Mojean Aria is an Australian actor who won the Heath Ledger Scholarship in 2017. The first unsigned recipient and the first from a multi-cultural background, he was awarded the scholarship by an illustrious panel of judges including Gary Oldman, Naomi Watts and Ryan Murphy and was backed by benefactors including Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Michelle Williams. His acceptance speech – where he mentioned his mother who fled Iran following the revolution and paid tribute to his Iranian heritage – was so popular that Entertainment Tonight acquired the exclusive rights to air it to over 25 million viewers.
Aria’s work has been screened at the Cannes and Tribeca film festivals and he has starred in television and movie roles alongside Hugh Jackman and Jason Momoa.
Hailing from Sydney, Australia, Aria began to take acting lessons from the age of six before attending the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) as a teenager. After winning a scholarship to The McDonald College High School of Performing Arts he landed his first lead role in the movie Cross Life before relocating to Los Angles to pursue his acting career.
Directly after winning the Heath Ledger Scholarship, Mojean landed a starring role in the series Dead Lucky starring opposite Oscar nominee Rachel Griffiths, followed by a part in Vietnam War epic Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan. His numerous film and television credits also include short film The Suitcase, Aban + Khorshid (which received high praise at Cannes) and See, penned by Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight and co-starring Jason Momoa.
With a role in upcoming science fiction thriller Reminiscence alongside Hugh Jackson in 2021, the future continues to look bright for Aria.