Showbiz Arabia: Celebrating Faten Hamama

To this day, black and white Egyptian films remain very much popular in the region, with entire TV channels dedicated to showing classics from the golden decades. During that time, plenty of performers made a career for themselves, one of whom is Faten Hamama. The Mansoura-born actress, who made her big screen debut at the age of 7, is now known as one of the genre’s screen legends. In an era where it was almost impossible for actresses to win roles other than that of the romantic damsel in distress, Faten went on to fight for scripts and characters that would have normally been reserved for men. She also became half of one of Egypt’s most famous celeb couples, marrying Omar Sharif in 1955.

Now 82, the actress was last seen in a TV drama in 2000, and has become notoriously private since. Even in 2009 when she was honoured with the Dubai International Film Festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Hamama didn’t travel to the emirate, accepting the award via video link instead.

This week, however, it seems the legendary has softened her approach a little, and agreed to meet with media in Lebanon after being granted an honorary doctorate by the American University of Beirut. Looking back at her career, here’s what she had to say:

-On being a child actor:

“I was very natural while filming, happy and careless. It was more of a game to me, and they used to get me lots of toys every day. I never felt that my career deprived me of a normal childhood. When you’re young, you don’t feel it. On the contrary you feel important, and that everyone is taking you into consideration.”

-On being picked on for being famous:

“I was bullied as a teenager. Even though the elite were in the cinema, my schoolmates used to pick on me, saying that acting was a bad career.”

-On celebrity:

“The film industry was not about money back then. We were paid very little in comparison to now. I loved art for art.”

-On the pressures of fame:

“I keep stardom away when I go home. I am an ordinary person. You cannot go on if you do not do that. Even stardom has its ups and downs... when you are satisfied about a role, you feel great but when you are not content you really feel down. I remember not being able to sleep a whole month before a movie premiere – it was exhausting.”

-On carefully choosing roles:

“I worked to emphasise the importance of women. I wanted my art to express the causes and problems of Arabs and Egyptians. That was a factor I took into consideration before approving my scripts. And international films never interested me; while acting in foreign movies, you must accept wearing revealing outfits and doing anything. But our society was more conservative, and I could not do that. I was interested in acting our lives, the life of Khadija and Aliya and common people.”

-The importance of 1975’s Ouridou Hallan (I Want a Solution):

“The movie led to a change in the civil law in Egypt and other countries. We incited women to revolt against the egoism of men. While filming, we went to real courts and we kept the camera hidden. Most women thought I was one of them. They were so concerned with their problems that they did not even notice me.”