The shocking double life of Dubai real estate broker: Agent by day, Netflix villain by night

Dubai: “Acting will always be a hustle,” says Souroush Helali as he takes his seat in the Gulf News office studio.

By day he is selling luxury villas and apartments in Dubai Hills. By night, he is reading scripts, preparing for roles and auditioning for international productions. Both lives, he insists, are equally real.

“You never know when your next acting project is coming. Sometimes it’s five months of silence. Real estate keeps me grounded—but acting keeps me alive.”

Helali, who was born in Iran and raised in Belgium, has quickly emerged as a new face of Dubai’s global creative economy—one that does not require an artist to abandon financial ambition in pursuit of art.

“In acting, you get a lot of 'No'. You wait for that one 'yes' that changes everything,” he says. “Real estate is exactly the same. One deal can shift your life.”

While most actors relocate to Mumbai, Los Angeles or London chasing auditions, Helali decided to build his career from Dubai. He didn’t see the city as a limitation, but as his launchpad.

“Everybody was telling me I have an international face,” he says, recalling his early acting days in Belgium.

“They meant I could connect globally, not just locally. So I started auditioning internationally while living here.”

That decision paid off. Helali made his streaming debut in the Netflix series Rough Diamonds, followed by the Saudi-US co-production Running Dry, and then The Assassin on Amazon Prime, produced by Freddie Highmore and featuring Hollywood talent. His latest project, Paradise, recently wrapped and is set to premiere soon—shot internationally but promoted from Dubai.

“I work with my agent outside the UAE,” he explains. “We audition for productions in Europe, the US, Middle East—everywhere. Dubai is perfectly placed between these industries. It’s a bridge.”

Why Dubai was the only choice

Helali moved to Dubai just six months ago but speaks with unwavering certainty about its future.

“There is a very positive look to the creative sector here,” he says.

“People from Europe, the US, India—they are all coming here for a better future. For production, the first thing you need is money. And there is a lot of money here, a lot of vision.”

He brushes off any suggestion that talent must physically leave Dubai to be discovered.

“I believe a time will come when productions will move here,” he says. “Dubai has already become that magnet for business. Entertainment will follow.”

Helali is currently working with one of Dubai’s leading agencies, specialising in villas in Dubai Hills—one of the city’s most coveted residential communities.

But selling real estate was not a fallback—it was part of his strategy to build financial independence while pursuing creative fulfilment.

“Does acting pay my bills? Not always,” he says candidly. “Some projects pay well, but there can be months of no income. In real estate, if you are authentic and connect with people, you can build something solid.”

When asked how he shifts from selling luxury homes to acting in international productions, he smiles.

“It’s a mindset change. In one world, I am advising high-net-worth individuals. In the other, I am building a character. But both require emotional intelligence, communication and resilience.”

Before real estate and acting, Helali was a martial artist who competed for Belgium’s national jiu-jitsu team.

“Martial arts teaches you to fall and stand up. That is the whole philosophy,” he says. “Rejection in acting, rejection in real estate—it’s the same lesson. Fall. Stand up. Repeat.”

He still trains regularly in Dubai’s MMA community and says it shapes his discipline. “It keeps you humble and in control. When you have a black belt, you get instant respect, even when you walk into a new country. Martial arts gave me a global identity.”

Helali leaves no ambiguity when asked what it takes to build a life across multiple industries.

“First, be authentic to yourself,” he says. “When you’re authentic, there’s always something new you bring. Doesn’t matter how many people are doing the same thing—you will stand out.”

“Second, never, never, never give up,” he continues. “If you hit rock bottom, be happy. It’s a good sign. It means something big is coming.”

Finally, he adds, “Your body is your temple. Without your body, without health, you cannot hustle, you cannot earn, you cannot dream. A lot of people lose themselves in the veil of success. That is not real success.”

Despite only recently relocating, Helali is certain he will never leave.

“When I first told people in Belgium I was moving to Dubai, there was a lot of judgement—‘Why would you go there?’” he recalls. “When I came, I saw 90% of that judgement was wrong. Dubai is what you make of it. I was looking for opportunity—and I found it.”

As our conversation ends, it becomes clear that Souroush Helali is not waiting for permission to be successful.

“There is no limit here,” he says simply. “If you’re willing to work, Dubai gives you the platform to do anything.”