DUBAI: Egyptian-Palestinian actress May Calamawy has marked her 40th birthday with a celebratory Instagram post, sharing a series of photographs that included a desert snapshot with Egypt’s iconic pyramids in the background. “Level 40 unlocked baby,” the actress captioned the post, accompanied by fire and shooting-star emojis. In one photograph, Calamawy is seen standing in the desert with her back to the camera, arms outstretched toward the pyramids of Giza. She wears an olive-green slip dress and black boots, with the sun casting a long shadow across the sandy landscape. The post prompted an outpouring of birthday wishes from friends and fellow entertainers. Activist Zein Rahma responded with a string of heart emojis, while actress Tara Abboud wrote with a fire emoji: “40 never looked so good.” Calamawy is preparing for a new chapter in her acting career, with the star set to make her UK stage debut in “Samira,” a new production at London’s National Theatre. Written by British-Lebanese playwright Carmen Nasr and directed by Emily Burns, the play will run at the theater’s Dorfman venue from Feb. 4 to March 13, 2027. Set in Damascus in 2011, against the backdrop of the Arab Spring, the story follows Samira, a charismatic activist who shares firsthand accounts of street protests calling for change. Her disappearance becomes central to the narrative, which explores political upheaval, authenticity and the pursuit of truth. Calamawy will star alongside Joshua McGuire, Lily Olufemi-Bywaters, Sirine Saba, Karim Saleh and Antonia Salib. The actress is best known internationally for playing Dena Hassan in the comedy-drama series “Ramy,” as well as Layla El-Faouly, who becomes the superhero Scarlet Scarab, in Marvel’s “Moon Knight.” Her recent screen credits include “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy,” alongside Jack Reynor and Laia Costa. She is also set to appear in Netflix’s upcoming “Extraction” series as Priscilla Ragab.