Reham Ayman

MASTERING THE ART OF SELF LOVE

Interview by Amina Moustapha

Photography & Art Direction : NADER ABDO “35MM CREATIVE STUDIOS” Assistant Photographer: SAYED MOUSTAFA Makeup Artist : NOURHAN ELBARBARI Hair Stylist : MOSTAFA LOTFY BLISS BEAUTY SALON Suit: ZAAM DESIGNS

Since melting the audience’s hearts at the age of sixteen in Mahmoud Abd Al Aziz’s beloved TV series Mahmoud Al Masry, Reham Ayman has emerged as one of the most endearing and talented actresses of her generation, laying the foundation for a successful and exceptional career. She participated in several accomplishing TV series such as Al A’araf, Mowaten X, Al Rayan, and of course the blockbuster Hekayat Banat in its first season. She joined various popular films such as Hatoly Ragel, Kalb Al-Asad, Dokan Shehata, and Sarkhet Namla. Reham has managed to reserve a spot in the limelight through her gift; therefore we had to meet up with her to hear all about her astounding career journey, life after motherhood, and when we will be seeing her again on the screen.

What inspired you to get into the acting field, and how did your career kick off?

When I was just a little girl, I was besotted by the wunderkind child actress, Fayrouz. She became my inspiration to seek a career in the acting field. By the age of nine my head was already filled with plans on how I would start acting, and from where to begin. Seeing the passion in my eyes, my grandma took me to audition for one of Tarek Nour’s advertisements, I got accepted and you can only imagine my excitement then! I started to join many other commercials, and when I turned sixteen I learned that I was nominated to join a series with the late Mahmoud Abd Al-Aziz. It was a golden chance without question, so I went to do a camera test in front of the director, the incredible Magdy Abo Emira, and in the presence of Mahmoud Abd Al-Aziz. They liked me and I got the role, which I still consider until this very day a cornerstone in my career; it set me on the right track. Things started from there.

What is your favourite role so far, and why?

It’s the role of Amar in Al Aaraf, and that’s due to many reasons. First and foremost, it had always been a dream of mine to act alongside the prodigious, Adel Emam, therefore when director Ramy Emam, picked me for the role, I was on cloud nine! I played the role of Adel Emam’s daughter in the series so I got to work so closely with him; which is a pure joy! The whole atmosphere of the shooting was fun and positive; I couldn’t wait to wake up everyday and go to work. I was in love with my character, Amar, and I could sense how the audience loved her too. In addition, I met my husband, Sherif Ramzy, on the set of this series. He was my co-star then, and we got married shortly after, so this role is by all means my lucky charm.

Why did you leave the cast of Hekayat Banat even though it was a major success, and the audience was in love with your role? Are you still a fan of the show?

Of course I more than agree that Hekayat Banat was and still is a major success. Its popularity exceeded the expectations of everyone involved in the series when it first came out. We knew it was a lovely show, but we didn’t expect such a positive reaction from the audience; how young girls started to relate to the 4 characters and perceive them as their own reflection, since each girl saw herself in one of the characters. Sadly, I couldn’t join the second season of the show because I was pregnant at the time, and I couldn’t shoot while pregnant because my character, Mariam, had already given birth during the first season; the script was already written and she wasn’t supposed to be pregnant. Later on in the following seasons, they had already introduced new characters, so for sure they had to continue with these characters. I believe the show is an amazing one; I watched Ingy El Mokkaddem and Nada Moussa’s performance and they are perfect. I take pride that I was once part of that beautiful project.

In terms of making movies and TV series, why aren’t you that present like you used to be?

It’s mainly because I had back to back pregnancies; while my first born was only six months old I was already pregnant with my second child. Aside from the obvious challenge of having two toddlers under one roof, I was so happy to not wait much after the first baby, because first off I wanted so much to have kids, and second off I personallythink it’s wiser to get over with the pregnancies and go through the experience almost at the same time. That way the kids will learn from each other and will become fast friends because they’re close playmates, and later on I can go back to work. I get many offers, but I still can’t in good conscious leave the kids while they are still that young; especially that I like to be the one who does everything for them, I don’t like to hire help. I am waiting for the right role that will fire me up, and stimulate me to leave home to go play it.

When I am acting I feel like I belong to another world.

Tell us more about the project you are working on.

While reading scenarios and searching for the right role, I got an idea that will help me get back sooner to work and still have my kids close by, better yet involved in my work. I came up with an idea for an online show addressing new parents; it revolves around kids and parenthood where I would be sharing my personal experience and featuring pediatricians and child psychologists. Each episode will pose a common question regarding kids. We will begin shooting the episodes soon, and it will be aired on my YouTube channel next summer.

We thank Reham for such an amazing interview and wish her all the best in her new project.