09:22 PM Sunday 04 February 2024
Written by: Manal Al-Gyoushi
The artist Dhafer El Abidine was a guest of Wael Mansour and Menna Amer, on their program, “Live it with Energy,” on Energy Radio 92.1.
Regarding the character he dreams of presenting during his artistic career, he said: “I hope to present a historical work, whether a character or a specific historical era,” and revealed that he hopes to present the character of the philosopher Ibn Khaldun because his name is linked to the development of society.
Regarding his participation in works in different Arabic dialects, he said that he feels a love for these works because they give him a great passion for continuous learning to acquire new cultures, adding: “I feel like I am a new student in every work I present in a different dialect.”
Regarding his new movie, “A Nose and Three Eyes,” he said: “The current movie showing in theaters is very different, even though it has the same characters, but there is a clear difference in dealing with reality and society.”
He continued: “I did not think about comparing the work to the old film, as time is completely different, and so are the actors.” Al-Abidin revealed that he tries to avoid watching the old work for fear of it affecting him.
When asked by Menna Amer and Wael Mansour about the difference between working in the Arab world and participating in a number of foreign works, he said: “Acting in non-Arab films is somewhat difficult because the artist must have a good understanding of the society in which the film will be shown and its nature and culture.”
He continued: “In many of the non-Arab works in which I participated, I changed some things in the scenario or the character’s approach.”
He also talked about the directing experience he had, and said that it was an enjoyable experience, and that his method did not change, whether before or after directing, as there is a wide scope for discussion during any work.
Regarding series that are more than 30 episodes, he said: “The art market is large and allows for series of 90 episodes or more, so why do we put limits on art, especially since there are season series such as Ramadan series?”
Regarding social media, he said that he is keen to keep his personal life away from social media as much as possible, and he revealed that he is preparing for two jobs in America, but he did not reveal more about them.
When asked about the African Cup of Nations, he said: “I feel that the Arab teams are not in the best condition, but the level of African football remains high.”
