CALIFORNIA – YouTube star Yousef Erakat, better known as “FouseyTube,” has nabbed a break on the big screen.

The 26-year-old Palestinian-American social media giant can now add ‘actor’ to this resume, as he stars in ‘Boo! A Madea Halloween,’ the latest installment in the Tyler Perry franchise centered around the gun-toting loud mouth Mabel “Madea” Simmons.

In the film, Erakat plays the character of Jonathan, a prankster frat boy who attempts to woo Madea’s granddaughter–but not before having to deal with the fury of the notorious title character. 

His role is not a far stretch from the persona he portrays on his Youtube channel. In an interview with The Wire, Erakat said that he was able to improv during certain scenes of the movie. He also praised Perry, who plays multiple characters in the film, and wrote, produced and directed the project as well. 

“I had to definitely trust whatever he thought it was right. The way he works, he works very fast, so there were times on set when I didn’t feel comfortable in my performance and he was like, ‘We’re moving on,’ meaning he got it. I had the trust from early on,” Erakat told The Wire.

The film meanwhile had a huge opening weekend, taking in $27.6 million at the Box Office and coming in at #1. It is the highest grossing ‘Madea’ opening since the series’ third installment, “Madea Goes to Jail” in 2009. 

Erakat is of Palestinian origin and grew up in a religious Muslim household. He gained notoriety not just for his Youtube pranks, but also for being open about his personal struggles of depression and addiction, and his struggle in finding a balance with his religion and his personal and professional life. 

He graduated from San Jose State University as a theatre arts major. Erakat moved to Los Angeles once he graduated from SJSU to pursue a career in entertainment