CAIRO — Sayed Badreya still remembers what it was like when he first came to Hollywood 20 years ago.

"I couldn’t work. I was too handsome," the Egyptian-born actor told the Los Angeles Times with a loud laugh. "So I put on some weight and grew a beard, and suddenly I was working every day and playing the angry Arab."

Like many Arab-origin actors looking for a foothold in the world cinema industry hub, Badreya usually lands the same roles of stereotypical Arab bad guys: the plane-hijacker, the blood-thirsty terrorist, or the uncivilized and greedy Arab.

After the 9/11 attacks, the appetite for Arab villains in Hollywood grew even stronger. Associating Islam with terrorism has become the norm rather than the exception in post-9/11 Western media.

The head of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), America’s largest Jewish movement, has accused U.S. media of demonizing Islam and portraying Muslims as "satanic figures."

Famed U.S. academic Stephen Schwartz had criticized the Western media for failing to meet the challenge of reporting on Islam and Arabs after 9/11.

Badreya laments how good Arab characters are sometimes barred from the screen. He recalled when he took part in the 1996 action film "Executive Decision."

Badreya, who played the usual terrorist, used his contacts with a local mosque to shoot a scene of a real Muslim wedding.

"We told (the residents) it would be a positive portrayal of Arabs," he said.

The film’s script also called for a moderate Arab ambassador character who helps the heroes defeat the terrorists. But when the movie hit the screens, Badreya discovered that both the ambassador character and the wedding scene were cut from the film. "They didn’t want to see good Arabs," he said.

Some Arab-heritage actors accept the negative stereotypical roles just to stay in the competitive business.

"If I don’t do it, someone who knows less about my language and culture will," argues Yasmine Hanani, an Iraqi American actress who recently played the role of a terrorist who beheads an FBI agent.

Others hide their identity to get better chances. "I’m really proud of who I am, but I’m constantly having to lie about it," an actor who never reveals his Middle Eastern name and is known with a European-sounding stage name told the American daily. He said he dreams of the day when he won’t have to tell people he’s Italian.