Saudi Arabia has a budding film industry and is expected to be one of the biggest movie markets in the Middle East soon.

With reports coming in of Saudi Arabia expressing interest to be the shooting locale of Hollywood movies we thought why not show you Hollywood actors that have visited the country even before cinemas opened here.

John Travolta

One of Hollywood’s biggest stars, John Travolta, visited Riyadh last year and interacted with his fans in the capital. As expected the event was a grand success and ran at full audience capacity.

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Idris Elba

Famous for starring in TV shows like “The Wire” and “Luther” Elba visited Saudi Arabia as part of the launch of the Quality of Life event. He even hinted while he was here that he might shoot his next movie in Saudi Arabia.

Nelly

Though Nelly is more famous for his singing rather than acting he has starred in notable Hollywood movies like “The Longest Yard” and “Reach Me.” He performed at the King Abdullah Economic City last year.

Ian Somerhalder

The stage was set during the Saudi Comic Con event earlier this year and as Somerhalder came on stage the crowd burst into a roaring applause – it was a sign of the popularity of “The Vampire Diaries” star here. At the event he said “I have traveled the whole world and this is by far the most special. I’ve never been to Saudi and have always wanted to come.”

وصل وصل وصل ✈️
إيان سمرهولدر وصل ????@iansomerhalder #سعودي_كوميك_كون pic.twitter.com/j5ZV33m4ht

— Saudi Comic Con (@Saudicomiccon) March 22, 2018

Pilou Asbæk

A lot of GoT stars came to Saudi in 2017, which is obvious considering that the show has a huge following here locally. Asbæk’s character may have come pretty late in the show but he has quite a following even amongst Saudis, which was apparent when he addressed the audience at Comic-Con Arabia.

Wagner Moura

The Brazilian actor became one of the most well-known faces internationally by starring in the Netflix drama “Narcos”. Playing the titular role of Pablo Escobar in it, Moura was particularly impressed by the warm welcome he received in the country.

Jason Momoa

If Instagram posts are to go by if there is one actor who we believe enjoyed Saudi Arabia thoroughly is Jason Momoa. From eating local food to traversing around the Thumama Desert, the “Game of Thrones” star got to experience Arab hospitality to the fullest.

John Cena

Yes, he is a wrestler but he has also starred in leading roles in major Hollywood movies like “The Marine”, “Trainwreck” and “12 Rounds.” He has visited Saudi Arabia multiple times and was part of almost every major WWE event in the country.

Giancarlo Esposito

Renowned for playing Gustavo “Gus” Fring in Breaking Bad and its spinoff Better Call Saul visited Jeddah for the Saudi Comic Con event. He interacted with fans of the show that has a loyal following in the country.

Kris Holden-Ried

The Canadian actor who is part of famous TV shows like Lost Girl, Vikings and Arrow amongst others visited Riyadh. He even tweeted “Humbled and honoured to meet such warm and smiling people here in Saudi Arabia….”

Humbled and honoured to meet such warm and smiling people here in Saudi Arabia.
People are people.
People aren’t politics.
Grateful to be here for the first ever Saudi Comic Con!
Thanks @comicconarabia !! pic.twitter.com/Alf6dpeVaL

— Kris Holden-Ried (@KrisHolden_Ried) November 24, 2017