Yorgos Lanthimos Told Ramy Youssef to ‘Stop Making TV’ and Make Films

Ramy Youssef has directed episodes of “The Bear” and his own series “Ramy,” but the multi-hyphenate actor revealed that “Poor Things” filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos encouraged him to make his feature directorial debut instead.

Youssef told IndieWire during the 2024 Golden Globes that Lanthimos advised him to “stop” directing TV and instead make a film. “You know, Yorgos told me to stop making TV, and go make movies,” Youssef said. “So I’ve been thinking a lot about that.”

Youssef added that “The Bear” co-creator Christopher Storer asked him to return to direct an episode of the upcoming Season 3. “The other day, Chris told me I’m allowed to direct more ‘Bear,’” Youssef said. “I got the thumbs up. So hopefully we can kind of make the timing, right? But it was such a great experience.”

As for potentially collaborating with “Poor Things” director Lanthimos again as an actor, Youssef continued, “You know, Yorgos is very mysterious. But he’s really cool because he does everything with so much intent, and he’s so specific, and I think that’s why everything really works. So it’s exciting to just kind of be part of this repertoire.”

In “Poor Things,” Youssef stars as medical student Max McCandles, who becomes the assistant to Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe), the disfigured surgeon who brings Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) back to life. Youssef’s Hulu series “Ramy” premiered its third season in the fall of…