Logies’ ‘mysterious Mustafa’ Tyler De Nawi reveals the sad sentiment behind his stage name

TYLER De Nawi reveals a bathroom break at the Logies led to him being unmasked as the “mysterious Mustafa”, and the tragic story behind the name Tyler.

Sentimental secret: Tyler De Nawi has revealed his stage name was given to him by a late friend. Picture: Dylan Robinson

A CHANCE meeting with Gold Logie winner Waleed Aly during a bathroom break at the Logies led to Tyler De Nawi’s ultimate unmasking as “the mysterious Mustafa”, the actor has revealed.

The 26-year-old had all but forgotten telling Aly his story of changing his name to Tyler for a better shot at roles. But it all came crashing back when Aly’s acceptance speech thrust him into the spotlight.

But there is a tragic footnote to story, with the actor revealing in a round of radio interviews this morning that the mate who gave him the name took his own life.

De Nawi wasn’t quite aware of the fuss the Logies speech had created until he woke on Monday morning to a text from his sister which said: “I think everybody is looking for you.”

“I think me and Waleed share the same bladder,” he joked to Today FM’s Rove McManus and Samantha Frost, saying the pair had met when both took a bathroom break late in the night — just before the Gold Logie winner was announced.

“I was so close to not going up to him (Aly),” the Lebanese-Australian actor said.

“But then, I don’t know, I just felt compelled to go up and say, ‘You know, I really hope you win, because you know, maybe if someone with an unpronounceable name like Waleed (wins) … maybe someone with an unpronounceable name like Mustafa could one day be up there’.”

The Here Come The Habibs actor, who grew up in Sydney’s southwest, said he had “no clue” Waleed would mention their exchange.

Gold Logie winner Waleed Aly. Picture: AAP/Joe Castro

Tyler De Nawi. Picture: Channel Nine

“No. I completely forgot about the story. You know I thought ‘I’d love to have a chat with you, let’s talk’,” he said.

“I was shocked at first of course, but obviously after that, the cat’s out of the bag. It’s all blown up overnight.”

He hasn’t spoken with Aly since the speech.

“I looked for Waleed after the Logies to say hello to him again and talk to him about it but I couldn’t find him, so I went to the after-party and I got my groove on and it was fine.”

De Nawi confessed he hadn’t planned on his name change “coming out this way, obviously”, but he is proud of both his stage name and his birth name — which in Arabic means ‘the chosen one’.

He revealed he loved his birth name, and did feel “sad at the time when I felt the need to have to [change it]”, but told Rove and Sam “so much has happened from the moment I’ve changed my name (as a 20-year-old) into where I am today”.

“The name came from my best friend, who used to call me Tyler. We were young guys chasing our dream — both acrobats — and when I told him that I wanted to become an actor ... I talked to him about my concerns about being … more typecast, pigeonholed,” De Nawi said.

“He said ‘you don’t even know this yet, but you’re going to be a big star and you need to go with Tyler’.”

A tragic footnote to De Nawi’s story came as he did the rounds of radio — he revealed to Jonesy and Amanda on WSFM 107 that the mate who gave him the name took his own life.

“We were in our early 20s struggling to make a living off our dreams and unfortunately he took his own life and here I am continuing to live out my dream, so I have a lot of sentimental value for my name Tyler.”

De Nawi said he had not even attended an audition as an actor at that stage, and the name change wasn’t just about the industry.

Tyler De Navi (right) with Here Come The Habibs’ co-stars Toufic Habib and Kat Hoyos, and show creator Rob Shehadie (behind).

“I didn’t want people to see my name on a piece of paper and see Mustafa and not understand what I have to offer as an artist. You know, I dance, I’m an acrobat — I didn’t want to go in for any kind of role that is going to typecast me,” he said.

Theactor feels the conversation is moving forward, albeit slowly.

“Let’s not act like there isn’t illicit racism still in our society — it’s not just the (acting) industry because the industry has been very good to me,” he said.

He said diverse roles and films were being cast and “you have Here Come the Habibs — bringing people to have a laugh — so I don’t want to act like there hasn’t been progress as well, and I’m glad that the conversation is continuing”.

He told Jonesy and Amanda: “The times are changing — back in 2010 when Firass Dirani won the Logie and said “We need to see more colour on TV” and look at where we are now with a show like Here Come the Habibs. So it’s been great.”

If you or someone you know needs help, please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14