Ashraf Abdel Baqi is an Egyptian actor who has introduced about 200 performs with younger skills over eight years. He has gained the hearts of his viewers along with his modest means, his critical work ethic, and his avoidance of sexual and vulgar jokes. On this interview, he talks about his newest play, his ardour for theater, and his perspective in the direction of success and failure.
You’ve introduced many theatrical works, reminiscent of “Lokanda”, “Sabahiya Mubarakah”, and most lately, “Barhouma Triangle”. Some would possibly see this as an adventurous alternative. What do you assume?
Life is an journey, and I like taking dangers. I don’t care about failure or success. The necessary factor is that I attempt to do my greatest.
What’s your new play about?
The play is a comedy that revolves across the passengers of a ship who encounter a storm throughout a sea voyage. The storm adjustments their course, and so they find yourself on a mysterious island that they attempt to discover and uncover its secrets and techniques. The play stars Hamdi Al-Mirghani, Bayoumi Fouad, and Mirna Jamil, and it’s written by Ahmed Abdel Wahab and Karim Sami. I collaborated with them earlier than in (Misr Theater) and the play (The Financial institution They Robbed It), which I introduced on the (Jeddah Season) in Saudi Arabia. That play additionally featured Karim Mahmoud Abdel Aziz, Aws Aws, and Suleiman Eid, and it was an incredible success.
Does this work fulfill your want to behave? Does it compensate you financially?
Financially, I may earn extra from different work, reminiscent of filming a sequence that I may end in simply two months. However once I work in theater, the monetary achieve is completely different from working in a sequence or a film. I take pleasure in my work in theater rather a lot, and I like assembly the viewers. It’s enjoyable. I began with beginner teams.
Are you attempting to satisfy your self in theater after the failures that occurred to you in cinema?
I work in theater as a result of I like theater. I don’t affiliate it with failures. I like work. The scary factor for me is to sit down at house with out working. Possibly if I don’t have a job, I can enhance a buddy’s home or one thing else. I don’t like being house with out work, regardless of the work. I work, however the end result could not fulfill some folks. Nevertheless it’s not possible to fulfill everybody.
Why are your movies very profitable on tv, however not within the cinema?
I have no idea the precise cause for this, and I don’t wish to blame anybody for the shortage of cinematic success of my movies. If I informed the reality, I might be offending others, and I don’t like to try this. Everybody has his personal pursuits and preferences. The producer or distributor has the fitting to decide on the movie that he thinks will earn more money. Possibly he most well-liked one other film or one other star over me and my movie… and I respect that.
Doesn’t that make you indignant?
No, a very powerful factor for me is self-satisfaction. It doesn’t matter how a lot I obtain, if I’m not pleased with myself, nothing else will make me pleased. Some folks have some huge cash and nonetheless complain, and a few have little or no, however they’re content material with what they’ve. I’m grateful to God for giving me good mates who’ve been with me since childhood. Nobody can hurt me and I at all times have a look at the intense facet of issues.
You’re at the moment working to introduce new skills to the theatre, cinema, and tv via the Misr Theater and the Rihani Theater… however some folks have criticized you and stated that what you current is just not actual theatre, what’s your reply to them?
I imagine that the youth are the way forward for Egypt in each area, not simply within the arts. They’re the true treasure of Egypt, and we, the older technology, must share our expertise and information with them. We now have to move on the torch to them. Once I was younger, I had an opportunity to show myself, and so did the technology earlier than me. This can be a probability for younger folks, too. A few of them will seize it and change into well-known stars by God’s will, and a few of them won’t… However those that criticize, what have they carried out for the theatre?
The Riyadh season is a superb alternative for Arab theatrical performances to compete and showcase their skills. How do you’re feeling about being a part of this occasion and representing Egypt?
There are lots of performances from completely different Arab nations, reminiscent of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Syria, and so they all contribute to the revival of the Arab theatre. Egypt has the most important participation, and I’m proud to be a part of it. For me, you will need to current a efficiency that’s honorable, dazzling, and entertaining, and that displays the fantastic thing about the theatrical language and artwork.
You’ve helped many younger folks to pursue their goals, together with the celebs of “Egypt Theater” and “Saudi Theater.” How does that make you’re feeling?
I really feel very pleased and joyful once I see proficient folks and assist them to attain their targets. I’ve given alternatives to many younger folks, not solely as actors but in addition as administrators. I used to be impressed by their first works and their potential.
Why do you at all times say that you’re solely an actor and also you don’t care concerning the competitors points that trouble most stars?
This can be a precept that I observe and I cannot change it as a result of I’ve no management over the opposite issues, reminiscent of competitors and rating of names, and I can’t determine how or when my work is introduced, or how a lot promoting it will get. All I’ve is my work as an actor, and I feel that success means being constant and chronic.
You’re a proficient actor, however you haven’t but proven works that replicate your inventive potential. Why is that?
I like artwork, and all through my journey, I’ve been attempting to make use of my expertise positively, and I’m pleased with myself. I feel that I’ve reached a few of my targets up to now, and with extra effort, I’ll hold producing works that can fulfill my followers, who made me a star and a celeb.
You’ve carried out greater than 160 performs in 8 years. How will you shield this theatrical legacy from being misplaced like what occurred with Ismail Yassin?
I employed a expertise skilled to report and save these works in order that nobody can delete this historical past, as occurred with the late comedy star Ismail Yassin when tv worn out tapes of his performs to report soccer matches.
We’re trying ahead to the discharge of the brand new sequence “The Final Spherical”, which stars you and Ahmed El Sakka, and it’s the first Arabic sequence to be proven on the Amazon Prime platform, what do you consider this work?
I lately accomplished my position within the sequence “The Final Spherical” with Ahmed El Sakka. It’s the first Arab sports activities sequence and it’s concerning the recreation (MMA), which includes a number of combating video games reminiscent of boxing, wrestling, and judo, which is a really violent recreation performed by two gamers inside a cage. It has a big fan base, and I play the character of Sakka’s coach, who was a participant in it and give up, then got here again to compete once more. The sequence is directed by Maryam Ahmadi, and the position is new, the story is nice, and it requires coaching within the recreation. I hope that the viewers will take pleasure in it.
You made a cameo look in your daughter Zeina’s first movie as a director. Do you help your daughter in her profession?
I might not have been so happy with her if I had not seen that she was a superb director from her first quick movies. I used to be not the one one, as three producers had been impressed by her movie, and I used to be the fourth. Zeina studied directing, and she or he made her first function movie, based mostly on her personal concept. I cherished the thought, and she or he picked new younger actors to play the principle roles. I used to be in solely two scenes, with my mates Sherif Mounir, Ahmed Rizk, and Suleiman Eid. I didn’t meddle in something, as this was her challenge and her ardour, and once I noticed the ultimate model, I used to be amazed by its prime quality. The Cairo Movie Competition chosen it as one of many movies within the official competitors for the session that was postponed, and so they complimented its stage because it has a brand new cinematic fashion.
