Zeeko Zaki's audition for the CBS series FBI impressed creator Dick Wolf enough to alter the character's background. The actor, of Egyptian descent, landed the role of special agent Omar Adom Zidan after the script was adjusted during casting in 2018.
Zaki described being the only Arab actor at the audition. "I was the only [Arab actor] at the audition. They switched up the script and took a chance on me," he said in a 2018 TV Insider interview.
Wolf cited real-world representation as a factor. "There are Muslim FBI agents who speak Arabic," he told TV Insider. "It's terrific to have Zeeko as a role model for inclusiveness."
Zaki has portrayed the Arab-Muslim agent across eight seasons while also appearing in the canceled spin-offs FBI: International and FBI: Most Wanted. He shared in a 2019 Variety interview that the portrayal aims to normalize the character's identity.
The Season 8 finale has aired, and Season 9 is slated to premiere later this year.