Zain Iqbal

Zain Iqbal
Born
(1998-05-28) May 28, 1998 (age 26)
Alma materRoyal Exchange Theatre
OccupationActor
Years active2019–present
Height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)

Zain Iqbal (born 28 May 1998)[1] is a British actor. He is known for his role as Ravi Singh in the BBC Three teen crime drama A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (2024), based on the novel of the same name.[2]

Early life and education

Front face of the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, United Kingdom
The Royal Exchange Theatre, where Iqbal studied in the Young Company programme

Iqbal grew up in Cheadle, Greater Manchester. He studied economics at university and trained in acting with the Royal Exchange Theatre's Youth Company.[3] His younger brother is a model.[4]

Iqbal's father is a film buff and introduced him to Western films growing up.[5] He cites Marlon Brando and Clint Eastwood as his biggest acting inspirations, and admired their performances from a young age in films like The Godfather and The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.[3][6] He particularly looked up to Dev Patel and Riz Ahmed to see how actors who look like him navigate and succeed in the film industry.[6] He has also cited Jack O'Connell, Ben Mendelsohn, Barry Keoghan, Kristen Stewart, and Robert Pattinson as acting influences due to their "very unique, almost odd, approaches to the craft."[7]

Career

Prior to acting, Iqbal was a model for a short time. He gave up modelling due to struggles with the casting process.[4] Iqbal acted in student films during his time with the Royal Exchange Theatre.[6] He was in a short film named Why ME? in 2019, and had his feature film debut in the 2022 film All Crazy Random.[3]

In 2023, it was announced Iqbal would star in the BBC Three series A Good Girl's Guide to Murder as Ravi opposite Emma Myers. He was described as the "perfect Ravi" by series author Holly Jackson, while executive producer Matthew Read described him as "brilliant."[8] The six-part series was released on BBC Three in August 2024.[2]

Personal life

Iqbal currently lives in London.[3] He has lived in Holborn, West London, and Hampstead.[4]

In an interview with Vogue Singapore, Iqbal stated that he would like to play a villain or Batman.[9] Outside of acting, Iqbal enjoys boxing.[10]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes Refs.
2019 Why ME? Kyle Short film [2]
2022 All Crazy Random Boris [2]
2024 A Good Girl's Guide to Murder Ravi Singh Main role [2]

References

  1. ^ Wickes, Hanna (2 August 2024). "'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder' Cast Ages: How Old Are They?". J-14. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e Wickes, Hanna (1 August 2024). "Meet the Star: Who Is Zain Iqbal? Meet the Actor Who Plays Ravi In 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder'". J-14. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Siddhacharjee, Riya (5 August 2024). "'A Good Girl's Guide To Murder': Meet Zain Iqbal, the Charismatic Ravi Singh and Emma Myers' On-Screen Love Interest in the Netflix Thriller Series". LatestLY. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Guiltenane, Christian (18 July 2024). "ZAIN IQBAL". Principle Magazine. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  5. ^ Cox, Claudia (11 July 2024). "Zain Iqbal: "I've already lost my privacy a bit"". Square Mile. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Sinha, Ekta (30 July 2024). "ELLE Exclusive: Meet Zain Iqbal, The Breakout Star From Netflix's 'A Good Girl's Guide To Murder'". ELLE. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  7. ^ Sutton, Holden (10 July 2024). "Zain Iqbal Talks A Good Girl's Guide To Murder". Wonderland. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  8. ^ "BBC Three announces Emma Myers and Zain Iqbal to lead cast of A Good Girl's Guide To Murder, adapted from the novels by Holly Jackson". BBC. 19 June 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  9. ^ Lye, Jesslyn (30 July 2024). "Meet Zain Iqbal–the rising actor playing Ravi Singh in 'A Good Girl's Guide to Murder'". Vogue Singapore. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  10. ^ Nebens, Richard (1 August 2024). "Who Is Zain Iqbal? 5 Things to Know About 'Good Girl's Guide' Ravi Actor". The Direct. Retrieved 5 August 2024.