In April 2017 he made his stage debut in Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, in which he played the role of Uday Hussein alongside Maggie Dence in a story based on the fall of Iraq and the Saddam regime.
[2] His father introduced him to the figures who became his biggest inspirations which included; Bruce Lee, Muhammad Ali, and Elvis Presley.
[3] It shortly came to light that this actor was De Nawi, who then wrote an essay for The Age describing the difficulties he had had landing auditions and jobs until he changed his first name.
"[4] Deciding to continue his focus on martial arts training, he began kickboxing in 2016, competing and judging in the WAKO Championship.
He has reported his passion lies in helping the disadvantaged youth overcome their barriers to education, employment and mental health recovery.
With a transition from Drama and Comedy, De Nawi continues to work in television with up and coming roles which focus on representing the struggles and challenges individuals of different socio-economic classes face everyday in Australia.