The Syrian actor Jamal Sulaiman — known for playing historical roles on TV — opened his heart and home to Sayidaty and talked about his work and personal life.

You have recently starred in three major TV series, what does that mean to you?

It means I am really working hard. Every year, I try to do as much work as possible. Usually, one work is contemporary and the another historical. I was in “The Four Seasons” and “Salah Al-Dein”, followed by “Spring of Qurtabah” and “Memories of A Coming Time”. In the interest of diversity, I was also in “The Palestinian Exile” produced by Hatem Ali, and in “The White Thread” produced by Haithem Haqi, and in “Faris, Son of Marwan” produced by Najdat Anzour.

What have these works added to your professional development?

Personally, I can’t really judge this since when an actor is working in a series, he doesn’t know what the results will be. We do as much as we can, making every effort to ensure that we work with good producers, a good script and a good production company.

This doesn’t mean, however, that success is guaranteed.

I think that “The Palestinian Exile” was significant in terms of what I’ve done before. In fact it’s an important addition to Arabic TV as it talks about the history of the Palestinian individual, the simple villager.

As for “The White Thread,” the subject is new; it deals with talk shows how they are made and the problems of preparing and presenting them. Talk shows are often trapped between the producer and what the audience wants; what the audience wants of course is controversial topics discussed openly and realistically, which is not always the case.

“The Palestinian Exile” was criticized for presenting the Palestinian community as living within an internal struggle. Did it really represent the truth there?

I think that was the reason for the series’ success. It raises the question of why people are defeated even if they are good. The problems are there and exist in all communities.

The Palestinian community in 1948 was a typical Arab community.

It suffered from tribalism and family divisions that over shadowed individuals’ national feelings.

In truth, Palestinians suffered from social, economic and political problems. They are divided and fragmented and this is true of all Arabs. “The Palestinian Exile”, I feel, presents the Palestinian reality with great objectivity.

The poor didn’t have the right to an education and were shunned and ridiculed. This is all documented and is clear from the memories of many Arabs and Palestinians. In other words, Palestine fell because of weaknesses that we still suffer from today. And that point is addressed from an angle of love and not from spite. This is a lesson we should learn from our history.

Do you think that Syrian drama has got over its fantasia complex and entered reality?

Syrian drama is still in its infancy. At one time, it focused on historical subjects; I believe that not everything that’s historical is suitable for drama and that applies to social subjects as well. In my opinion there are contemporary works that belong to past centuries and there are historical films which you feel are contemporary or current since they touch upon modern situations and problems. Generally, Syrian drama is obsessed with the burdens of politics, nations and Arabs. The success of Syrian drama is due to a number of talented writers and producers.

Does your wife have a say in your work?

Of course. We discuss my roles, she gives her opinion and we often differ.

Do your admirers give her any reason to be jealous?

No, not at all. Sometimes an admirer’s exaggerated admiration gives her reason to laugh. She understands my work and its nature.