Sam Asghari knows he will always be Mr. Britney Spears
Sam Asghari knows he will always be asked about Britney Spears, even while starring as the “baddest guy” opposite John Travolta in The Gentleman Thief. The actor told Page Six he is ready for those questions — and is focused on his career, girlfriend Brooke Irvine, and Iran.
Key Takeaways
- Asghari says fans will “never” stop linking him to Spears, but he is ready for it.
- He plays Victor, the “muscle,” in Travolta’s heist film The Gentleman Thief.
- He is nearly two years with girlfriend Brooke Irvine; they live in Los Angeles.
- As a child in Tehran, he learned English by watching Travolta movies.
- His short film The Good American hits the festival circuit this fall.
For more celebrity breaking news, Asghari’s interview lands at a full-circle career moment: the Iranian-born actor is sharing the screen with the star whose films once helped him learn English.
Will Sam Asghari ever stop being called Mr. Britney Spears?
Asked whether people will someday stop asking about Spears — whom he dated for six years and was married to for nearly two until 2024 — Asghari told Page Six: “Never going to happen.”
“But am I fully ready to answer those questions and am I fully ready for it not to affect me? Absolutely,” he added. Spears, 44, has faced fresh scrutiny this year, including a DUI arrest, rehab, and a viral freeway sunroof video she later dismissed online.
Asghari, 32, said he has been focused on Iran and his projects rather than entertainment headlines. On their past, he said he would “never complain about one thing that changed my life for the better or for the worse,” and that he still wants the best for her. Their divorce was finalized in December 2024; Page Six previously reported he left without spousal support.
What is Sam Asghari’s role in The Gentleman Thief?
In The Gentleman Thief, out July 31, Asghari plays Victor on a team recruited by Travolta’s Mason Goddard to steal a $100 million painting from a yacht. “I’m the macho, the muscle of the operation,” he said. “I’m really the baddest guy in this movie.”
Producer and old friend Randall Emmett brought him onto the project, which also stars Rebecca de Mornay, Lukas Haas, and DJ Khaled. Growing up in Tehran, Asghari watched Travolta films to learn English — favoring The Taking of Pelham 123 after moving to the U.S. at 12.
“I never imagined that one day I’d be sharing the screen with him,” he said. On set they talked cigars, Iran, cars, and airplanes. Asked if Travolta pushed Scientology, Asghari said: “Absolutely not!” calling him a professional and “amazing family man.”
How is Sam Asghari’s life after Britney Spears?
Asghari has been with real estate agent Brooke Irvine, also 32, for nearly two years. They live in Los Angeles with their dog Porcha. “She’s amazing,” he said. “She’s super supportive.” On starting a family, he said he is career-focused for now but added that “at some point, who doesn’t want to have a family?”
Last year he appeared on NBC’s The Traitors. Next, his short film The Good American — about an Iranian refugee and ride-share driver in L.A. — enters festivals this fall. Conflict in his homeland, he said, “haven’t made me feel good at all,” but motivates him to represent his people. He likened himself to “a rose growing up through concrete.”