Reem Mostafa: A Woman of Many Talents

Reem Mostafa

A Woman of Many Talents

Interview by Aya Aboshady

Photographer: LOBNA DERBALA Retoucher: MOHAMED ELSAYED Stylist: YASMINE ALI EL DIN Makeup Artist: DANA KHEDR Hair Stylist: YOUSSEF AL ASHKAR

From “Heba Regl El-Ghorab” to “Naseebi W Esmetek: Mara Wahed Libraly” and her fan-favorite role as ‘Shahitaz El-Ola’ in the hit comedy show “El-Waseya”’; Reem Moustafa is a talented actress who’s always looking to portray new characters. Starring in the first WATCH IT production - airing soon, her first action role in “Shadid El-Khotoura” is already expected to stun everyone. Identity had the chance to talk with Reem and discuss her upcoming projects, daily hobbies, what goes on behind the scenes, and much more!

First of all, I’m very happy to be taking part in the first WATCH IT production, especially that I know for a fact they want to take this platform to a whole new level. The challenge of “Shadid El-Khotoura” is another reason I’m super excited and optimistic about it! This is the first time ever for me to play a role within the action genre. It was a very different experience; I haven’t portrayed this type of character before. Even my appearance in it is so different; I often like to work on projects that challenge my capabilities and nature. Ahmed El-Awady and I are the lead characters in the series and we’re also joined by Reyad El-Kholi, Hamza El-Aly, Hosny Shetta, Mahmoud Hegazi, Hadi El-Gayar and many more! The series is seven episodes and it’s supposed to be split into three parts. The only reason I was worried about this movie is that my character is, somehow, a villain. I was really worried about people hating her. But when I talked to director Ahmed Nader Galal about it, all my worries immediately vanished into thin air. He simply asked me ‘Has anyone ever hated Mahmoud ElMeligy or Tawfik El-De’n?’ I also that this character is so unlike anything I’ve ever done before. On top of that, working with Ahmed El-Saqa has been a real gift. He’s such a decent human being. There’s barely any day that passes by on set without him personally greeting everyone. It almost felt like he was thanking us for being there. Of course everyone else was amazing too! Overall, the work environment made me very happy. I remember feeling excited going to set every day and leaving there feeling content and relaxed.

2. How did you prepare for your action role in “Shadid El-Khotoura”? And did you do your own fight scenes or were they stunts? It was definitely not at all easy. The preparation was insane. I literally trained every day for over a month, even on set and in between scenes. It was the first time for me to try and do actual fight scenes. And I do train and go to the gym every now and then, but I never trained like that before. However, I really enjoyed training in order to make this character come to life. Also, all those fight scenes actually helped me get rid of so much negative energy! As for the stunts, of course there were some. But I still chose to do all my scenes by myself, even the dangerous ones. That’s how much I wanted everything to seem so real and honest. And of course, I fell and took a few strong blows but thankfully, it all passed. 3. A lot of people are anticipating Ahmed ElSaqa’s long awaited film “El-3ankabout”. How was shooting that movie like? I was offered a role in “El-3ankabout”and when I received the script, I simply couldn’t say no. You’re talking about a production that involves huge names like Ahmed Nader Galal, whom I’ve always wanted to work with. As well as Ahmed El-Saqa, Mona Zaki, 4. Your role as ‘Shahitaz El-Ola’ in “El-Waseya”’ was so unique that it stuck with so many viewers. Talk to us about working on this series and how that unique character came to life! Before “El-Waseya”, those who knew me well always advised me to try and take on a comedy role. Especially since most people often associate blondes with poor sense of humor. So I wanted to change that stereotype. Also, before this series, I did “Ehdi ya Madam” - which was also a comedy, but not as direct or as obvious as “El-Waseya”. “El-Waseya” was so challenging. And I was pretty scared of portraying that comedy role, because it’s very hard to change the audience’s opinion once they form one about you in a specific genre. That being said, it quickly became super special to me and it remains so close to my heart to this very day; mainly because I solely worked on every detail that has to do with ‘Shahitaz’. From her clothes and hairstyles to her attitude, body language and facial expressions; I created the character completely on my own. Even our director Khaled El-Halafawy was shocked at the character’s appearance on the first day of shooting! That’s why the Best Comedian Award that I received from Dear Guest for that role will always remain one of the closest to my heart. 28 March 2020

5. Out of all the stars you’ve worked with, who are your favorites on set and who are the ones you really want to work with in the future but still haven’t gotten the chance?

I will have to say Adel Emam, of course! Words will never be enough to describe that man, honestly. Working with him was a gift. And also Marwan Hamed, whom I really wish to work with again. As well as the perfectionist Ahmed Nader Galal, no questions asked. As for those I would really want to work with; I would have to say Karim Abdelaziz and Sherif Arafa.

6. Speaking of Marwan Hamed; talk to us about “Noktet Talaki”, the documentary that was shown in the World Youth Forum, Sharm El-Sheikh - the one where you were the only female featured in the unique project.

Shooting that documentary was so tiring; we did 6-months worth of work and shoots in only two weeks. I wasn’t sleeping for days, especially when we shot on top of Mount Saint Catherine. But it was so worth it in the end! The experience itself is priceless.

Working on this documentary was a real pleasure; everything in it was so real. People only got to see 25 minutes of it, but the content was much larger. It could’ve easily fit in a three-hour movie.

7. What’s the character you’re still yet to portray on screen but really want to?

I really wanted to portray a historical character or partake in a historical series/movie. And thankfully, I was actually offered such a role in Amr Youssef’s “Khaled Ibn El-Walid”. However, I’m still reading the script and we still don’t know whether or not it’ll catch the Ramadan 2020 season.

I would also really like to play a similar role to Soad Hosny’s in “Be’er El-Herman”. Such an interesting and complex character!

8. Away of acting and your field of work, what are your hobbies?

I love photography and I really enjoy editing pictures. I even worked on a cover shoot for Egyptian photographer Khaled Fadda, and it got published. Another hobby of mine would definitely have to be dancing. I could stay in front of the TV watching dance shows for hours. I used to take dance classes, but not anymore because acting is taking up most of my time. But I’m surely planning on strengthening my dancing skills very soon! 30 March 2020

This is the first time ever for me to play a role within the action genre. It was a very different experience; I haven’t portrayed this type of character before. “

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