Beirut: Hana Toby
Nazem Issa, a veteran Lebanese actor, began his artistic career half a century ago and was able to occupy the rank of continuous and extended success for years, in some of which he was absent from his country Lebanon, where he traveled to Canada, but he did not skimp on his giving to the theater, cinema and television, he began his artistic career with giants The Lebanese theater, Nabih Abu al-Hassan and Antoine Kerbage, and participated in several films, the first of which is “In Blowing the Wind”, and the last of which will not be his current movie, “Al-Hiba”, he attended strongly in the series that cannot be counted on its abundance, including “House of the Sweetest Houses of Beirut” and “Between Beirut and Dubai,” “The Return,” “Deprived,” “Zaman Al-Omar,” “Jana Al-Omar,” “The Peasants’ Revolution,” and others… In recent years, he has formed one of the main characters in the series “Al-Hiba,” as he embodied the character “Abu Ali” in the five seasons of the series, and sealed it in the film with the same title “Al-Hiba”, which has become synonymous with it, according to what he said, as the people he meets on the street call him “Abu Ali”.
* How does the movie “Al-Hiba” differ from the series with its five parts?
The movie “Al-Hiba” was considered a culmination of the series and has the same spirituality, but its dimensions are different, its events are accelerated, and its techniques are of high quality. It is a new quality that is different from the familiar that we know in Arab cinema in general. .
* How did you find the demand for it in the Emirates, Jordan and Lebanon, where it was opened in the halls?
The turnout is very high, the audience is excited to watch it, and the echoes are positive, according to what I receive, and we will continue the journey of its opening in all Arab halls, and I hope that it will leave the mark it deserves wherever it goes.
* You play the character “Abu Ali” in the movie… Will your character remain on the same line that we knew you in the series?
– The character of “Abu Ali” is very likable, and he is a loyal man in a time of disbelief, who carries the secrets of the family of the Sheikh of the Mountain (Tim Hassan) and he will continue to wear this dress to be convincing, while taking more space to be the watchful eye on “Mountain” and the sons of “prestige”. It achieved a great public success because the audience thirsts for the character and because I performed it so convincingly that I bore his name. People I meet on the street call me “Abu Ali”. I loved Abu Ali so that he became a part of me, and I feel sad that I will leave him and move on to new characters.
Tips for the new generation
* Do you give advice behind the scenes to your employees of the new generation?
– Certainly, I believe a lot in the artistic abilities of the actors of the new generation, and I am glad that they accept advice from me as a parent and respect my experience in the field, which is now 49 years old, and I rely on them a lot in the development and continuation of the drama, they will continue our journey.
Q: You said that the prestige movie is of a new quality, so do you see a development in Arab drama?
– No one disagrees with the development of Arab drama. Finally, we are facing distinguished works since the beginning of the Arab partnership. Experiences have been exchanged, the spread has become wider, and the means of presentation have intensified between the terrestrial screen, electronic screens, digital streaming, platforms, satellite channels, and so on.
* During your artistic career, you participated in theatrical, television and film works, which one is your favorite?
– They are all an extension of Nazim Issa, the actor who resides in me and did not leave me. I loved them all, and I found similarities in the techniques of television and film work in terms of their dependence on the camera with which I have a good relationship, but the theater differs from them in that it is direct and depends on physical movement mainly.
* What role do you call the role of life?
– I was greatly influenced by the role of “Abu Ali” in the prestige, and before that the character of “Al-Mukhtar” and I played it twice in “Maleh Ya Bahr” and “Daughter of the Teacher” and was affected by being the good and gracious Mukhtar of the village, who loves his people and they appreciate him very much, and I identified with “Mukhtar” but I I chose to move to new roles so that I would not be molded into them, as I am with diversification and renewal, and as a result I played characters I loved in “Where were you”, “Nidal” and “The Peasants’ Revolution”.
* You played the role of the father more than once, so were you afraid of repeating yourself?
– There is a loving and cruel father, committed or irresponsible, and the performance of each of them differs from the others, and here lies the renewal and challenge, as the characteristics of each personality and its mission at work impose on me how to install and present it in a convincing manner.
* Do you have preparations for new business, what do you reveal to us?
I am participating in a joint Arab-Lebanese-Syrian work, which is an express version of one of the Turkish series bearing the same title as the main work “The War of Roses.” I am currently filming the second part of the series “Zahra Salon” and I contracted to participate in the series “The Stranger.”
