CAIRO, 13 February 2007 — Actor Omar Sharif is used to make controversial statements about his Egyptian colleagues.
The latest controversy revolves around comments Sharif made about Ahmad Ramzi, saying he chose an actor’s career because he failed in his studies, Al-Watan newspaper reported yesterday.
“Ramzi could not get admission to medical, business, agricultural courses as he failed in his studies,” Sharif said in Sunday in Alexandria during a function on the occasion of the launch of the shooting of “Hanan Wa Hanin” in which he plays the hero.
“Then someone advised him to try the acting career as it is the easiest trade anyone could practice.”
Other actors are dismayed at such comments made by the famed Arab actor.
Earlier Sharif said the huge wages earned by film stars were immoral.
He believed the actors don’t deserve large remunerations while millions of laborers are working hard morning to evening for extremely low wages.
Replying to a question about actress Hamama as to why she was not in the cast of his film he said she was too old to act.
Omar Sharif has announced his plan to retire after completing the shooting of the “Hanin wal Hanan” Adel Abbas, a film critic close to Sharif said that he decided to retire saying that the decision was final as “he had grown old and lazy” to quote the actor’s on words.