Ramy Youssef's Oscars Look Brings His Worlds Together
Hey, somebody’s gotta do it. At least, that’s what Ramy Youssef is telling himself as prepares to present at the Oscars. “Anytime I’m busy doing something for TV or whatever, I have a buddy who always says that to me,” Youssef explains. “He goes, ‘Hey, man, someone’s gotta do it.’ The best part about that is that he’s a doctor.”
So a few days before the big night, I caught up with the Poor Things actor to hear just exactly how he’s doing it. And it starts with Zegna. “The interesting thing is that the Oscars are going to be on the first night of Ramadan,” Youssef says. “Whenever I go to the mosque at night during Ramadan, I'm always wearing a thobe. Then I had this idea, ‘What would it look like to do a super dressed up thobe with a really nice Zegna jacket?’ So I started talking to them about it, and everyone got really excited about the idea.”
The result? A union of styles, cultures, and designers amalgamating into a final fit. “I had this thobe that was custom made for me for my wedding. I didn't actually wear it at my wedding, but I wore it the whole week. It was designed by Yassir Ahmed and Zaid Mahomed,” Youssef tells me. “I honestly wasn’t sure if it was going to work because it’s two different designers—like I don’t know what’s going on—but then the second we put on the jacket, we were all like, ‘Wow, this is what we’re doing.’”
The Oscars are more than just a style moment for the star. He’s also using it as a chance to stand up for what he believes in through a pop of color (check the red pin). And beyond his approach to style and activism, Youssef is talking about family, friends, and fashionable costars. So, let’s get into it.
A Big Idea
There's something about getting to be on this stage and also getting to wear something that has a lot of history for me. It’s funny because I was talking to my dad about it, and he was like, “Oh, you're wearing a thobe to the Oscars?” But I had a feeling after the Zegna fitting like, “I think these guys are gonna start making thobes next year.” Because it kind of looks high fashion. It’s not far off from a lot of the billowing silhouettes that are really in, whether it be these pants or tops that flow into bottoms and billow, so yeah it totally checks both boxes.
Onstage Stand
There’s also going to be a pop of red. We have these pins that are part of the Artists4Ceasefire campaign, which has been going on since October. A bunch of the pins were at the Grammys. So another conversation around going all black was to really highlight the red pop. It’s this beautiful hand with a heart in the middle, and it’s tied to Artists4Ceasefire’s call to have a permanent ceasefire, humanitarian aid for the safe return of hostages. You know, there’s something that doesn’t feel real about being at an awards show while there’s a lot of suffering going on in the world. But I also think that with the whole banner of Artists4Ceasefire, we have an opportunity to do something that is totally different from the news cycle. I always find the term “talking heads” to be really interesting, because you turn on CNN or MSNBC and it’s talking heads. Everyone's head-butting. And I think what artists have an opportunity to do is to create talking hearts. We're really here to connect the emotion of it, the humanity of it. I think you could say that artists tap into their sensitivity professionally, and I think that because that’s the case, it feels like some of the least we can do to appeal to people’s hearts.
His Style Vibe
I would say elevated cozy. I like clothing that is a little oversized. I like feeling like I'm being swathed by what I'm wearing. I want to feel comfortable, but I also want to look nice. Sometimes when you're cozy, you're frumpy, and I don't want to be frumpy. I want to be cozy but elevated. I have oversized jackets and sweaters, and this pair of jeans that I've been wearing at least four or five days a week for three years since I found them. They are a pair of '70s Levi's that I found and really love.
And the Most Fashionable Costar Is...
Oh, it's gotta be Emma [Stone]. She’s got the coolest clothes and knows how to read the room pretty quickly. She always knows if it’s meant to be casual or if it's meant to be dressed up, and then even when she's dressed up, it just feels effortless. Emma is our effortless leader.
Growing Things
It's just fun to grow. I'm proud of being able to grow on- and offscreen at the same time. What was really cool about the Poor Things crew was that I was surrounded by people who were constantly growing. I have all these castmates who seem to have really beautiful family lives and also are some of my favorite actors.
Proudest Moments
I'm very proud of the special [Ramy Youssef: More Feelings, which debuts on March 23, 2024 on HBO], but it's a byproduct of the tour, which was really just about seeing people in person and connecting with them. It was my first time getting out and doing a bunch of shows since my series came out. And it's a show that obviously has done well but it's still somewhat specific. The people who really connect with it are just such a specific group. So getting to see them and perform for them—especially in a time where it's hard to laugh—has been really cool. There were a lot of nights where I didn't think that I could even laugh—let alone make people laugh—and then I would kind of tell the audience that, and they would totally accept it. And then we would all find a way to laugh. It was awesome.
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