Nazanin Boniadi on Life, Acting & Human Rights

If you don’t know who Nazanin Boniadi is yet, chances are you will do very soon. Boniadi, 35, is an Iranian-born British actress and activist who has very quickly made a name for herself in the film and television industry. As well as having played supporting roles in several major Hollywood film productions, including Iron Man and Charlie Wilson’s War, she starred in the hit CBS sitcom How I Met Your Mother where she played Nora, a love interest for Neil Patrick Harris' character Barney Stinson in season six and seven, and as CIA analyst, Fara Sherazi, in season three and four of Homeland. And this year seems set to be her biggest year yet with the release of Timur Bekmambetov’s 2016 remake of Ben-Hur where Boniadi plays the leading female role of Esther alongside actors Jack Huston, Morgan Freeman and Toby Kebbell.

But Boniadi’s work is not just limited to the acting world, she also dedicates a lot of her time to human rights work, especially with regards to her home country of Iran. Just recently, Amnesty International praised her work as an activist by awarding her with a human rights honor. She was also a spokesperson for Amnesty International USA for many years. IranWire spoke to Boniadi about her career, both as an actress and activist, her upbringing in Iran and the UK and her upcoming new film, “Ben-Hur.”

"Ben Hur" is coming out this year. Have you finished filming? What’s the release date? 

Yes, we finished filming Ben Hur a few months ago and it is currently in post-production. It was a magical experience shooting this epic film in Rome and Matera, Italy, for five months. It’s a story of redemption and forgiveness, which makes it truly universal, and it couldn’t be more timely given the state of the world right now. It hits theaters globally in August 2016. 

When did you start acting? Why do you think you’ve had such success?

I started acting in 2006. I feel strongly that success is a combination of opportunity and preparation. I’m a hard worker by nature. When I commit to something, I see it through. I gave myself a year to prove that I can make a living as an actor. It took me 9 months to become a member of the Screen Actors Guild — a necessity for anyone who wants to work professionally as an actor in American film and TV. I’ve had the tremendous fortune of gaining quality experience in comedy on How I Met Your Mother, and in drama on Homeland. When I booked the role of Esther in Ben Hur it was a real ‘pinch me’ moment. I’ve always wanted to do an epic period piece set in that era. It was definitely on my bucket list. 

Had you always wanted to be an actress? Did you study in London? Do you have relatives that inspired you to work in the industry?

None of my relatives are in the performing arts. But growing up in London I was in several high school plays. I played the violin, the recorder, electric organ, and piano. I took ballet and ice skating lessons for several years. Although I was committed to academics and achieved good grades, the arts always felt far more natural and instinctual to me than the sciences and humanities. I also had a strong urge to follow a career in which I could serve and help people, so after high school I actually decided to pursue medicine. I graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a degree in Biology, only to realize that my true calling was the performing arts. So, I actually started my acting career later than most people. I took the Contemporary Drama course at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London in 2009 and have studied acting consistently since I started my career.

You were born in Iran during the Islamic revolution of 1979. When and why did your parents leave?  Can they return to Iran? Can you?

I was born in Tehran at the height of the Iranian Revolution and my parents were opposed to the new direction the country was starting to take. They witnessed a social, political and religious climate that was growing increasingly oppressive toward women and girls and they didn’t want to raise me there. So, we moved to London, England, when I was just 20 days old. My parents became political refugees and my father has not returned to Iran ever since. I visited Iran for two months with my mother when I was a teenager. We went to Tehran, Mashhad, and Iran’s northern provinces. It’s a truly beautiful country, with warm and generous people. We haven’t returned since — I have remained in contact with people inside Iran who have advised me that traveling there could put me at risk of harassment, imprisonment or worse, due to my activism. I do hope to be able to return some day.

You've done a lot of human rights work. Can you tell me a little about this? How much of the work that you do is related to Iran? You recently won an award for this work. What did it mean to you to have won?

I had the privilege of serving as a spokesperson for Amnesty International USA from 2009 until 2015, and I continue to partner with them as an Artist of Conscience. Activism has always been in my blood, mainly because of the circumstances into which I was born and the plight of the people in my homeland over the last four decades. I vividly remember watching images of the Iran-Iraq war on TV as a young child and crying because I felt helpless. I wanted so badly to be able to take away the pain and suffering in the world. My parents were astonished that I fretted over such weighty issues as a youngster. My father would carry me on his shoulders during protests outside the Iranian embassy in London as we chanted slogans of freedom and justice for our compatriots. Those are some of my earliest memories. My parents taught me to compromise on everything but the truth. It’s something I’ve held onto to this day, especially since speaking truth to power is such an essential part of activism and the only hope we have for progress.

I joined the Board of Directors at the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran in October 2015, and I am excited about working with them to defend and protect human rights and dignity for the people of Iran. While much of my activism has revolved around the rights of women, children, minorities and prisoners of conscience in Iran, I have also focused on women’s rights and equality on a global scale.

It was very humbling to be acknowledged at Art for Amnesty’s inaugural pre-Golden Globes recognition brunch. The event was launched to recognize artists who use their platform and craft to support and protect the freedom of expression and human rights. As artists we rely so heavily on the freedom on expression in our work, I feel it’s incumbent upon us to protect these freedoms for all.

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