THE SHADOW CAST SPEAKS — CHALLENGES, STRANGE OCCURRENCES AND TABOOS

Sara Al Aqeeli, Who plays desperate mum Maryam

“The most challenging part for me was welling up emotions that I didn’t really have. I’m not a mother, so seeing my son in front of me, I had to relate [it] to something else and constantly try to well up the tears in every take,” said Al Aqeeli.

Nayla Al Khaja, On Mona Ragab, who plays house help Hajjar

“[Ragab] is probably the actress who really, really suffered, because that pot that she was carrying was at least seven to eight kilograms. The poor woman, for hours and hours, she was carrying it like, ‘Another take?’ Her whole arms were shivering. She was a champion,” said Al Khaja.

Miran Yazi, who plays bedridden Tamara

“I thought I was going to just act as a rich woman, sleeping on the bed and being spoiled. But I think the most challenging [part] for me, because it’s considered taboo in the Arab culture, is to show my period. Behind the scenes, I was telling Nayla this is the first time I walk and I’m not feeling shamed because of my blood. It was [also] challenging that I had to tap into the feeling that I have pain. I felt it,” Yazi said.

Director Nayla Al Khaja, on strange incidents on set

“This is actually really funny. It was very quiet in the room where they were talking [in the scene], and there were a lot of Islamic paintings everywhere. We were [immersed] in the scene, it was very intense, and suddenly, a big painting went ‘BOOV’ on the floor. [Mohanned] jumped like I’ve never seen anyone jump. I think we have it on tape. I don’t know how or why, but it happened,” said Al Khaja.

Mohannad Huthail, who plays the Mulla and appeared in Tobe Hooper’s ‘Djinn’ (2013)

“When you shoot an Arabic movie talking about [people’s] own beliefs, their own religion, their own jinn, and the stories that they used to hear about it, it’s a totally different picture [than a movie like Djinn], I believe. And when it’s subtitled in English, that can also deliver the message beyond, further than an English film,” said Huthail.