- WORKING WORLO NAMES AND NEWS
Percentage of
British employees
who regularly
eat lunch away
from their desks
Sou<cu: F_nciM r ....... : ChlutMnto H..man
R.oourc •• lwww.cl!iu ........... co.u1d"Success
mixture
Double life
"I don't care," Ilham Anas said when
his sister told hirn he looked Hke
Baraek Obama. Thon was in 2007. A
year later, Obama was elected president
of th e United States and Anas changed
his mind - and wirh it , his life. He is
now in demand as Obama's lookalikc.
A photographer for a teen magazine,
34-year-old Anas was used to spending
a lot o( time behind the eamera. His col-
leagues first convinccd him to change
positions. They taok pictures of him in
front of an Ameriea n flag. From there,
the news of his resemblance to th e US
presidenr sprcad quiekly.
"!'vc gor so much work I ean't handle
ir all, n Anas told th e Los AI/geles Times.
He has already appeared in a movie as
übama. And he has been on anational
chat show as himself. Then, there are the
photographs and advertisemcnts, includ-
ing one (or indiaestion pills. Thc resem-
blance is so strang (hat the oUers just
Woncoming.
As wirh every role, playing th e presi-
dem involves so me pracrice. Anas
spends hours in from of the mirrar to get
Obama's smile and mannerisms right.
"Obama is a baritone," Anas says, " J'm
not. I sound like a little bay." He is also
shorter than the real presidcnt. Knowing
his future sueeess depcnds on his double,
Anas keeps on smiling and hopes for
Obama's re-election._0 ' Thls text IS on Busmess Spotlight Audio