It is so weird working on a show that you've never heard of and on actors you've never heard of. When local people ask me who's on the show and I manage to remember and not butcher the pronunciation of their names, they're so excited for me. I try to mirror their excitement, but I'm still terribly ignorant- and though I've tried to remedy this by going online and researching the talent pool, most of the websites are in Arabic. Ugh. If any of you are interested, here's a list of the principals of the show:
Boshra
Injy El Mokadem
Mahmoud Abdelmoughni
Ahmed Rateb
Safaa Galal
Amaar Chalak
Ahmed El Sakka
Amir Karara
It's so funny because right now on the way to work we pass at least 5 movie posters with stars from the show on them. Boshra just released a new CD. Apparently Ahmed El Sakka is the 'Bruce Willis' of the Arab world. He let us keep a bullet that was recently removed from his foot in a handgun incident. Uh, thanks? I'm really enjoying not knowing who these people are because then I'm not so nervous when I'm working on them. Whoever they are, they're all really nice. Of course, even out here in Egypt there are your typical 'diva' personality types (guys and gals), and actors with quirky habits.
There are some other marked differences stylistically as well. Whether it's an extra or a principal, the ladies out here looooove their makeup. It is caked on. And we're shooting on HD too. The doctors are sporting full coverage base and quasi-smokey eye applications. Now, we don't have much interaction with the principals as most of our work is on the secondary actors who play the cases that the main actors are working on. Aside from putting some blood on their gloves during an operation scene, they haven't been submitted to our particular forms of torture. Notwithstanding, they see enough of us and have chatted with us (most of it a mutual muddling across a common language gap) enough to give us nicknames: 'Mr. Chris' and 'Bloody Amy'. Uh, I'm pretty sure I got the cooler nickname.
I think that not knowing "who they are" allowed us to really get to know who they are- if that makes any sense. One of the actors is dedicated to a charity for mentally disabled children that the media doesn't really know about. Another actress is an accomplished kick boxer and an eerily talented pick-pocket; I watched her in action one day and she stripped one of the gaffers of his wallet, watch, keys, cell phone and smokes- the guy didn't have a chance, and wasn't the wiser. You should have seen the look on his face when she handed all his stuff back to him.
When I get back home, I'm really going to try to stop myself from sustaining preconceived notions of people gleaned off what I've just heard. We're all guilty of it, and while it's fun, it is limiting; for those who's reputation 'precedes them' and for our own personal development- and potential fruitful friendships.
Boshra
Injy El Mokadem
Mahmoud Abdelmoughni
Ahmed Rateb
Safaa Galal
Amaar Chalak
Ahmed El Sakka
Amir Karara
It's so funny because right now on the way to work we pass at least 5 movie posters with stars from the show on them. Boshra just released a new CD. Apparently Ahmed El Sakka is the 'Bruce Willis' of the Arab world. He let us keep a bullet that was recently removed from his foot in a handgun incident. Uh, thanks? I'm really enjoying not knowing who these people are because then I'm not so nervous when I'm working on them. Whoever they are, they're all really nice. Of course, even out here in Egypt there are your typical 'diva' personality types (guys and gals), and actors with quirky habits.
There are some other marked differences stylistically as well. Whether it's an extra or a principal, the ladies out here looooove their makeup. It is caked on. And we're shooting on HD too. The doctors are sporting full coverage base and quasi-smokey eye applications. Now, we don't have much interaction with the principals as most of our work is on the secondary actors who play the cases that the main actors are working on. Aside from putting some blood on their gloves during an operation scene, they haven't been submitted to our particular forms of torture. Notwithstanding, they see enough of us and have chatted with us (most of it a mutual muddling across a common language gap) enough to give us nicknames: 'Mr. Chris' and 'Bloody Amy'. Uh, I'm pretty sure I got the cooler nickname.
I think that not knowing "who they are" allowed us to really get to know who they are- if that makes any sense. One of the actors is dedicated to a charity for mentally disabled children that the media doesn't really know about. Another actress is an accomplished kick boxer and an eerily talented pick-pocket; I watched her in action one day and she stripped one of the gaffers of his wallet, watch, keys, cell phone and smokes- the guy didn't have a chance, and wasn't the wiser. You should have seen the look on his face when she handed all his stuff back to him.
When I get back home, I'm really going to try to stop myself from sustaining preconceived notions of people gleaned off what I've just heard. We're all guilty of it, and while it's fun, it is limiting; for those who's reputation 'precedes them' and for our own personal development- and potential fruitful friendships.
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