CAIRO, 15 May 2007 — Lebanese actresses are gaining increasing popularity here with Egyptian directors rushing to sign them up for their movies.
There are essentially two reasons for this phenomenon, according to the Gulf daily, Al-Raya. The first is the practice by some Egyptian actresses, such as Hanan Al-Turk, to wear the hijab, which restricts them to more serious roles and leaves a void of actresses who make suggestive motions while wearing as little clothing as possible.
The second reason is the huge amount of money demanded by many Egyptian actresses such as Muna Zaki, Hala Shiha and Yasmeen Abd Al-Aziz.
Egypt’s latest Lebanese import is none other than the famous Lebanese singer Haifa Wahbi who signed a contract with Al-Sabki Production Company to act in “Laylat Al-Baby Doll” (“The Night of the Baby Doll”) for 5 million Egyptian pounds. Egyptian singer Tamer Hosni is co-starring with her.
Al-Sabki’s first choice for the role was another Lebanese singer, Rola Saeed, who turned down the offer as she was busy working on another movie “72 Hours.” She will star alongside Egyptian actors Fathi Abd Al-Wahab, Tamer Hajras and Dunia Ghanem.
Lebanese singer Nicole Saba and actresses Dolly Shaheen and Razan Maghrabi have also signed up to star in Egyptian productions.