One of the proudest interviews we had was with the late legendary Omar ElSherif. It was an honour for us to interview the Hollywood legend before he lost his battle to Alzheimer’s last July. The news devastated not just Egyptians, but the whole world. In memory of ElSherif, we decided to republish part of our original interview with him from February, 2010.

 

About him 

Nationality: I am proud of being Egyptian since birth, and until now I have not changed my nationality, despite being asked to do so several times. I was offered the nationality by Prince Rene de Monaco but I refused it, even though it doesn’t require taxes to get it.

Education: Victoria College, an English school in Egypt.

Birthday: April 10, 1932.

Marital status: Single.

 

Favourites

Season: Spring – autumn. I don’t like neither winter nor summer as I don’t tolerate the cold and I hate hot weather.

Food: Italian, Egyptian, and Lebanese cuisine. But in general, I prefer eating in restaurants rather than being invited over to friends’ houses.

Actor: Marlon Brando, James Dean, and Johnny Depp.

Music: Opera, Om Kalthoum, and Abdel Halim Hafez.

Books: Even though I am an English school graduate, I like reading old French books.

 

Which of your movies was the most successful? And what is the role you want to do but you haven’t yet done?

The most successful movie I starred in was Lawrence of Arabia. Although it was nominated to win Oscars, won three Golden Globe awards, and was ranked fifth among the best films in the history of Hollywood, I was not satisfied with my performance in this movie. There isn’t a certain role I want to do, it depends on the quality of the story, the script, and the scenes. I don’t care about the identity of the character I am playing, whether it’s a king or a peasant, I only care about how well the script is written.

Which actors would you like to work with but haven’t?

I have always wanted to work with Ahmed Zaki as I have always admired him and I consider him the best actor in Egyptian history.

What made you return to Egypt?

I stayed abroad for a long time. I couldn’t come to Egypt because I didn’t have a visa to enter the country. In America I had a lot of contracts and I used to work with Jewish people because most of the American industry was based on them so I was afraid to come back to Egypt. But it all changed when I met President Anwar El Sadaat. Every year I used to be invited by the American president to a party at the White House. I had a good relationship with most of the presidents. At one of these parties I met El Sadaat, and he told me, “Dear Omar, you are our son. Why did you leave us and never come back to make sure we are fine? We all love you.” Also he added that his son’s wedding was the same week and that if I didn’t attend he would be angry at me, so I decided to go back to Cairo.

You starred with many different actresses worldwide, including some who are not considered symbols of beauty. Do you think beauty plays an important role in the success of an actress? And what’s the difference between Eastern and Western women?

Beauty is not everything for me. I prefer the talented actress to the beautiful and pretty one. I even could lose interest in acting my role if I act with an untalented actress. I personally don’t like foreign women. I like Eastern woman in general, but I especially adore Egyptian women’s traits. For me, no one is like the Egyptian woman.

Since you have travelled a lot, which countries do you enjoy the most?

I got accustomed to Paris; in fact I have some friends there. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stay in touch with all of my friends because of my travelling.

How did luck play a role in your life? And in your opinion, what is a simple equation for success?

Luck is everything for me, as my whole life was a story of luck. One day I was sitting with Ramzi at Groppi and a man came over telling me that he knew that I was planning to leave to England to study acting. It was Youssef Shahin, who introduced me to the Egyptian cinema in a movie called Seraa Fy El Wady. I was 21 years old in 1953. This movie was shown at the Cannes Festival because it was very successful, and since then I became a known actor. Luck always had an impact on my career. After I got married and had a boy, I never thought of leaving Egypt until I met Sam Spiegel, an American producer, who came to Egypt to see my performance. It all started when an American director called David Vil, was searching for an actor who looked Egyptian; a man with dark eyes, so he had to search among the Arabs. So the director chose me to act in the movie, but before starting the film, the producer asked me to remove the mole that I had on my face, as he thought that I had a mosquito on my face during the test and I really removed it. While looking at different actors’ pictures he saw mine and asked Spiegel to come to Egypt and see if I could speak English. So he came and stayed at the Shepheard Hotel. He tested me and I was chosen for a role in Lawrence of Arabia. Since then I started to gain fame abroad. So I am very lucky because if my mum hadn’t sent me to an English school, I never would’ve acted in such great movies. Not only can luck lead you to success, but also a good opportunity helps you to succeed. If you played a role in a movie that didn’t succeed and you are a genius actor, you will not work again. In America if the film doesn’t make money, the producer will never take you again

How was your talent discovered?

When I was 13 years old I started acting in a play at the school theatre. I was very pleased at the applause of my classmates. The next day when I entered the classroom everyone was astonished not only by my performance, but also by how I had memorised all the script. That was one of the reasons that made me love acting. Of course my teachers were against my passion for acting because I was so bright in mathematics and thus they wanted me to become a prominent mathematician. Ironically an actor doesn’t like mathematics at all and prefers memorising. For me I hated all the subjects that required memorising, especially geography and history. I mostly didn’t memorise any of these subjects, instead I used to depend on my intellect.

If you were not an actor, what would you like to be?

A barman, not because I like drinking but because the barman does a great job acting as a psychologist. During his work people come to drink and start telling him their worries and he tries to advise.

What has fame given you and what has it taken in return?

I am very pleased at being famous; I don’t fear what I say as long as I am saying the truth. Fame offers me people’s admiration.

What do you miss the most?

I live my life minute by minute; I don’t miss anything from the past except my youth and being with my old friends.

How should we deal with our children?

You have to raise your children in the same way as other children around them. Don’t make your son different from other children around him. Moreover, don’t forbid him something that everyone is doing. You have to realise that your children have their own society that you can’t deprive them of.

Do you plan for your future?

Unlike in youth, people my age usually don’t think of their future. Such elderly people should enjoy each moment to the fullest, especially the moment they are living in, and not care about either the past or the future.