When the movie director of “Fakers” wanted Christine Solomon to play a nudity scene in his film, Solomon told her agent she is no longer interested in the role. It is against her morals, ethics and principles. “There are things I value. I respect what I believe in,” said Solomon in an exclusive interview with Arab News in Montréal.
The day after Solomon told her agent that she was not going to do the nudity scene, the director decides to omit the scene because he really wanted Solomon in his film. “Don’t give up and don’t forsake what you believe in. Whatever God wants you to have, he is going to give it to you,” she added.
Born in Egypt and growing up in Montréal, Solomon’s Egyptian, Syrian and Lebanese ethnicity gave her the opportunity to explore her career as an actress in both the Egyptian and North American entertainment industries. Inspired by the Egyptian actress Sherihan, Solomon’s passion to become an actress began during her childhood.
“I used to watch Sherihan and I wanted to be like her. But I didn’t know what an actress was at that age. When I turned 12, I knew exactly what acting was; so I wanted to embark on this journey,” said Solomon.
Later on, the inspiration grew bigger watching movie stars such as Soad Hosni, Omar Sharif and Youssef Chahine.
“And on the North American side Michael Caine, Johnny Depp and Cate Blanchett. I used to watch a lot of Asian films growing up and I also loved Amitabh Bachchan and Jackie Chan,” she said.
When Solomon took the decision to audition for the theater program, her parents did not know about it. “My parents were totally against my career from the beginning, because they wanted me to have a stable job since I’m the oldest,” said Solomon.
After mid-semester, Solomon told her parents she was studying to become a professional actress. “It was a surprise. I took the opportunity and invited them to see my play. Family support is very important for the acting career,” she said.
When Solomon’s parents saw her perform on stage, they believed their daughter was talented. “So I started acting in Montréal and they even encouraged me to go to Los Angeles,” she said.
Taking different parts in TV, film and theater led to Solomon’s big break in Egypt. In 2006, the famous Egyptian writer and author Medhat El-Adl invited her to attend the Cairo International Film Festival where she met several directors. “Being in Cairo gave me the opportunity to act in three Egyptian movies: Bald Al-Banat or ‘Country of Girls’, Basra, and Heliopolis ‘Masr El Gedida’,” said Solomon. “’Basra’ was actually my first depute film like on screen. Balad Al-banat was a voice over.” The reaction to the movie “Basra” took Solomon, the cast, the director and the production team by surprise. “We didn’t know we would get so much attention worldwide. We’re so happy because we had put so much work into it,” said Solomon.
In the movie, Christine plays Bouthina who is in a love triangle between Bassem Samra and Yara Goubran. In order to win her ex-love’s heart back, she tries different tactics including dating his best friend.
“Basra” won the Best Script Award at the Alexandria Film Festival 2003, the Best Cinematography Award at the XXIX Mostra De Valencia 2008, the Best Script Award at the 32nd Cairo International Film Festival 2008 and the Best Director Award and 3rd Bronze Award for Production at the National Film Festival — Egypt 2009. It has also been selected for official competition at the 32nd São Paulo International Film Festival 2008, Pan African Film Festival 2009 and it has been screened at the Cape Winelands Film Festival 2009.
“Heliopolis” was quite a different film because it had a western style to it. “I wouldn’t call it an Egyptian film and that’s why it’s creating such a this buzz now and people can’t just wait for it to hit theaters,” said Solomon.
Solomon’s characters in “Basra” and in “Heliopolis” are completely opposite, which excited her.
“People were saying in Egypt that I was going to be typecast as the Western girl who doesn’t know how to speak Arabic fluently. So I was really happy with my roles. I came up with five characters for “Heliopolis”. The director said let’s go with the gothic style and it intrigued him. It has never been seen in Egyptian films on screen. I’m the first Egyptian actress to play a gothic role on the screen,” said Solomon.
The success of her movies in Cairo was a comfort to Solomon after facing a few challenges in Egypt. She said in the Middle East things are done at a very slow pace compared to North America. “Here we have a very fast pace. We have deadlines, everything is in order and structured. There is always a plan,” said Solomon. “These differences had their advantages and disadvantages. If I work in a slower pace, I’ll feel less stressed and have more time to focus on certain things that I didn’t get the chance to focus on. But at the same time you want things to keep moving,” she added.
Solomon did not know how to read or write Arabic. She said she also had a dialect and an accent whenever she spoke. “I wanted people to take me seriously as I’m a serious actress. I hired a dialect coach and a teacher to help me read and someone else to read the scripts for me. That’s how the process went,” said Solomon. “You can’t underestimate anyone’s capabilities and as an actress I need to know how to play perform anything. When the movie “Passion of the Christ” was made, none of the actors knew Hebrew. They had to learn and portray it on the screen and make it look believable. That’s the job of the actor and so I did it.”
Christine Solomon is currently wrapping up a movie called “Fakers”. It is a Cité-Amérique production directed by 13 time award winner Pierre Gill. It will premiere on Movie Central and The Movie Network in spring 2010.
“Egypt opened the door for me in North America. In “Fakers” I play an exotic dancer. You’ll be completely shocked. I look like a showgirl from Las Vegas. I don’t play the average exotic dancer though. She’s a pretty smart girl,” said Solomon.Solomon is also working on opening up her own acting career consultancy company Muze in Montréal to help guide the working and inspiring actors in their career.
“We’ll be providing expert advice and guidance. Muze will cover everything including how to start an acting career, how to market yourself without spending too much money, how to create your press kit and portfolio, how to target an your agent, how to do your interviews and auditions...etc,” said Solomon.
The key to success Solomon said is to never give up on your dreams. “Never give up because If you give up too quickly, you’ll never find out how close you were to reaching your dreams” she said.
