on the on the wall. Yeah, you know, I'm saying don't put my star on the floor. Everyone, just give me a star. You
know, he was like, if you will give me one. It can't it can't be walked on. Now. Tell us more. I mean, obviously, before we get to real purpose, which you're living now, you got to see probably a lot of things. A lot of people selling themselves. Yeah, their souls, you know, people who actually make it many people think, okay, I made it to be a star. That's happiness. That's your purpose in life? How far away Can this be from the truth? Is, is this as far as you can, as you can imagine, you know, because people who are who are pursuing that are actually pursuing something that's, that's legit, you know, because the pursuit of success is like I said it within the soul. So the
pursuit of something that validates you, that makes it seem like you accomplished something is natural. But we need to do that in the way of a law because if we don't, once we reach it, you know, it's not going to do what what we thought it would do you know, Rosie O'Donnell, she had one she had a powerful quote, and she said that fame let her down. Because she felt like when she reached fame, that it will solve all of her problems, but it didn't you
No. And so I think that people who are who are pursuing that they are running themselves ragged to that to that point, you know, and it says in the Quran in Surah Surah alkaff
verse 103104, Allah says, He says, I'll tell you who are the greatest of losers. And he says, those are the ones who whose pursuits are all within the worldly life. And they don't, they don't consider they don't think about the higher purpose which is, which is, which is a law, you know. And that hit me because I was like, man, people go through a lot to reach success. Like you say, I'm not eating, you know, waking up at three and four o'clock in the morning to shoot basketballs if you're trying to be in the NBA, but in in Hollywood, sacrificing yourself, you know, going to these acting classes and things of that nature, to think that at the end of your life, you could have five or six Oscars,
everybody in this world could know your name. Everybody
could be wearing you. Your clothing line is something like that. And at the end of the day, everything to be lost. Yeah. That means that the check station before you cross over into the next line, you need a visa visa stamped by the Creator. Yes, belief in him doing those righteous good deeds. But those Oscars Listen, if you do win tonight, remember that no one cares about that award as much as you do. Okay, I've got three, I've got three Golden Globes myself. So I can say that one's a doorstop. When I used to hit burglars with and when I keep by the bed, that stuff, get you in there, that's definitely It doesn't mean any law. Tell us how do you how do you? How do you feel?
And how would you advise people who, even many Muslims, they fall in this trap, they're pursuing that dream? Maybe they're out there making some YouTube videos, doing some of the most ridiculous silly
things that compromise their Deen. And they end up maybe being YouTube sensations. And they want to be stars, reaching for the stars. But again, you see the most ridiculous things that are being done in the name of this startup? Exactly. Exactly. And I ran a YouTube page for a while, you know, and I had that that similar mentality, you know, because you don't want everything to fall into just views and hits and things of this nature. You know, because that that validates you also, man, if I got a million views, that means everybody likes me, you know, you have to focus on Who are you doing it for? If you're doing it for people to approve what you're doing, you're doing it for the wrong
reasons. Do everything strictly for the purpose of gaining the pleasure of Allah. If you have that in your scope, you always gonna be on the right direction, you know, so people who, who, who put it out there, you know, do pranks and things of that nature in order to just to build themselves up here.
I'm not gonna speak for everybody, but you'll find those people who don't consider the next life at all. And, you know, for a Muslim for us not to look at the afterlife. That's one of the worst things that you can do. You know, that's one of the easiest ways to lose yourself. We're gonna take a break. We'll be right back with more we want to know what finally did it for you that, you know, started living purpose and some of the work that you're doing now here in the deen show? And no, don't go anywhere. Please subscribe to the show. Follow us on our official Facebook and Twitter pages in the links below. Please also help support the show by making a donation in the link below.
Back here on the D show with Noah All right, so you got a row? You got a few rolls? Yeah, you're in the shield as a big that's a series actually. Yeah.
Yeah, you gotta roll in there. You did some other commercial. You started slowly, you know, to climb the ladder. What happens to you in an apartment? Another ladder? Exactly, exactly. Well, I just, you know, from there, I reached a lot of success there and, or some just a little bit, just a little taste. That's all you really need. And start doing YouTube for a while, you know, in, in, in built up a following me on YouTube, you know, got millions of views on my videos. And then I started to take life of the Prophet class. That was one of the first things that that triggered it for me that I was going in the wrong direction. You know, from the life of the Prophet class, I took a
purification of the heart class. And that class right there, it basically it it pinpoints all of the diseases of the heart. You know
And just like
a basketball player, or a football player, depending on what sports you play, depending on what type of injury you're you're prone to. So depending on what we do in life is, is, depending on what we do in life is what you're more likely to get a disease of the heart. And so, since taking that class, I looked at myself and said, I may have the disease of the heart for the want for fame, you know, and if you want for fame, and status on this world, then you kind of spoil your blessings, you know, and so that right there made me introspectively looked at everything that I had ever done on screen on camera or anything like that. And, man, it hit me like a ton of bricks. You know, I said, Man, if I
can get a million hits on this video, or if I can do TV and a million people are looking at me, why can't I stand up and say lay the high law on camera and if familiar people look at me doing that, then it will be good for the people here and it would be good for my afterlife. I can't I can't do anything on film from this point on that will not help me here and then the afterlife and and that that made me change everything that made me change my production company from Adventures of Noah cife Productions to sort of a lot productions. Even in my production company. I said if you if you just read the name of my production company I wanted to give Dawa everything that I do on screen. I
wanted to give Dawa everything is is for the grace and mercy of Allah. You know, now someone says look, you know, with all the hype about Muslims, non Muslims out there, so he's Muslim sort of a law. Yeah. What would you say? Well, the thing about it is
my last name is Saifullah Indian. I mean, sort of a lot. So my last name means that exactly. So it's just it's just an it's just a Is this my last name? Now someone says even in his last name. Exactly. These guys are violent. What do you think it is? Have you ever had been? Definitely, definitely Yeah, well, the first thing about it, let's let's, let's dissect what a sword is. A sword was made by law. And it was made so powerful that you can go to war with it. But it's so delicate that you can slice a piece you can spread butter on a piece of bread with it. So the actual mechanism which is a sword is is a beautiful creation within itself. It's nothing wrong with that. And not only
that, if you put anything before Allah, that's a servant of Allah. So don't matter if it's a sword, if it's a book, if it's anything, it's, it's a servant. You know, so a sword of Allah is still a servant of Allah. Because whatever is used for is used for something that Allah has decreed, you know, so sort of a lot of productions is servant of a lot production slave of a lot productions, it is because anything you put in before a lot is, is serving a lot. Now we noticed, I noticed that knowledge was was a key component into the transformation. Yep. This was something that really now that you took this class, he started to grow in knowledge.
And the transformation was a difficult was it something that you really had to struggle against your desires? Now to leave all because now you're gaining some popularity? Yeah, is that probably not transferable, and please go to the Creator, you got to leave it off, how was that struggle, the struggle was real, because the stuff that was left on me was so many remnants of the dunya. You know, and so many of your, your goals and aspirations are just attached to that, and you just have to just, mentally just leave it alone, you know, you you think to yourself, man, if I just had a fast car, if I just had a big house, if I just had, you know, a beautiful model wife, you know, my
life would be be complete. And just the constant reminders from the dunya. In, in TV, and so that's why you gotta you gotta change everything, you know, you can't, I'm switching my life around, but I still watch the shows, I'm switching my life around, but I don't, you know, read Quran or anything or you know, you have to just totally abandon everything you know, in, in, in, in fill your life with the things that are conducive to the way you want to live. If you do that, then the transition will be easier of getting out of there doing it because you will still have things on you from the dunya those things still remind you of that. So I think just as long as you're, you're, you're
committed to the total transformation, it'd be easier, but it's definitely not an easy process. You started making videos on the importance of fudger or backbiting. Yeah.
We got like one minute left, tell us about what went into the thought process that went into these. I'm just just given that we're just doing doing videos that may help Muslims help anybody, you know, so I'm praying five during the Battle of 5g. Man, maybe I can make a movie that help people get up in the morning, you know the dangers of backbiting a sin that could you know, eat away from our deeds on the on the on the Day of Judgment, you know, things that can actually people can watching and kind of wake up, you know, and the feature film that I have, that I'm in production with the search for Sakina the same thing, you know, everybody's on a search for sukeena. Zucchini means
peace and tranquility. Yeah, you know, so just putting it out there, you know, in every way, shape or form, worship Allah. Remember a lot. You know, this is this is what we're supposed to be doing, like, last
few seconds that we have someone out there got to tune in and they're also aspiring, they got their bags packed, they're about to leave the Hollywood.
What advice would you give them? Don't forget about Allah.
Don't forget about a life you go into Hollywood and you and you're and you're pursuing a career in Hollywood, do not forget about a lot. Because if you forget about a lot, it don't matter how much money you make. You can have 813 Oscars, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you forget about a lot. But if you remember a lot, everything you do, that's going to change. That's gonna change everything you do the decisions, you make everything. So never forget about Allah never forget the one who credited you as an Earth. Thank you so much. Thank you for being with us. No, thank you, thank you for having us. You thank you for being
like, Alright, that was no one here on the D show for those people who had had their bags packed and they were right out the door. Almost. Hopefully, you're unpacking right now, you have a change of heart, connecting that heart, you know, there's things that stop the human being from doing what's intrinsically embedded in all of us. It's part of human nature to believe in the Almighty Creator. It's, it's they've done studies on this, this is something that's verified, you know, it's acquired to disbelieve in God, but the things that hinder us are those desires. So you might have a desire for fame, desire for fornication for drugs, or alcohol desires, you got to put a check on that. If
you're about to get a job that's gonna pay you and an exorbitant amount of money, with so many benefits, but there's certain requirements that need to be fulfilled.
Are you going to forsake that job for your desires? Or no, you'll be intelligent enough to live off the things that are good for you. And fulfill those requirements. So you can get those that position and get that payday, right? Makes sense. But everything that a lot of the credit, has told us to stay away from are things that are not good for us, things that are harmful for us. And now is the time that we need to make a change and you weren't created to win Emmys, and Oscars, and to be a Hollywood superstar. That's not the things that you should be consuming your mind with. And take it from nominee take it from for instance, Jim Carrey. You know what he said? It's interesting, I think
that everyone should get rich and famous, and do everything that they ever dreamed of. So at the end, they can they can see that that's not the answer. telling you that right now take it from Jim. I mean, this is like a star actor at the top of the class, that class rose to fame. But you see that that does not fill the void in the heart. And many of these, if not the overwhelming majority of Hollywood actors are on antidepressants. They're on drugs or alcohol, or very arrogant, very miserable people living miserable, shallow lives.
And you have a chance either to go in that direction, and at the end, maybe you might make it but then you make it like Jim Carrey said, you make it to the top and you realize, Hey, what's up here I've even lonelier than when I was at the bottom. Or you can focus
your efforts onto something that you were created for, to do something not to chase this world, but to help change the world for the better. That's what the creator had made you for, to worship Him alone, and to play your role to the best of its ability, doing the things that Allah the Almighty had told you to do. And we have that all laid out in this beautiful way of life. Get to know it and when he did
You see what Noah, he took that class and now had a different perspective about life knowledge, if you just bump in 50 cents all day and night orbit, or Katy Perry or whoever else is out there nowadays who's hitting the charts, who's got maybe like almost a billion hits on the YouTube. I mean, they're gonna have a big following, because Shakedown has taken a lot of people but except for those few those small few that are loyal and committed to pleasing their Creator doing the good that he's told us to do, and that's how you recharge your heart. That's how you get the pieces how you get that happiness, that fulfillment, that contentment, that money can buy, and you're going to get
it with, I don't care how many Grammys or Emmys, you win, make a change. Right now for the better leave off all those things just the same way you'd leave them off, if it was for monetary gain, for benefits of this world. But the best is when you can have this world in your hand and but then you strive and struggle for the best and the hereafter by being good doing good, living a righteous, wholesome life. We'll see you next time right now. Stop. If you haven't subscribe. I now do it. And we'll see you next time here to D show. Get it? Go. Good. We'll see a peace. Please subscribe to the show. Follow us on our official Facebook and Twitter pages in the links below. Please also help
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