Ahmed Malek

The Rising Artisan

We got a chance to sit and chat with one of Egypt’s rising superstars, Ahmed Malek and this is what he told us…

-What are the pros and cons of reaching stardom at a very young age?

You don’t enjoy the little things that everyone enjoys, you become more self-aware, those are the cons, you also don’t do what people usually do. But for me, I just do it and this creates a lot of cons for me and it affects me a lot. And the pros, you gain opportunities that you wouldn’t normally gain.

-Do you enjoy your celebrity status?

I don’t measure myself as a celebrity, I’m trying to measure myself as the craft that I do as an artist.

-If not an actor, what would you have been?

I think I have always wanted to be an actor, I don’t really see myself doing anything else.

-How do you deal with criticism?

I’m always open to any criticism directed at me, as I believe that it’s natural for an actor to be criticized, so I try to take the constructive criticism and apply it to my work and completely ignore the unconstructive criticism.

-What are the key-factors you base your role choices upon?

The key factors are based on two things; the technical stuff and the art stuff. The technical stuff which is the director, the production and the script, the artistic side is the character and how it affects me and how I can perform it as truthfully as possible.

-What do you hope your legacy will be?

I hope I’ll be remembered as someone who gave all that he had to his art.

-How was your experience at Cannes Film Festival?

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to go.

-Tell us about your role in ‘Sheikh Jackson’?

My role in Sheikh Jackson is very touching for me, in a way, because it releases a side of myself that has always been there, but I’ve been hiding it. Sheikh Jackson touches on a very personal and hidden side of me, that I can now present on the screen.

-What’s your advice to those who look up to you?

Be truthful to yourself, and look up to yourself, don’t look up to anyone else.

-What are your coming projects

I’m doing a surprise appearance in Sherif Arafa’s new movie and a TV series directed by Shaker and written by Tamer Habib.