Caroline Milan to Asharq Al-Awsat: I do not fear for Lebanese drama
Lebanese director Caroline Milan recalls her last hours with the late actor Fadi Ibrahim in the series “Secret and Destiny,” which she directed, and she accompanied Ibrahim in the moments of pain and pain he faced during filming. She describes him as a “smart actor” with a unique personality. The producer of the work, Elie Maalouf, agreed that he is the Lebanese actor who will not be repeated.
Milan had previously collaborated with Ibrahim on a number of previous dramatic works, and was impressed by his interaction with the camera and how he could memorize any text in just a few moments. From “Al Aida” to “The Springs” and “My Son,” he made his last journey with her in “a secret and a destiny.”
Ibrahim was passionate about acting and was ready to return to it despite his illness (Caroline Milan)
Milan told Asharq Al-Awsat some of her memories of him during that period that preceded his stay in the hospital for many months. “His voice still rings in my ears as he calls me (Karo, join me, for I cannot move my fingers). And other times, despite his excruciating aches and pains due to the swelling of his toes, his smile never left his face, and he laughed and joked with everyone as if he was in perfect health. He insisted on finishing his scenes at work quickly so that he could devote himself to the treatment phase.”
As a result of her many experiences with him, she says: “He had a remarkable acting intelligence that was unlike anyone else. Unlike the rest of the team, he did not read the script until the last minute before filming began. He memorizes it very quickly, and then asks for some simple modifications to a particular word or phrase. He soon stood in front of the camera, portraying his role as best as possible.
She remembers on the last days of filming, when his health condition deteriorated, he asked her to take off his shoes because he could not bear them due to the swelling in his feet. She then began filming him with “Close” shots close to his face and without his body, so that he would be comfortable in his performance. “He was nursing his wounds until the last minute. Imagine that he was preparing to participate in the play (Gibran Khalil Gibran) with Talal Darjani while he was in a wheelchair. Acting was his greatest passion in life, and he remained optimistic about returning to the scene until his last breath.
Caroline Milan recounts many stories and news about the late artist, saying that she does not meet all of his specifications. She continued to Asharq Al-Awsat: “I cannot enumerate them all, as they are many. But the most important thing is that he did not like to gossip or give a negative opinion about any person or business. He was a man of great humanity and love for others. Lebanon and the Arab world have undoubtedly lost him, and I wish they had benefited from his acting abilities more widely.”
The series “Secret and Destiny,” which is expected to be shown on LBCI soon, is on the list of exciting dramas. She adds: “It is of the social romantic type, taking place in an atmosphere of mysterious drama full of secrets.” It consists of about 42 episodes, the rhythm of which increases very dramatically starting from its twentieth episodes.
She describes the late Ibrahim as a smart actor (Caroline Milan)
Milan considers “Secret and Destiny” a directorial station that it is proud of, because of the effort and effort it required. “Every work the director considers to be the best in his career. But “Sir Wa Qadr” has a special place, because it comes after Lee’s absence from the screen. For me, he is like the last seed of a bunch, and I have a lot of love for him. The writer Vivian Antonius knew how to mold its events in a breathtaking way. The producer of the work, director Elie Al-Maalouf, did not skimp on allocating a financial budget that contributed to presenting it at a high level. Even my style of photographing adopted a new technique, through which I achieved a different mark in directing my works.”
Caroline Milan has a long experience in the world of directing, including dramatic ones, as in “The Return,” “All Salty,” “The Corner,” “My Son,” and “The Springs.” She also had a successful cinematic experience in the movie “Zafafyan”. She points out in the context of her talk that the Lebanese have become eager to watch local drama series. “The people, like the street, lack a dramatic structure par excellence. It is not true that these businesses cannot compete during the Ramadan season. There are many examples that contradict this opinion, including works by Elie Al-Maalouf and Karen Rizkallah. In the past, the series (The Return) achieved great success, and it topped the viewing rates during Ramadan in many Arab countries, including Syria, Tunisia, and Iraq. The Lebanese series is popular with Arab viewers, but the problem lies with the owners of production companies. It hesitates to take similar steps out of its lack of confidence in the Lebanese artistic elements as a whole. This contributes to the elimination of Lebanese drama.”
With the “Secret and Destiny” filming team… (Caroline Milan)
Milan believes that Lebanese works, since the series “The Storm Blows Twice” by Shukri Anis Fakhoury, have witnessed a true renaissance. It opened the appetite of Lebanese producers to create long-form dramas. You also find that its topics reflect the rich and the poor and reflect the daily lives of our societies. She is not afraid that this drama will decline and considers it essential on the Arab scene. It also rejects the saying that Lebanese series carry a lot of elegance and luxury, contrary to the Lebanese reality. She explains: “The Lebanese person, in general, is an elegant person in his behavior, fashion, and the way he deals with others. Which is what distinguishes him from others. On the street, we cannot differentiate between a middle-class citizen, a poor person, and a wealthy person, because they are all the same. We do not have popular stories that we draw inspiration from (Al-Hara), as in Syrian works. But on the other hand, we convey stories from the street and from the homes of the needy and the homes of the wealthy. They all constitute the elements of our Lebanese society in reality.”
When we discuss in the interview with her what she misses today on screen, she raises her voice loudly, commenting: “What I miss most is the absence of star actors, directors, and writers from mixed productions. I ask the two most important production companies from Lebanon (Al-Sabah) and (Eagle Films), why do they miss big names from their productions? Where is the actor Youssef Al-Khal, Cyrine Abdel Nour, Pamela Al-Kik, Nadine Al-Rassi and many others? We hardly see them in similar industries anymore. The worst thing is that they appreciate and receive acting offers from outside Lebanon. She continues, wondering: “And where are the Lebanese directors and writers like Samir Habashi, Caroline Milan, Mona Taye and others? There is a big question mark that I draw about this topic. Even the late Fadi Ibrahim did not benefit from his abilities and capabilities at the required level.”
With the late Fadi Ibrahim during the filming of “Secret and Destiny”… (Caroline Milan)
Returning to the series “Secret and Destiny,” she points out that the role played by the late Fadi Ibrahim as a representative in the Lebanese Parliament is pivotal. “The entire story revolves around him and we will see him present in most of the workshops. Through flashback scenes, we discover with him the secrets and ambiguities surrounding his family, which consists of his wife, Rahaf Abdullah, and his mother, Wafaa Tarabay, who will play the role of the mother (the lady of the palace) who is very honored by her son. Among the actors also participating in it are Peter Semaan, Magdy Mashmouchi, and Katia Kaadi.
