In a cozy café on the Nile, I met the young bright star Ahmed Ezz. Confident and at ease and very down-to-earth, he answered our questions in style in this vivid and very exciting interview.
- Your name has been associated recently with action movies, but what romance and social films?
Basically When I choose a movie, I’m not thinking that I’m going to beat someone, or run or jump. I focus on the substance. If the film requires action, then I would it. If not, I won’t force the action into the movie. If you take a look at “Malaki Eskendreya” for example, it had few action sequences. “Sana Ola Nasb” had no action sequences at all. “Al Rahina” had plenty of action sequences because the plot of the movie required so. I believe that our audiences are not really into films that are too direct. They like movies that are simple so they can digest it. The closest to the audience heart is the comedy and the action genres. It’s the visual effects and not the scripts that capture their attention. For me, being a good actor is not about doing good action sequences but giving strong performances.
- What about your latest movie “el Shabah”?
It is an action movie, but is more Egyptian–oriented; knives and street fights.
- So was that done because car-chasing scenes were a bit unfamiliar and unrealistic?
When you see James Bond movies, or the Matrix trilogy and Mission Impossible, you see people falling from the top of the building without even a scratch. We criticize the action sequences when it’s an Arabic movie, but it is ok in foreign films. It is not about imitation, it is about adaptation. The Cinema industry is adapting to developments. Themes are limited all over the world, so development in technique is really what counts. There is a cinematic revival in Egypt, on the visual and production levels. What we need to do is fit this into our culture. And it is not fair to ask our generation to pick up from where the old stars have left.
- You have worked previously in the theater, do you think about doing theater again?
I would love to work in theater again but the problem with theater is that due to the economic status, theater revenues have fallen sharply now than before. The script must be good and its price must be fit to the audience.
- What about TV?
TV is the most important of all media. It has brought fame to most of my generation. I would work in TV and even in Radio if the script is good. I seek the good script.
- Define a “good” script. What does a good script mean to Ahmed Ezz?
New, challenging, different, has substance, and the character has to be different from me; novel and authentic.
- How do you react to criticism?
I’m very open to criticism and I’m always eager to read it. What I do is classify criticism. I disregard some critics because the respectable ones are known and I don’t need to mention them by name. And then there are the tabloid critics, who insult you thinking that this would put the spotlight on them. In the end, the critic is just a human being, who can be right or wrong. When I’m reading, I sense it. This is guy is talking nonsense or.......
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