Trivia

At the age of 22, she was diagnosed with Alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease in which hair is lost from some or all areas of the body. Her condition was incorporated into her character's storyline in the Hulu series Ramy (2019) during the show's second season.

She was born in Bahrain and also lived in Doha, Qatar, Houston (Texas), Boston (Massachusetts), and in New York City.

Is bilingual and speaks fluent Arabic and English. She started taking Spanish classes in 2020 during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Has a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre studies from the Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. She also studied at the William Esper Studio in New York City.

Father is Egyptian, mother is Palestinian.

Used to be credited with her full birth name "May El Calamawy" until 2014, when she changed it to only "May Calamawy".

She practiced and rehearsed her own stunts in Moon Knight (2022) for two months to be able to do maximum stunts by herself.

Her first celebrity crush was Thackery Binx (portrayed by Sean Murray), the guy in Hocus Pocus (1993) before he gets turned into a cat.

Her character Layla El-Faouly in Moon Knight (2022) was the first Arab/Middle Eastern character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Was inspired to become an actress after watching the film Death Becomes Her (1992) as a kid.

Auditioned for the role of Sabrina in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018).

Despite being born in Bahrain, Calamawy doesn't hold Bahraini citizenship, since the country's laws only allow citizenship for people born in Bahrain to a Bahrain-born father who is a permanent resident, while Calamawy's father is Egyptian.