Egyptian actor Ahmed Ezz has been an exceptional star in the film industry recently, with three successful films, “Al Aref”, “The Crime”, and “Kira we El Gin”. These films increased Ezz’s popularity in Egypt and the Arab world. The currently-in-theaters “Kira we El Gin” has achieved very high revenues.
Why did you agree to star in “Kira we El Gin”?
It’s an important film, and I was very excited about it. It is different from the films I presented before. It has a very special dramatic line. In my opinion, it is a national work that presents patriotic characters and an important period in the history of Egypt. It was a very interesting artistic experience that I enjoyed very much.
How did you see the audience’s reaction to the film?
The film succeeded and achieved good revenues so far, and the audience in the special screening came out happy and satisfied. The most important thing for the artist is to satisfy the audience, and I received more than wonderful reactions. I followed the comments on social media, all of which were positive. I also read articles praising the film by critics and journalists. I’m happy we presented a good movie that impressed the audience and critics and achieved good revenues.
How do you evaluate your work with director Marwan Hamed?
Marwan Hamed is a distinguished director. He had a vision in his films, and I was very confident in the success of the film because it was directed by Marwan Hamed. He was easygoing at the filming sites. We always discussed every aspect of the film in detail. He is one of the directors who care about the tiniest detail and takes into account any suggestion or discussion about the work. I really enjoyed working with him.
The film is based on a novel by Ahmed Murad, how did you see the script and co-starring with Karim Abdel Aziz?
Ahmed Murad is a distinguished writer and novelist, and the film is based on the novel “1919”. I read it more than once, and I liked it very much. Before that, I read many of his previous works.
As for Karim Abdel Aziz, he is a big star and a very dear friend. This was the first time we worked together in the cinema. I enjoyed working with him. I had the honour to work with him earlier in the series “The Choice”. In the film, there was artistic chemistry among all the actors, and we were like a family.
How did you prepare for playing your character in the film?
As I told you, I read the novel more than once and it was really fascinating. There were intensive workshops and table work before filming, as well as discussions with the director. I always do that before any film.
Lately, it seems that you are interested in historical and spy films, was that intentional?
Who does not like historical films?! Such works live forever in the history of cinema and television. We still watch black and white historical films, and wait for them with the same passion and never tire of them. I receive many and varied scripts, and in the recent period I found wonderful historical and spy films and decided to present them in order to remain in the history of cinema.
We rarely find many stars in one movie, how was your experience with Karim Abdel Aziz and Hend Sabry?
As long as the film requires many stars acting together, it is doable. We have seen it in many films. But the most important thing is the quality of the film itself. If the script was weak, even if all the stars of Egypt starred in it, it would not succeed. In the end, I see that the artwork must be an integrated story, a good script, a good director, talented actors, and respectable producers. These are the ingredients of success. As for “Kira we El Gin”, it includes many stars such as Karim Abdel Aziz, Hend Sabry, and Sayed Ragab, led by distinguished director Marwan Hamed, and based on a great novel by Murad, so the film came out distinguished.
You starred in three films; “Al Aref”, “The Crime”, and “Kira we El Gin”, in one year, did you want to release them all in such a short period?
As actors, our role is limited to acting, and we have no say in the timing of the film screening. For example, we have been working on “Kira we El Gin” since 2019, and it was halted more than once due to the coronavirus pandemic. The timing of releasing the film is the business of the producer, not the actor. There was no arrangement to release all of them in the same year.
Are there specific roles you want to play in the future?
I can play all the characters. I always strive for excellence and try not to play the same role twice. I wish to engrave my name in the people’s memory and I think this is what matters to any real artist.
How do you see your competitors in the film industry?
Competition is definitely required, and the market is open to everyone, and as I told you, we are actors, each of us does his best, the audience is the judge, and the revenue also has a role, and it is an indicator of the success of the film or not.
You said earlier that you do not follow social networks. How do you follow the scene?
There are different ways to follow the art scene without wasting time on Facebook and other social sites. I follow the art scene in Egypt and abroad closely, and I am busy all the time with how to create better works.
You once said there’s no No.1 in art, what did you mean?
I did not mean anyone in particular, I noticed some artists who say they are better than everyone. This is unrealistic of course. It is natural for an artist to perform a successful work and be proud of his success, and it is also natural that others feel jealous and try to provide better works, but art is not owned by one person, and success is never monopolized by one person. Sometimes the actor presents a very good work but the audience does taste it. This definitely does not mean the film was no good or the actor failed. There are broad lines of any artwork, the most important of which is that every work is a teamwork, in fact, no one succeeds alone. It’s like a football team.
Do you follow the works of other actors?
I watch most of the films, and sometimes I call my colleagues to congratulate them and tell them my opinion, and sometimes I don’t tell them about my comments even if I don’t like the work.
When you look at your beginnings and what you have become today, what is the most important lesson you learned?
The most important lesson was to understand the audience and their taste. The world changed a lot and the competition became global and not just local. The viewer watches my film as well as dozens of American, Western, and Indian films. This gives him visual experience that was not available in the past. Today, when I prepare for a film or a series, I am no longer allowed to do simple or familiar work, because the people do not accept ordinary works now. This happened with “Al-Mamar” film, for example, as the people have a sense of patriotism for their homeland, but no such work has touched their feelings for years. This film succeeded in that because we actually did a good job in it.
