Egyptian artist Hanan Youssef said that her role in the series “The Assassin of Giza” sparked reactions that exceeded everything she had witnessed throughout her years of work in art, and that she considered it like a “prize.” She added in her interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that she cannot stand watching dramatic scenes of violence, but she performs them as an actress.
Youssef considers herself an “artist of difficult roles” since she began her life in theater, which gave her a lot of experience and boldness. She presented important cinematic works such as “The Collar and the Bracelet” and “A Bitter Day… A Sweet Day.” She is the wife of theater director Issam El-Sayed.
Youssef won the admiration of the audience and critics with her performance of the character “Umm Jaber”, the mother of the character “The Butcher of Giza”, in the series that was recently shown on the “Shahid” platform, and she wore it in all its details. From her facial expressions, the looks in her eyes, and her voice, which was colored across different scenes, what sparked fear in the hearts of the viewers and aroused their astonishment. Youssef confirmed that “those she meets express their fear of her to her in some scenes, especially the scene of her husband’s killing. In fact, her only son expressed to her his fear of her.” His feeling of fear of her,” and she commented that “these opinions made her laugh and make her happy.” Because it confirms her success in impersonating the character.”
Hanan Youssef during her appearance on the “Kalam Al-Nas” program (program page)
Hanan simply explains how she dealt with this role as an actress, saying: “I did not do anything unusual, but rather worked on embodying the character completely. I used to pretend to be on stage; We were entering one character and exiting from it to another. I spent many years in the Al-Warsha theater group, which benefited me greatly. The director, Hassan Al-Jaritli, used to train us, and he also used foreign trainers. The actor in general has a distinctive eye, as he sees different models in life and stores them in his memory to recall them when he needs them.”
She continues: “First of all, the role was well written, with a distinguished director like Hadi Al-Bagouri giving each actor his space, and the availability of high-level artistic elements of filming and production. This contributed to the success of the series.”
Hanan has many scenes in which she seems to be muttering phrases that she invented as if she were talking to herself, and she says: “We were allowed to deviate from the script as long as it was within the context of the dramatic situation.”
When asked if the actor must love the character he is playing and sympathize with it in order to express it well, Youssef said: “I did not sympathize with her; Because any mother who does that to her children does not deserve motherhood in my opinion, but I understand that she needed psychological treatment. She was insulted and beaten by her husband in front of her children, killed, went to prison, and did not live a good day.”
Hanan points out that she actually seems to be the opposite of the heroine: “I am not evil, but rather kind, and my tears are close by. When I gave birth to my only son, Ahmed, I preferred to take care of him myself, and during his early childhood years I stayed away from art. He graduated from the Film Institute and directed short films, and he is a stand-up artist.” comic”.
Hanan Youssef in a clip from the series “The Butcher of Giza” (Watch)
She said that acting was not among her dreams from the beginning, adding: “I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy, and there were three artists who were behind my discovery; Professor Jalal Al-Jumai, Amir Salem, and Radwan Al-Kashef, may God have mercy on them all, said: You must act, and they took me to the (Al-Samer) Theater to meet the director Ahmed Ismail, so that he would present me in the play (A Country Evening), and when we went to show it in the village of (Shubra Bakhoum) it was like a day Eid. The whole village came out to welcome us. The audience amazed me, and at that time I decided that I wanted to be an actress.”
In cinema, Youssef won large and important roles, and her first appearance was in the movie “The Ring and the Bracelet” with director Khairy Bishara, who also presented her in a number of his works, as she confirms: “The first movie with Khairy Bishara was (The Ring and the Bracelet) and then (A Bitter Day… A Sweet Day), and the series (A Matter of Principle) and (The Flood), with this genius who presented me in distinctive roles. It never happened that he was intolerant of anyone, even if there were a hundred problems in the location. We find him smiling and kind. We both belong to the sign of Cancer, and this is the secret of our understanding. ».
In the movie “A Bitter Day… A Sweet Day,” Youssef played the character of the middle daughter of the lady of the Arab screen, Faten Hamama, about whom she says: “She was a model of commitment. She was the first to arrive before filming and the one who committed the most. She used to laugh with us and advise us, but she was annoyed by what we said.” From noise, I, Abla Kamel, and Simone, her three daughters, are in the movie.”
After the series “Layali Al-Helmeya”, in the second part of which she played the character “Dara Anisa”, she gave birth to her son, and her work was limited to the “Al-Warsha” band. She says: “This was the safe place where I would take my child. We would act, give shows, sing, and play, and this was the theater.” It satisfies me, and we traveled to festivals abroad in Britain, Switzerland, and France.” She expresses her wish to return to the stage: “We have problems in the Egyptian theatre, and I have a great passion to return to it, as it is the place that refers me to someone else.”
Hanan Youssef believes that acting is “playing hard” and points out: “We take on characters that are not ours, and I love the atmosphere of photography, and I look forward to the type of roles that I perform with a mood that people will admire. Acting brings me other lives.”
The other side of Hanan is the “comedian,” who she presented on stage and on television in several series, including “With 100 Wesh” and “Women’s Prison,” and she reveals her exciting aspiration in her Egyptian accent: “I die and perform action roles.”
Hanan does not think that stardom is too late for her: “I never sought it at any time. I am an actress of difficult roles, no matter how big or small, and these are the roles that I love.”
