Algerian-French Dali Benssalah is one to watch. Following his role in the 2021 Bond film No Time to Die, the actor has his sights set on international horizons.
Coat, Bottega Veneta; rings, Messika, Gemmyo. Photo: Alex Royal Gilbert
Despite how it might appear, an ardent passion for performance is not what initially attracted Algerian-French actor Dali Benssalah to the Cours Florent Drama School in Paris more than a decade ago. Instead, he explains, he was simply trying to resolve the nagging question that weighs on most people in their early 20s: “Where will I be 10 years from now?”
Top, pants, Dior. Photo: Alex Royal Gilbert
The answer turned out to be: On the big screen, with the 32-year-old now known to international audiences after being cast as a tertiary antagonist in the 2021 James Bond film No Time to Die. Though he didn’t necessarily envision this future for himself, the allure of cinema struck during his teenage years, when Benssalah – living in Rennes, France, where he was born in 1992 to his father, a social worker, and mother, a teacher, both of Algerian descent – used to make weekly trips to the movie theater. Looking back, he realizes the tremendous influence some of the greatest actors of that era had on him: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Daniel Craig, Anthony Hopkins, and Daniel Day-Lewis, to name a few. “I loved cinema as someone in the audience, and I wasn’t really thinking of being an actor, or maybe it was something on my mind that I didn’t recognize or understand,” he shares.
Pullover, American Vintage; pants, scarf, Lacoste. Photo: Alex Royal Gilbert
At the time, the young Benssalah, making strides as an athlete, was named a champion in Muay Thai, also known as Thai boxing. “After doing it year after year, I was asking myself OK, what is next? OK, I am going to travel and fight in Thai boxing. And then what is next? I will be a Thai boxing coach.” But soon he decided that was not the path he wanted to follow, and so his attention turned to drama school where he could tap into the longtime appreciation he had for the craft. “When you are in a drama school you are playing different characters and living different lives in a way… You’ve got the costume, and you try something new, and in just a few minutes, you are someone else.” Benssalah was having fun embodying these varied personalities, but it wasn’t until his second year that he realized that the acting bug had officially bitten. He was ready to get serious. “I decided I don’t want to do something else. I just want to stay here and I want to do this job.”
Coat, Nylon Parka; cardigan, The Frankie Shop; top, Bottega Veneta; pants, shoes, Lemaire; rings, Messika, Gemmyo. Photo: Alex Royal Gilbert
Still, his background in Muay Thai as well as karate proved relevant to this professional pivot, having taught Benssalah valuable lessons about commitment, goal-setting, discipline, and hard work in addition to staying physically fit and developing a winner’s mindset. Fast forward to late 2023 and that fighter’s spirit pushed Benssalah to amass a filmography listing 17 films and eight shorts, the vast majority of which are in French. He had also appeared as the protagonist in a 2017 music video for the song Territory by Paris-based electronic duo The Blaze. Filmed in Algeria and centered around the emotional return of a man who had spent an extended period overseas, the project is one of three Benssalah made in his parents’ homeland. The other two are a drama series and a film: The Last Queen, a show inspired by the story of Queen Zaphira, wife of the last king of Algiers Salim at- Tumi who defended her community against the pirate Hayreddin Barbarossa in the 16th century; and The Meursault Investigation, a movie based on the first novel by Algerian writer Kamel Daoud.
Blazer, The Frankie Shop; sweater, shoes, Kenzo; shirt, Bérangère Claire; pants, Loro Piana. Photo: Alex Royal Gilbert
The actor strongly believes that being Algerian-French, though it can be challenging to navigate, has enriched his overall perspective on the world thus benefiting his personal and professional life. He visits the land of his roots almost every year now to reconnect with his “big family,” though he is grateful to have his parents and brother, a director, with him in France. This multifaceted origin story is, he says, a “good thing,” adding: “Maybe the best thing is that a person has two identities and is able to see the world with two different cultures. The more culture you have, the richer you feel.” But as is often the case for non-white actors, Benssalah admits to facing racism and feeling the need to exert double the effort of his peers in order to prove himself. At the same time, he is improving his English skills to remove potential barriers standing in the way of his aspirations to expand his horizons in the movie industry. “I don’t want to be limited to French cinema, I mean it is great and rich, but I love to read different scripts and the fact that English is global and you can have so many kinds of international projects in English,” he says, offering the example that “a movie can be in English, but the director is South African, or Indian, or Iranian.”
Blazer, Brunello Cucinelli; shirt, Jacquemus; pants, The Frankie Shop; tie, Boss. Photo: Alex Royal Gilbert
Benssalah’s motivation to pursue more international opportunities comes largely from his work on No Time to Die. “It was very enriching for me, because it took me something like seven months, I was doing many rehearsals. You learn a lot and quickly. And you have to be awake and stay focused. There are so many cameras, so many people surrounding you, the crew, the cast,” he recalls. “You are happy to be here. You want to be proud of your work and you want to be like everyone else around you, you want to be a part of it and proud of it.”
Hoodie, Ami Paris; top, American Vintage; pants, Sacai; ring, Messika. Photo: Alex Royal Gilbert
As far as projects in the near future go, the creative is directing a short movie and playing roles in two upcoming films. He discloses that one is French- Tunisian and the other is European, without going into further detail. Asked about where he will be 10 years from now, Benssalah pauses before replying with a smile: “Let us leave it to destiny.”
Coat, pants, shoes, Bottega Veneta. Photo: Alex Royal Gilbert
Shirt, top, pants, Maison Margiela; shoes, JM Weston; suitcase, Lacoste. Photo: Alex Royal Gilbert
Blazer, Kolor; sweater, The Ace Club x Shangrila; shirt, Jacquemus; pants, cap, The Frankie Shop; shoes, Loro Piana; rings, Messika, Gemmyo. Photo: Alex Royal Gilbert
Originally published in the Fall/Winter 2024 issue of Vogue Man Arabia
Style: Thomas Turian
Fashion editor: Natalie Westernoff
Digitech: Axel Launay
Production: Kiki Prod
Studio: Studio 17
