For Elnaaz Norouzi, making her Hollywood debut with The Fix has not come as a moment of disbelief. Rather, it is the culmination of years of hard work, persistence and a determination to make it on her own terms.
The actor, who has spent over a decade building her career across Indian cinema and the digital space, features in the action thriller alongside Zachary Levi and Liam Neeson.In an interview with India Today, the actor shared that she was excited about the film also releasing in India, as the team had not initially considered the country a market for it. Recalling how The Fix came her way, Elnaaz said her manager first approached her about the project, believing she would be a good fit for the role.
The casting team was looking for an actor who matched the director’s vision, and an audition eventually led to a meeting with her co-star Zachary Levi.“And I think by that time, my director had been completely desperate and couldn’t find anybody in their mind. My manager suggested me, and he was very interested in auditioning.
They really liked my acting, and I think they just really wanted to see Zach and me together,” she said, adding that the casting decision came down to how well they worked together on screen. She also matched the look and height requirements, and everything fell into place.For Elnaaz, the experience of working on the film was unlike anything she had experienced before.
While she admitted that she could not clearly recall her first day on set, she remembered the experience as an overwhelmingly positive one. The actor said she developed a close bond with the director and several members of the crew, who ensured she was comfortable throughout the shoot. “My director and I have become good friends.
I also found some super friends on the set. They were all really taking good care of me because I was mostly the only girl around.
And you know, they always make sure that I am happy and I am taken care of. I don’t go all by myself or alone.
The production team was really great. We had a really good time.
We partied together, spent so much time,” she said.One of the biggest challenges Indian actors face when entering Hollywood is the perception that they will be offered small roles or be included merely to add diversity to a cast. Elnaaz, however, believes screen time is not the most important measure of a character’s worth. “It’s less about how long the character is on-screen.
You can be playing someone’s assistant throughout the film as a background. Your face is going to be there throughout the film, but what’s the impact?
I think actors need to think about how long their role is rather than how important it is,” she said.Elnaaz is also confident that her character in The Fix has a significant impact on the story, particularly towards the climax. While she was reluctant to give away details, the actor did reveal that her character would surprise audiences.
For her, being part of a Hollywood production is a major professional opportunity, but she does not believe actors should view working in the West as the ultimate marker of success.“I think whether it is a Hollywood film or an Indian film, I don’t think it really matters. Yes, at the end of the day, a Hollywood film is a big, big opportunity.
And it’s not easy to achieve. I know it for a fact because I know how hard it was for me.
I didn’t know the producers or the directors. I wasn’t chosen because I am somebody’s friend.
I was chosen because out of all the actors that were presented to my director, I was the one that worked best,” she said, adding that she believes the project would also help Indian filmmakers see her in a different light. Working with Levi and the rest of the cast was another highlight.
Elnaaz said she found a lot of common ground with her co-star and enjoyed spending time with the other actors on set. She also recalled bonding with a Korean actor over food and relishing the opportunity to learn from people with different experiences.
The scale and structure of the production, she said, stood out in comparison with Indian film sets:“We have one person dedicated to even small things, but there everyone's doing multiple jobs. It's a smaller family, making it easier for people to bond,” the actor added.For someone who has spent years working towards an opportunity in Hollywood, the film’s release might appear to be a surreal milestone.
Elnaaz, however, does not see it that way, as she has worked hard to achieve every little milestone. She added that she already has more international projects in the pipeline, suggesting that The Fix will not necessarily be a one-off Hollywood experience.Elnaaz was also seen in the first season of the Prime Video reality series, The Traitors (2025).The Fix will release on October 30, 2026.- Ends