Elyas M’Barek Leaves New York to Return to Germany

Actor Elyas M’Barek is returning to Germany after residing in New York City for three years.

The 43-year-old actor moved to the United States to be with his wife, US model Jessica M’Barek. The couple married in 2022 and subsequently established their primary residence in New York.

Cultural Perspectives on New York

During his time in the United States, M’Barek spoke about the differences in social dynamics between Germany and New York. He described New York as the Einwandererstadt schlechthin (immigrant city par excellence), noting that the city brings together people from many different cultures and fosters a more open environment.

M’Barek observed that in New York, conversations regarding an individual’s origin are often discouraged. He stated that while he might be asked about the origin of his accent in the city, he is not told that he does not look like a German, a contrast to experiences he described in Germany.

Background and Career

Born in Munich, M’Barek has a multicultural background with a mother from Austria and a father from Tunisia. He is recognized as an Austrian actor based in Germany and studied at the Max-Reinhardt-Seminar before spending time in New York earlier in his career.

M’Barek’s professional roots have remained in Germany throughout his time in the United States. His filmography includes the 2014 German techno-thriller Who Am I, a movie centered on a computer hacker group in Berlin.

In previous interviews, M’Barek expressed that he found the prevailing black-and-white thinking in current German debates to be excessive, while simultaneously noting that he had wondered early in his career why the film landscape was so white despite the prevalence of people with similar migration histories to his own.