Plestia Alaqad on her acting debut in ‘The Visitor’: “I had this on my vision board” (EXCLUSIVE)

At just 23, Plestia Alaqad turned her phone into one of the most vital lenses on the Gaza genocide, reaching tens of millions with raw, unflinching dispatches from inside the world’s worst humanitarian crisis. Now the Palestinian journalist is taking her first shot in front of the camera. Not as a reporter, but as an actor. In Rolla Selbak’s chilling horror feature The Visitor, Alaqad makes her screen debut.

In her first interview since the casting was announced, she tells us how she’s preparing for the role, the Hollywood names who’ve reached out in solidarity, and how witnessing the horrors of Gaza most of her life has forever changed her relationship with horror movies.

How are you preparing for your role in The Visitor? Have you enrolled in acting classes, worked with a coach, or taken any other specific steps?

I’ve taken a couple of acting classes so far, and I’ll begin preparing more deeply for the role in 2026. I’m really excited for the journey ahead and honestly looking forward to every part of the process. Working with someone as talented as Rolla Selbak is something I’m truly grateful for, and I can’t wait to bring this story to life together.

What was your very first reaction the moment you were offered your acting debut?

To be completely honest, my first reaction was to scream “I Had This on My Vision Board”. Acting is something I’ve always wanted to explore, and to make my debut in a Palestinian film feels like the perfect beginning. I couldn’t ask for a role that aligns more naturally with who I am. It works in parallel with everything I do in my journalism and media work, because I will always take every chance I can to tell our stories in different ways.

The official synopsis of The Visitor frames it as a horror story set in Palestine without mentioning occupation or oppression. Do you see the Ghouleh threatening the family’s home as an allegory for Israel?

We’re so used to seeing Palestine only through documentaries and nonfiction, so The Visitor is going to feel completely different. It’s unique, it’s unexpected, and it’s unlike anything people have watched before about our story. I don’t want to say too much because I’m genuinely scared of oversharing the plot or the twist, so you’ll have to wait and see. But one thing for sure, the film carries our reality as Palestinians.

Do you remember any stories about the Ghouleh from your childhood?

I actually remember something from 2008, when I was about seven years old. My school, the American International School in Gaza, was bombed by Israel. My favorite coloring pencils were inside my desk, and at that moment, all I understood as a child was that they were gone forever. I was too young to fully grasp what was happening around me, but I understood loss in the simplest way a child could. Looking back, it says so much about how early we learn what aggressions and destruction mean, even before we have the words for it.

Which filmmakers anywhere in the world would you most love to collaborate with next?

I would love to collaborate with the Nasser Brothers, whose latest film Once Upon a Time in Gaza had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival and won the Best Director prize in that category.

What’s your favorite horror movie?

Surprisingly I never watched a horror movie in my life. I always thought my life as a Palestinian is full of horror stories, so why watch something horror for entertainment? my first time acting in a horror movie would actually be my first time watching a full horror movie.

You’ve earned heartfelt support from celebrities around the globe—Melissa Barrera, Kehlani, and many others often leave comments on your posts. Which of them stay in touch with you most often?

Honestly, I’m grateful for every single person who has shown me love. Rupi Kaur was one of the first people to reach out back in early October 2023, and she’s someone I still speak to all the time. She gave me so much guidance when I was publishing my first book, The Eyes of Gaza.

Huda Beauty has always been incredibly sweet and supportive. Macklemore was supportive and even endorsed the book, which meant a lot.

Kehlani is like my Instagram bestie at this point. We talk often, and I really hope we get to meet in person one day. Melissa Barrera is also such a genuine and outspoken person, and she has consistently shown so much support for our cause.

I’m just really grateful for all of them.

In your view, how much progress have we actually made in the fight against censorship?

History didn’t start in October 2023, and our fight for justice has been going on for decades. But something has shifted. With social media, millions of people around the world are now more aware than ever of what’s happening in Palestine. The reach is wider, the conversations are louder, and people who were never exposed to our reality are finally seeing it.

Censorship still exists, both online and offline, and it’s something we constantly have to navigate. But over the past two years, I’ve seen people become incredibly creative in finding ways around the algorithm. It’s almost like a collective effort to make sure the truth keeps breaking through, no matter how many barriers are put in front of us.

So yes, the fight is far from over, but we’ve made real progress in awareness, in connection, and in refusing to be silenced.

How has your experience living in Melbourne been so far? (You're based in Melbourne now, correct?) Do you often run into fans showing solidarity? I also imagine it can be challenging for a Palestinian in the west.

My experience has been a mix of emotions. I’m actually doing my master’s in Lebanon right now after being granted the Shireen Abu Akleh Memorial Scholarship, but my family is based in Melbourne, and I visit them often. Whenever I’m there, people’s first reaction when they see me is usually to cry. I think I remind them of the genocide in Gaza; of everything they witnessed through my reporting. But along with the tears, I always feel this deep love and genuine emotion for my people.

📸 Images courtesy of Tanya Traboulsi