Sahibet Al Saada
Interview Summary :
Actor Mahmoud was a guest on Sahibet Al Saada show, presented by Actress and Producer Isaad Younis. She introduced him by saying that he is one of the leading actors and influencers in the film industry in Egypt. He is a full-fledged actor, and his films are posted on international websites such as (IMDB).. He has a face that conveys all the emotions and characters that you could think of, and here Hemida interjected and said: Rest in peace, Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, because he told me once, all your roles are evil ones. Let it be evil then.
During the interview, Hemida talked about the following:
He was a part of Yosry Hamdy Dance Squad, and worked with Isaad Younis on the play Al Dokhol Bel Malabes Rasmeya, but it was not filmed because “Yosry Hamdy” wasn’t present. He stated that although there is no tape of the play, it is a lovely memory that he cherishes, and he still recalls rehearsals and issues that they encountered at the time.
He mentioned that he was a friend of Abdel-Azim Abdel-Haq, and Hemida said that he was working on a series called 19 Haret El Shorafa where everybody called him “Papa”, so Hemida asked him one day: “I have noticed that everyone calls you “Papa,” but I can’t say it because I have one”, and he said to him: “Don’t bother about it.”
About Samir Khafagy and the play Sayedaty Al Gamila, as “Hemida” said that he asked “Khafagy” for how much did you sell the play to Television, he said: 500 pounds, and here, Hemida was astonished.
He talked about the reason behind joining the Faculty of Engineering and explained that when he was a child he used to think, “We are raised in a way that does not support making our own choices.” His uncle “Mohy” was a very skillful mechanical engineer and a graduate of the Faculty of Engineering at Ain Shams University, and he loved him dearly, so he joined the Faculty of Engineering, ASU, and described it as a wrong choice. He finished his preparatory year and majored in mechanics, he never took an exam afterwards for 6 years, then he transferred to Faculty of Commerce.
Hemida said that he disdained art and when he failed in engineering his father told him to join the High Cinema Institute, but he said: No, I will earn a respectable degree. Hemida only realized this when he was 40, so he wrote in his ID, Profession: Actor.
“I used to sing when I was young”, Hemida said about hanging out with his family at home, “I want to entertain them, I don’t want to do more than that.” “Spectators, before the cinema screen, forget about their concerns for a while and become an empty vessel ready to receive new concerns that they pick from what they are watching.
Gypsies used to come to our village every once in a while, and my family never liked it. My father had his own gramophone and the old production recorded on wax cylinders, but he never batted an eyelid about the gypsies and used to tell us: “Give them something to eat and show them the way out. One of our relatives was giving the gypsies a place to sit, and they used to do shows at the front of the house of his relative, so Hemida would stay there until he fell asleep, and his grandfather would send someone to bring him home.
On professionalism, Hemida said: “It came a little late, when he was employed at a soft water company”.
“In the first 6 films, I made 2000 pounds”, that is how he talked about his earnings from the first 6 films he participated in, deducting 20% for the syndicate because he was a member there and 15% or 20% for taxes.
The first six films he took part in were: I: Al Imbrator, II: Al Masateel, III: Fares Al-Madina, and the other three were Keid El-Awalem, Seraa El Zawgat and Shams El Zanaty.
Faris Ghali nominated me for Al Imbrator
Hemida said about Al Imbrator film: If I’m going to act… then where? with whom? For how much? And How? .. Later we can discuss that.
Hemida about his work with Ahmed Zaki and Nadia El Gendy: I said before that each film with them saved me 10 years of work.
When I first ventured into this field, especially after the film Fares Al-Madina, two of the major critics: Salem Al-Salamouni and Samir Farid, may God bless them, were the friends of director Mohamed Khan, and they asked me to be selective about roles. Adel Imam solved this issue for me when he said: Do not bother with people telling you to be selective and picky, do not turn down any role, so I started accepting roles and I did not care about the money.
Hemida stated that Fares Al-Madina was not supposed to be played by him but was intended for Ahmed Zaki and Fayez Ghali, and I went to Mohamed Khan when he disagreed with “Zaki” and met him at Ghali’s house. “Khan” told me: “I had a disagreement with Ahmed Zaki, and sent the film to Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, and if he accepts it, you will not take part in it”. I read the film and at that time Khan told me: “Mahmoud Abdel Aziz declined.”
Hemida: I completed the film Fares Al-Madina in 5 weeks and 2 days, even with Ahmed Zaki, it would not have taken less than 15 or 16 weeks because Ahmed was easily bored.
Hemida, about the scenes of the movie Fares Al-Madina: Every morning, I got out of my house and I’d take a bus called 700, then get off in Tahrir. Then, I’d walk to a coffee shop wearing a bag with my customs. I’d wait for the production director Fathy Yousry, until he arrives in his car.
Hemida: I had a great experience with director Mohamed Khan and at that time I decided to study cinema.
Hemida on the character of Marshal Boraie: Shams El Zanaty was the beginning of my career and Adel had just signed Shams El Zanaty contract with my friends who established “Pop Art” company, and when they said you can do a role as a featured guest, I replied that I won’t be a featured guest and my name should not be listed as such. I continued that I don’t mind playing a small role in a film, whoever is the hero or heroine.
Hemida: Shams El Zanaty was filmed in Badrashin, not the Western Desert.
Hemida: I love Siwa and I love visiting it, even my daughter Aya and her husband live there.
Hemida: I remember the first shoot in Shams El Zanaty while I was riding the horse on my way in with the gang, as Samir Seif said “Excellent”, so I said to him “What are you saying I haven’t even earned my pay”, and after that I went on acting very well.
Hemida about the film Shams El Zanaty: I wanted to act in this film so badly, because there was this one scene designed by “Desouqy” where there would be a trap to surround the gang with a circle of fire and rice straws soaked with kerosene, and on the hay we sprayed gasoline, so I said to him it would not work, it just wouldn’t because there was a difference in the degrees of combustion, if only one of them catches fire without the other, there would be an explosion.. and there was.
Hemida: At the stable, many people died and no one cared about them.
On Gannet Al-Shayateen, Hemida said that he had pulled out his teeth because there was a problem with the makeup and there was no makeup artist that could mount the teeth in close-up shots, and there was no graphic designer, so he took off his teeth himself, and he did visit a dentist to do the job.
Hemida: I founded the “Al Batrik Production” to produce any film, not only what appeals to me.
Hemida: Omar Sharif never told me about Gannet Al-Shayateen, and whether or not I sold such a thing.
Hemida: Tarek El-Telmissany was worried about me in the ritual purification scene.
Hemida: In the series Al Wassiah, I liked the character of “Khawaja Taki” when I did the role.
Hemida: The film Baheb El Cima started with the script written by Hani Fawzi, which was an autobiography, and it tackled intellectual terrorism, among both Muslims and Christians. It was a great chance to make that film at that time because its speech was not brusque.
Hemida: Once Adel Imam was receiving a prize and said that Baheb El Cima is the one that deserves that prize.
Hemida: I liked the mix of filmmakers and that we address the idea of fanaticism which leads to terrorism.
Hemida: Afareet El-Asphalt means a lot to me, and all Egyptian actors refused to do it and his makers told me so.
Hemida: I read Afareet El-Asphalt and liked it as a scenario and because Mustafa Zekry is a unique writer, I started to talk about the composition of the scenario, and I said I would find a producer. We reached an agreement with Hani Gerges Fawzy stipulating that Osama, Mustafa and I would not take money to make the film, and the film cost EGP 550,000. Even when we used to say that in festivals, no one would believe it because films costs millions, and at the time the dollar equated to five and a half Egyptian pounds.
Hemida: Geld Haii is a prominent film, but most producers do not read, and that is what we learned while studying filmmaking in America, so they taught us how to sell our script. We summarize the scenario in 5 lines so the producer does not lose interest.
Hemida: El Fann El Sabae Magazine got canceled because at that time I was totally broke, and the importance of this magazine was focused on the industry and no social context was allowed. The idea credit goes to Mahmoud Al-Kurdusi and his mates, and I developed it.
Hemida: El Fann El Sabae Magazine was shut down. I do not know why!